This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
Oh, oh I love you
Oh, oh I do
I got a sentimental illness for you
Please don't go away, oh yeah
I was a high school atom bomb
Going off on the weekends
Smoking dope and mowing lawns
And I hated all the new trends
Me and my friends sang
Woh-uh-oh-oh-oh
It's true, the middle of the road
At least it's better than here
Looking for a cause
Well all I got was Santa Claus
I'm hanging on a dream that's too dumb to die
I feel like a cello
Lost somewhere over the rainbow
Way up high, too scared to dream
But too dumb to die
My daddy always was on strike
Going off with the teamsters
He said that everything will be alright
Not every Sunday can be Easter
The picket line screamed woh-uh-oh-oh-oh
Don't cross, don't cross the line
Because you'll be a scab, not a martyr
Looking for a cause
Well all I got was camouflage
I'm hanging on a dream that's too dumb to die
I feel like a cello
Lost somewhere over the rainbow
Way up high, too scared to dream
But too dumb to
Looking for a cause
Well all I got was camouflage
I'm hanging on a dream that's too dumb to die
I feel like a cello
Lost somewhere over the rainbow
Way up high, too scared to dream
But too dumb to die
Oh, oh I do
I got a sentimental illness for you
Please don't go away, oh yeah
I was a high school atom bomb
Going off on the weekends
Smoking dope and mowing lawns
And I hated all the new trends
Me and my friends sang
Woh-uh-oh-oh-oh
It's true, the middle of the road
At least it's better than here
Looking for a cause
Well all I got was Santa Claus
I'm hanging on a dream that's too dumb to die
I feel like a cello
Lost somewhere over the rainbow
Way up high, too scared to dream
But too dumb to die
My daddy always was on strike
Going off with the teamsters
He said that everything will be alright
Not every Sunday can be Easter
The picket line screamed woh-uh-oh-oh-oh
Don't cross, don't cross the line
Because you'll be a scab, not a martyr
Looking for a cause
Well all I got was camouflage
I'm hanging on a dream that's too dumb to die
I feel like a cello
Lost somewhere over the rainbow
Way up high, too scared to dream
But too dumb to
Looking for a cause
Well all I got was camouflage
I'm hanging on a dream that's too dumb to die
I feel like a cello
Lost somewhere over the rainbow
Way up high, too scared to dream
But too dumb to die
Lyrics submitted by Jirachibi, edited by usetherealword
Too Dumb To Die Lyrics as written by Mike Ryan Pritchard Billie Joe Armstrong
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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official music video states the real lyric is "looking for a buzz but all i found was santa cluas" not "looking for a cause"
youtu.be/qh7QJ_jLam0