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,
If I lose you
If I lose you
If I lose you
If I lose you
Uh huh, uh huh, uh huh, mmm
If I, if I, if I, if I, if I
B-b-b-b-baby g g g, so g g g, you you you
If I lose you
If I lose you
Uh huh, uh huh
If I lose you in the street
If I lose you in the street
If I lose you in the street at night
If I lose you in the street
If I lose, don't be sad
If I lose you in the street
If I lose you in the street, hey
If I lose you in the street
G g come here come here come
Feel for you
Kiss me, break my mind, close the door
Black steel, break my mind, close the door
Black steel, the sight of you falling out
The sight of you
If I lose you in the street, six
If I lose you in the street
I say, I say, I say, I say, I say, I say
Wassup, wassup with you?
Wassup with your friends?
High hills, high hills
Oh I, m b v m b v m b v m b v m b v more m b v hi fi
I wanna see you
Stand up, stand up, stand up
In the high hills
Don't trade, don't don't I don't trade
Don't trade, don't don't I don't trade
May I, may I walk with you?
May I walk with you? uh-oh
In the time takes to slide it back
In the time it changes, recorded at the automat
San francisco mixed with uh-oh
In the time takes to slide it back
In the time it changes shhhhh
Emotional chi, emotional chi
Come on baby, don't fuss
In the time takes to slide it back
Say a what say a what eh eh eh eh eh eh eh
In the time takes to slide it back
Questions say what
I like you mostly late at night
Hold tight, hold tight, hold tight with a tight
Budokan warp, budokan warp, we warp
B b b b b freestyle
I like you mostly late at night
Break my mind, break my mind
In the time takes to slide it back
Raining in my room, sweet and sleepy
Wassup wassup
I can remember I can remember four
We can we can we can we can three
Keep us together keep us together keep us together
In the time takes sliding back
In the time takes sliding back
In the time takes sliding back
Forever
You can be me, swim
The face of you,
Ok the face, we can take it back
I can take you the hills
Days like television
Days like television
D-d-d-d-d-days like television
Face of you, the face of you
In the time takes to slide it back
In the time takes to slide it back
The face of you, for, that's all
Should I wait for you s f l
Should I wait for you?
Should I wait for you?
Come on, should I?
Never forget who you are
There's no reason
D-d-d-d-d-d-d girls
There's no reason wassup
Responsibility, free
In the time takes sliding back
In the time
Responsibility, girls
D-d-d-d-d-d-d break
Wassup
I don't trade
Wassup
I don't trade
Yeah yeah
I don't trade
Wassup
Contact, contact, just sweet remember contact
Boom, contact, contact
That's the way, your first, your last, your only contact
Uh-oh, uh-oh, contact
The first, the last, the only
Bounce, twirl
I don't trade
I don't trade
Yeah yeah
In the time takes sliding back
In the time takes sliding back
Je danse, je suis
In the time takes sliding back
Contact
Je suis, je danse
D-d-d-d with a bit of freestyle
In the time takes sliding back
In the time takes sliding back
Should I?
Time takes sliding back
Contact
He's the shaker, baby
He's the shaker, baby
He's the shaker, baby
He's the shaker, baby
Contact
He's the shaker, baby
In the time takes sliding back
Twelve o'clock
He's the shaker, baby
He's the shaker, baby
He's the shaker, baby
He's the shaker, baby
Contact, swallow
Twelve o'clock, one o'clock, no pretending
Virginia, looking at it last night
Virginia plain
Recorded at the power plant, yeah
Vacant together, vacant together, eyes vacant
He's the shaker, baby
He's the shaker, baby
He's the shaker, baby
He's the shaker, baby
He's the shaker, baby
He's the shaker, baby
He's the shaker, baby
No pretending, contact, you and me
Contact, you and me
Wassup, contact
He's the shaker
Watch him, I can't stand the way, I don't like it
Contact
He's the shaker, baby
He's the shaker, baby
I can't stand the way, I don't like it
Contact
I don't like twelve o'clock either
Contact
Shake it, don't go vacant on me
Don't go vacant on me
Waiting, contact, shaking, baby
He's the shaker, baby
He's the shaker, baby
Watch him, contact, shake it, baby
He's the shaker, baby
Don't go vacant, baby
He's the shaker, baby
He's the shaker, baby
I can't stand the rain, I don't like it at all
If I lose you
If I lose you
If I lose you
Uh huh, uh huh, uh huh, mmm
If I, if I, if I, if I, if I
B-b-b-b-baby g g g, so g g g, you you you
If I lose you
If I lose you
Uh huh, uh huh
If I lose you in the street
If I lose you in the street
If I lose you in the street at night
If I lose you in the street
If I lose, don't be sad
If I lose you in the street
If I lose you in the street, hey
If I lose you in the street
G g come here come here come
Feel for you
Kiss me, break my mind, close the door
Black steel, break my mind, close the door
Black steel, the sight of you falling out
The sight of you
If I lose you in the street, six
If I lose you in the street
I say, I say, I say, I say, I say, I say
Wassup, wassup with you?
Wassup with your friends?
High hills, high hills
Oh I, m b v m b v m b v m b v m b v more m b v hi fi
I wanna see you
Stand up, stand up, stand up
In the high hills
Don't trade, don't don't I don't trade
Don't trade, don't don't I don't trade
May I, may I walk with you?
May I walk with you? uh-oh
In the time takes to slide it back
In the time it changes, recorded at the automat
San francisco mixed with uh-oh
In the time takes to slide it back
In the time it changes shhhhh
Emotional chi, emotional chi
Come on baby, don't fuss
In the time takes to slide it back
Say a what say a what eh eh eh eh eh eh eh
In the time takes to slide it back
Questions say what
I like you mostly late at night
Hold tight, hold tight, hold tight with a tight
Budokan warp, budokan warp, we warp
B b b b b freestyle
I like you mostly late at night
Break my mind, break my mind
In the time takes to slide it back
Raining in my room, sweet and sleepy
Wassup wassup
I can remember I can remember four
We can we can we can we can three
Keep us together keep us together keep us together
In the time takes sliding back
In the time takes sliding back
In the time takes sliding back
Forever
You can be me, swim
The face of you,
Ok the face, we can take it back
I can take you the hills
Days like television
Days like television
D-d-d-d-d-days like television
Face of you, the face of you
In the time takes to slide it back
In the time takes to slide it back
The face of you, for, that's all
Should I wait for you s f l
Should I wait for you?
Should I wait for you?
Come on, should I?
Never forget who you are
There's no reason
D-d-d-d-d-d-d girls
There's no reason wassup
Responsibility, free
In the time takes sliding back
In the time
Responsibility, girls
D-d-d-d-d-d-d break
Wassup
I don't trade
Wassup
I don't trade
Yeah yeah
I don't trade
Wassup
Contact, contact, just sweet remember contact
Boom, contact, contact
That's the way, your first, your last, your only contact
Uh-oh, uh-oh, contact
The first, the last, the only
Bounce, twirl
I don't trade
I don't trade
Yeah yeah
In the time takes sliding back
In the time takes sliding back
Je danse, je suis
In the time takes sliding back
Contact
Je suis, je danse
D-d-d-d with a bit of freestyle
In the time takes sliding back
In the time takes sliding back
Should I?
Time takes sliding back
Contact
He's the shaker, baby
He's the shaker, baby
He's the shaker, baby
He's the shaker, baby
Contact
He's the shaker, baby
In the time takes sliding back
Twelve o'clock
He's the shaker, baby
He's the shaker, baby
He's the shaker, baby
He's the shaker, baby
Contact, swallow
Twelve o'clock, one o'clock, no pretending
Virginia, looking at it last night
Virginia plain
Recorded at the power plant, yeah
Vacant together, vacant together, eyes vacant
He's the shaker, baby
He's the shaker, baby
He's the shaker, baby
He's the shaker, baby
He's the shaker, baby
He's the shaker, baby
He's the shaker, baby
No pretending, contact, you and me
Contact, you and me
Wassup, contact
He's the shaker
Watch him, I can't stand the way, I don't like it
Contact
He's the shaker, baby
He's the shaker, baby
I can't stand the way, I don't like it
Contact
I don't like twelve o'clock either
Contact
Shake it, don't go vacant on me
Don't go vacant on me
Waiting, contact, shaking, baby
He's the shaker, baby
He's the shaker, baby
Watch him, contact, shake it, baby
He's the shaker, baby
Don't go vacant, baby
He's the shaker, baby
He's the shaker, baby
I can't stand the rain, I don't like it at all
Lyrics submitted by rhythmsuicide
The Leanover Lyrics as written by
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
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The many references to other songs is cool. Good catch.
I can read this song to be about prostitutes. The relationship stuff sounds good too.
I don't really read any explicit references to oral sex, except the word "swallow". I can see how the musical references fit into waiting/boredom, like thoughts going through someone's head during sex :)
at the end: "waiting, contact, shake it baby / watch him, contact, shake it baby" This sums up the three stages of finding a john waiting ("days like television" and the references to time ticking or sliding). contact shaking it ("bounce, twirl", "kiss me come here, close the door")
I could imagine some kind of mixed up conversation between girls and a pimp. A lot of the lines are encouraging something to happen.
-- In the live version it sounds like she says "If the high heels don't trade, don't trade!"