It was all a dream
I used to read Thrasher magazine
Looking at pictures of skateboarders
California
So envy me
S.O.S. LAPD
Docking the yacht in such low waters
How a sutra

Now it's a different game
Eighty percent still agree
They're winning 'cause it pleases God,
We're losing 'cause pleas

At the duty-free
Gifts are wine and Hennessy
Beautifully made with such fine water
Robert Smithson
And an ancient sea
Spiral Jetty baby cheese
Leaving the rock with such, blocked for the
Coliseum

Now it's a different game
Eighty percent still agree
They're winning 'cause it pleases God
We're losing 'cause pleas

Now it's a different game
Eighty percent still agree
They're winning 'cause it pleases God
We're losing 'cause pleas


Lyrics submitted by deathcab4awesome

Giant song meanings
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    General Comment

    I'm not totally sure on the song meaning, but I will try my best! But knowing Vampire Weekend, this song definitely has some type of meaning, it is not just a random gathering of words. So here it goes! Verse 1: The first line is similar to the Biggie smalls 'Juicy' lyric, but instead suggests a skaters magazine called 'Thrasher'. The California is probably about the album 'Contra' being inspired by California. California also has a stereotype of skateboarders and surfers. The part about envy me could refer to the Game's song featuring 50 cent, 'hate it or love it' which talks about 'under dogs on top' and uses the lyrics 'envy me.' For the lyrics about boats and yachts: Many call Vampire Weekend 'Yacht rock' music, which is music from the 80's and 70's that had a smooth sound, also thought of as "cheesy pop." These lyrics can refer to crashing that stereotype, as 'docking the yacht in low water's could result in a crash. This also explains the S.O.S piece. I'm not sure about the L.A.P.D. part, but it refers to the Los Angeles Police Department, another California reference. The next line is not definite, it may be, alizontra, how a sutra, or alice ultra. If it is sutra, sutra is a thread that holds things together, mostly aphorisms which are original thoughts written in a memorable form or with few words. This can be a Hindu literary composition. In someways, this is how I feel that the song is written, with short phrases and words. Alice Ultra is a toy based off Tim Burtons Alice in Wonderland film. They could be referring to falling in to a hole of fame and money that distorts perceptions.

    Hook: Some think the 80 percent is referring to pollspeak, a website for college sports polls. It's talking about people having a natural attraction for the underdog, which can be what Vampire Weekend is. This also reaches back to the Game ft. 50 Cent's song.

    Verse 2: The duty free line can have two meanings. The first is about buying alcohol at and airport, saying you are a jet setter, but not enough of a success to have a bottle service, making a joke about rappers who put themselves in a position of wealth. Rappers seam to be famous for liking hennessy. This could also refer to the bands jewish origins. Jews are stereotyped as being 'cheap,' making fun of people who make fun of them, they are saying they buy their fine wine at duty free shops because it costs less. 'Beautifully made..' can refer to making something out of nothing, like fine wine out of water.. this leads into the next thing. Robert Smithson was an artist who used nature as his medium. His origins are the same as the bands, the New York/ New Jersey area. The ancient scene part could mean, "Robert Smithson’s most famous work, Spiral Jetty (1970), is constituted from ancient forms from the Great Salt Lake in Utah. Maybe here as an intentional contrast to “An ancient business, a modern piece of glasswork” from the band’s single “White Sky”" The cheese could refer to money. "The land under Spiral Jetty is about to be impacted by oil drilling interests, possibly creating the disorder (or maybe Smithson interfered with the natural order in the first place by putting a label onto it)

    Reminiscent of “Under the rocks and stones, there is water underground,” an equally mysterious line from “Once In A Lifetime” by Talking Heads. “Giant” also has that elliptical (druggy!) vibe, what with the “Time isn’t holding up” incantations and the “This is not my beautiful wife!” self-doubt" The colosseum is another beautiful work that was once "decadent but is now empty and massive."

    Basically, the song seams to be about Vampire Weekend being and underdog that is slowly climbing to the top, breaking all the limits that everyone else has seam to set for them.

    thegirlfromthatplaceon January 12, 2011   Link

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