Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
There's that girl from your work and she's here with some guy
He's got a t-shirt tux and piano key tie
The rest of us were rolling our eyes at the handshake he did with the doorman
But that's how he gets the stuff that makes him feel so important
And we all need something to get through the night
'Cause the kitchen gets hot and the fingers get fried
A Pontius Pilate played to the crowd and they all thought they knew what he wanted
And everyone's sorry when they see that it's dawn, I assume that's the reason we do this
And me and the guy with the piano key tie are probably gonna play right through this
Tiny little triumphs, massive bloody failures
I heard that there were sailors who dread coming to shore
I guess it's true, it's true I guess
But tonight I fear my sensors aren't receiving at their best
And everyone talks about they hate that they're here
Baring their teeth and sharpening spears
The stuff that they put in the punch bowl tonight makes it too hard to pay much attention
But your war of attrition turned out to be a major attraction
A boy and a girl were draining their beers
He said "Stalin was a weatherman to start his career
And Johnny Cash was in the service when the news came through the wire
And it's weird how you feel when bad people die"
She said "Yeah, I guess, whatever
All your fun little facts are never going to keep us together"
We'll all be doomed once we leave this room
We're spinning through the turnstiles
And we're sleeping in our shoes
While we're sad and stoned
While we're all hooked up at home
But when we leave the house, we're homesick
Got the disconnection blues
There were multiple dispensers and some friends we couldn't use
There's a candle on the table, there's a photo on the fridge
There's a bunch of things we said we were gonna do then never did
And sometimes it's all slippery sidewalks, and trying to find a place to park
Turning on a burner that never catches spark
They said everything's perception but that's not really right
Let's all try to tell a little truth tonight
Let's all try to tell a little truth tonight
He's got a t-shirt tux and piano key tie
The rest of us were rolling our eyes at the handshake he did with the doorman
But that's how he gets the stuff that makes him feel so important
And we all need something to get through the night
'Cause the kitchen gets hot and the fingers get fried
A Pontius Pilate played to the crowd and they all thought they knew what he wanted
And everyone's sorry when they see that it's dawn, I assume that's the reason we do this
And me and the guy with the piano key tie are probably gonna play right through this
Tiny little triumphs, massive bloody failures
I heard that there were sailors who dread coming to shore
I guess it's true, it's true I guess
But tonight I fear my sensors aren't receiving at their best
And everyone talks about they hate that they're here
Baring their teeth and sharpening spears
The stuff that they put in the punch bowl tonight makes it too hard to pay much attention
But your war of attrition turned out to be a major attraction
A boy and a girl were draining their beers
He said "Stalin was a weatherman to start his career
And Johnny Cash was in the service when the news came through the wire
And it's weird how you feel when bad people die"
She said "Yeah, I guess, whatever
All your fun little facts are never going to keep us together"
We'll all be doomed once we leave this room
We're spinning through the turnstiles
And we're sleeping in our shoes
While we're sad and stoned
While we're all hooked up at home
But when we leave the house, we're homesick
Got the disconnection blues
There were multiple dispensers and some friends we couldn't use
There's a candle on the table, there's a photo on the fridge
There's a bunch of things we said we were gonna do then never did
And sometimes it's all slippery sidewalks, and trying to find a place to park
Turning on a burner that never catches spark
They said everything's perception but that's not really right
Let's all try to tell a little truth tonight
Let's all try to tell a little truth tonight
Lyrics submitted by Mellow_Harsher
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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,
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