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,
Whenever we hold each other
We hold each other
There's a feeling that's going
Something has gone wrong
And I don't know how much longer I can take it
House made of heart, break it
Take my head in your hands and shake it
In this, near wild heaven
Not near enough
Living inside, living inside, living inside (near wild heaven)
Living inside, living inside, living inside (near wild heaven)
Whatever it takes, I'm giving
It's just a gift I'm given
Try to live inside
Trying to move inside
And I always thought that it would make me smarter
But it's only made me harder
My heart thrown open wide
This near wild heaven
Not near enough
Living inside, living inside, living inside (near wild heaven)
Living inside, living inside, living inside (near wild heaven)
Living inside, living inside, living inside (near wild heaven)
Living inside, living inside, living inside (near wild heaven)
I'm holding my hands together
I'm holding my feet together
I'm holding myself together
In this near wild heaven
Not near enough
Near wild heaven
Near wild heaven
Living inside, living inside, living inside (near wild heaven)
Living inside, living inside, living inside (near wild heaven)
Living inside, living inside, living inside (near wild heaven)
Living inside, living inside, living inside (near wild heaven)
We hold each other
There's a feeling that's going
Something has gone wrong
And I don't know how much longer I can take it
House made of heart, break it
Take my head in your hands and shake it
In this, near wild heaven
Not near enough
Living inside, living inside, living inside (near wild heaven)
Living inside, living inside, living inside (near wild heaven)
Whatever it takes, I'm giving
It's just a gift I'm given
Try to live inside
Trying to move inside
And I always thought that it would make me smarter
But it's only made me harder
My heart thrown open wide
This near wild heaven
Not near enough
Living inside, living inside, living inside (near wild heaven)
Living inside, living inside, living inside (near wild heaven)
Living inside, living inside, living inside (near wild heaven)
Living inside, living inside, living inside (near wild heaven)
I'm holding my hands together
I'm holding my feet together
I'm holding myself together
In this near wild heaven
Not near enough
Near wild heaven
Near wild heaven
Living inside, living inside, living inside (near wild heaven)
Living inside, living inside, living inside (near wild heaven)
Living inside, living inside, living inside (near wild heaven)
Living inside, living inside, living inside (near wild heaven)
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a down-to-earth lyric about love gone bad. clinging to love with the wrong one. there is no 'right' one (mr./mrs. right), just the one that is 'right for you'. sadly, sometimes, there IS love, but between two mis-matched people. alas, the love is NOT enough sometimes in these cases. this is what he's talking about.