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,
Laura calls me
In the middle of the night
Passes on her
Fateful information
Then these careless fingers
They get caught in her vise
'Til they're bleeding
On my coffee table
Living alone isn't all that
It's cracked up to be
Oh, oh, oh
I'm on her side
Why does she push the poison on me?
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Laura
Has a very hard time
All her life has
Been one long disaster
Then she tells me
She suddenly believes she's seen a very good sign
She'll be taking
Some aggressive action
I fight her wars
While she's slamming her doors in my face
Oh, oh, oh
Failure to break
Was the only mistake that she made
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Here I am
Feeling like a fucking fool
Do I react the way exactly
She intends me to?
Every time I think I'm off the hook
She makes me lose my cool
I'm her machine
And she can punch all the keys
She can push any button I was programmed through
Laura calls me
When she needs a good fix (ah)
All her questions
Will get sympathetic answers
I should be so immunized
To all of her tricks (ah)
She's surviving
On her second chances
Sometimes I feel like this
Godfather deal is all wrong
Oh, oh, oh
How can she hold an umbilical chord
For so long?
Oh, oh, oh, oh
I've done everything I can
What else am I supposed to do
I'm her machine
And she can punch all the keys
She can push any button I was programmed through
Laura (Laura) loves me (loves me)
Even if I don't care (if I don't care)
That's my problem
That's her sacred absolution
If she had to
She would put herself in my chair (self in my chair)
Even though I
Faced electrocution
She always says
I'm the best friend that she's ever had
Oh, oh, oh
How do you hang up on someone
Who needs you that bad?
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
In the middle of the night
Passes on her
Fateful information
Then these careless fingers
They get caught in her vise
'Til they're bleeding
On my coffee table
Living alone isn't all that
It's cracked up to be
Oh, oh, oh
I'm on her side
Why does she push the poison on me?
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Laura
Has a very hard time
All her life has
Been one long disaster
Then she tells me
She suddenly believes she's seen a very good sign
She'll be taking
Some aggressive action
I fight her wars
While she's slamming her doors in my face
Oh, oh, oh
Failure to break
Was the only mistake that she made
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Here I am
Feeling like a fucking fool
Do I react the way exactly
She intends me to?
Every time I think I'm off the hook
She makes me lose my cool
I'm her machine
And she can punch all the keys
She can push any button I was programmed through
Laura calls me
When she needs a good fix (ah)
All her questions
Will get sympathetic answers
I should be so immunized
To all of her tricks (ah)
She's surviving
On her second chances
Sometimes I feel like this
Godfather deal is all wrong
Oh, oh, oh
How can she hold an umbilical chord
For so long?
Oh, oh, oh, oh
I've done everything I can
What else am I supposed to do
I'm her machine
And she can punch all the keys
She can push any button I was programmed through
Laura (Laura) loves me (loves me)
Even if I don't care (if I don't care)
That's my problem
That's her sacred absolution
If she had to
She would put herself in my chair (self in my chair)
Even though I
Faced electrocution
She always says
I'm the best friend that she's ever had
Oh, oh, oh
How do you hang up on someone
Who needs you that bad?
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
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is laura a drug addict or an alcoholic or something?