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,
You know enough to know the way
Six billion people just one name (I found)
I found tomorrow in today
Apocalyptic and insane, my dreams will never change
You wanna be the one in control
You wanna be the one who's alive
You wanna be the one who's old
It's not a matter of luck, it's just a matter of time
Stand out on the edge of the earth
Stand out on the edge of the earth
Dive into the center of fate
Walk right inside of the gun
Look into the new future's face
I know you know enough to say
I know you know enough to play a game
You wanna be the one in control
You wanna be the one who's alive
You wanna be the one who's old
It's not a matter of luck, it's just a matter of time
Stand out on the edge of the earth
Dive into the center ??
Walk right inside of ??
Look into the still future space
Stand out on the edge of the earth
Dive into the center of fate
Walk right inside of the gun
Look into the new future's face
(Stand out on the edge of the earth)
Stand out on the edge of the earth
Stand out on the edge of the earth
(Look into the new future's face)
Stand out on the edge of the earth
Dive into the center of fate
Walk right inside of the gun
Look into the new future's face
Six billion people just one name (I found)
I found tomorrow in today
Apocalyptic and insane, my dreams will never change
You wanna be the one in control
You wanna be the one who's alive
You wanna be the one who's old
It's not a matter of luck, it's just a matter of time
Stand out on the edge of the earth
Stand out on the edge of the earth
Dive into the center of fate
Walk right inside of the gun
Look into the new future's face
I know you know enough to say
I know you know enough to play a game
You wanna be the one in control
You wanna be the one who's alive
You wanna be the one who's old
It's not a matter of luck, it's just a matter of time
Stand out on the edge of the earth
Dive into the center ??
Walk right inside of ??
Look into the still future space
Stand out on the edge of the earth
Dive into the center of fate
Walk right inside of the gun
Look into the new future's face
(Stand out on the edge of the earth)
Stand out on the edge of the earth
Stand out on the edge of the earth
(Look into the new future's face)
Stand out on the edge of the earth
Dive into the center of fate
Walk right inside of the gun
Look into the new future's face
Lyrics submitted by flashflatliner
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This song is great.
Maybe I am looking into this song wrong or too deeply, but what Jared means when he does this song is writing your own destiny or deciding your own fate.
I think it's a generation song. Every generation is looked on by the previous one as a "social problem" and stuff like that, and I think this song is about getting in their faces and saying "we are the next leaders of this world, you've had your time, this is ours, accept it."
It's how you make your own future.
They write their songs based on the struggle of every day human life. The stuggle of living of relationships of finding your own existance. They are one of my favorate bands ever. They have something so great i know it will last forever.
I believe this song is about pushing past your psyichal limits to try and reach your goals, and to be what you want to be, to take control of the future and make it happen, make your dreams come true. Thats what I believe this song is about anyway.
I choose to believe all their songs are about the apocalypse. It makes a lot of sense if you think about it. Besides, I just love anything apocalyptic, so it enhances my satisfaction with the band. I watched an interview where Jared specifically said that they don't write songs about relationships, that many other people out there were doing that, and doing a real good job of it, and that they'd rather write about better things. See? The apocalypse!
I'd have to disagree with Bazal's statement. I would have agreed with it earlier on, but nowadays I find the whole generation thing rather amusing, as well as a little annoying. I read in a paper something that summed it up perfectly I thought. It went something along the lines of "Someone needs to tell the youth of each generation that older people don't all have some collective amnesia that makes them forget they were also young once. Being young is not a destination, just a particularly rocky stage on a much larger journey". If anyone wonders, I'm 22, so I'm not a complaining old man but probably a bit older than some people. And remember one day, we'll all be the 'previous generation' cursing the new one for their strange ways and lack of respect. Such is the cycle of life. ;)
I was watching a Full Metal Panic AMV for this song and it had a suitably apocalyptic/war theme to it so that leads me to feel this song is written along those lines. These days, war and apocalypse seem to go hand in hand.
Although the apocalyse may be a theme, I don't that's what the core subject of the song is...
He clearly mention's about looking to the future, about making big choices, taking risks ("walk right inside of the gun" and trying to make your own destiny and not letting fate decide - "you wanna be the one in control"
Agree with me!
Yeah the whole album is about apocalypse, I'm sure of it...and I think Jared hopes to be one of the chosen ones. I would join him, he seems like a smart guy hehe
"Dive into the center of fate Walk right inside of the gun Look into the new future's face"
Yes you could say it has appocalyptic meaning. Specifically when he says like into the gun, its the futures face. It means the future is full of wars and guns, death and destruction. And you want to be in control, but the truth is your not. Walk out and face the future, and choose yor destiny.