Lullaby For Wayne Lyrics
Never thought you’d graduate
Playing with your guns all day
If only they could see you now
How you’ve learned to shoot so well
They wouldn’t laugh that way
There’s nothing you can do
So put them guns away
They’ve given up what they tried to do
See now how happy they are
Each with a new lease on life
A brand new car, a low mileage wife
Put down them guns and fall into line
There’s nothing you can do
So put them guns away
Who cares what’s wrong or right
So please give up the fight
Put them guns away
There’s nothing you can do
So put them guns away
Wayne you know you’re in too deep
All your friends have gone to sleep
Wayne you know you’re in too deep
There’s nothing you can do
So put them guns away
Wayne you know it’s true
There’s nothing you can do
So put them guns away
Who cares what’s wrong or right
So please give up the fight
And put them guns away
I don't think this song has anything to do with guns or shooting. I think the gun imagery is a metaphor for being a "straight shooter" and being a "cowboy" in the sense that Wayne isn't following the same path as the people around him - I imagine him as either an introverted, quirky guy that people obviously don't get or a guy that parties too much and has no prospects in life. In the end, though, this works out for him.
I think this is outlined by the verse "Put down them guns and fall into line," which, to me, means stop being a "cowboy" and start being like everyone else around you.
The lines "All of your friends are through; They’ve given up what they tried to do" show how the people around Wayne don't understand the path he has chosen and are giving up on trying to "save" him.
Finally, the lines "How you’ve learned to shoot so well; They wouldn’t laugh that way" outline that, in the end, the path Wayne took worked out for him. He's a "straight shooter" now.
Seems to me like what it sounds like. Graduation is an important theme that some are missing though. This is from an odd omniomnicent perspective, telling a alumni that it's too late to 'convince' his peers; That he shouldn't try to attempt a shooting. The nod to the house wife further drives a depressing theme of hopelessness. I wish I had the right verbs to express it exactly, but it's an emotion that surpasses any that a sane man really could describe. I suppose that's the intriguing element of it, the art. Shame that it's not such a hit, it's a more emotional piece than 'pumped up kicks' with more meaning, and in my opinion kind of sounds better, but I digress. Point being, this is seemingly about a highschool grad who never got help, and rather than having a shooting, he runs out of time. It's really the implied emotion that makes this song. God bless all.
this was actually first written for Patt Finn, the Drummer for 60 Wrong Sausages, the Meat Puppets-esque band with Rivers Matt and Jason before weezer, then it was changed from lullabye for patt to lullabye for wayne and recorded for the blue album but never used
Great song, very energetic. I guess it does sound like Surf Wax America a little, but man I wished weezer still sounded like this. I don't think "mileage wife" is right, but I couldn't figure it out. I think the song is about a school shooting or something along those lines, like an outcast kid who's angry. I don't know
or what you said... it didn't show your post when I wrote that. What you said makes more sense
Great song! It's peppy and exciting while its got this sad, eerie undertone. Rivers' voice also sounds amazing!
I assume it's about a guy who was lonely in high school, and long after graduation is still angry toward his classmates. I don't know if it has to do with school shootings but thats what comes to mind with the whole gun theme.
low mileage wife is correct, part of the american dream as envisioned by this song as well as a clever play on words: "brand new car" with a "low mileage wife".
I absolutely love this song.
it's got great energy and it's just awesome.
and the Pat Finn thing makes absolute sense because in the version from VCD, they changed the lyrics to : " Pat you know it's true..." and it's also written "Lullaby for Wayne - Live (Lullaby for Pat Finn) 1993"
anyways...amazing.
i don't really know much about Weezer or their history. But I heard the song was about Wayne Lo, a guy who commited the first school shooting of the 90s. I'm a good friend of Waynes and he thinks its about him and it makes sense to me.