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Boston (Ladies of Cambridge) Lyrics

Chestnut park on a Saturday night
Mystical boys feeling all right
Raggedy wisdom falls from my hand
As the ladies of Cambridge know who I am

I've had dreams of Boston all of my life
Chinatown between the sound of the night
But if you leave I just don't think I could take it
Take it
Take it
Take it

Graveyard freaks we're falling in style
Lady's the pharaoh, Charles is the Nile
That's a museum, that's a cool place
Stones of your fathers standing today

I've had dreams of Boston all of my life
Chinatown between the sound of the night
But if you leave I just don't think I could take it
Take it
Take it
Take it

I've had dreams of Boston all of my life
Chinatown between the sound of the night

Because when you left my room
To go to the kitchen
I imagined that you were dead
A morbid streak runs through
The whole of my family
But for you I could put it to rest

But if you leave I just don't think I could take it
Take it
Take it
Take it
Song Info
Submitted by
dcfcsspu On Nov 27, 2007
16 Meanings

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Cover art for Boston (Ladies of Cambridge) lyrics by Vampire Weekend

"Ladies of Cambridge" is a reference to women at Harvard. Harvard is located in Cambridge and Chestnut Park is a short walk from campus. "Raggedy wisdom falls from my hand", once again, a reference to intellect, fitting into the entire Harvard theme. Makes sense, especially because the song is titled Boston.

Song Meaning
Cover art for Boston (Ladies of Cambridge) lyrics by Vampire Weekend

Rroman is 100 percent correct. artistikfreedom, yeah the Fung Wah bus truly does exist in Chinatown but I don't see anything in the song that alludes to that or to NYC in any way.

Cover art for Boston (Ladies of Cambridge) lyrics by Vampire Weekend

They went to Columbia, in NYC, so they would have to take the 'Chinatown bus' (the Fung Wah bus) for trips up to Boston.

"Ladies of Cambridge" is both a reference to the ee cummings poem and to taking trips up from NYC to meet Harvard girls.

cos when you left my room to go to the kitchen i imagined that you were dead a morbid steak runs through the whole of my family but for you i could put it to rest

This is a funny stanza that speaks to the general stereotypical dispositions of New Englanders. People from New England are always thought of as gloomy, pessimistic, cranky...

...I think we're just intelligent, purposeful realists...

Cover art for Boston (Ladies of Cambridge) lyrics by Vampire Weekend

Gonna go out on a limb here...I think the song's about Boston

Cover art for Boston (Ladies of Cambridge) lyrics by Vampire Weekend

I've been addicted to this song recently. Hell, I like it more than it's a-side, Mansard Roof. With it's addictive melody, great beat, and cool Boston homage (I'm from the area). Go Vampire Weekend!

Cover art for Boston (Ladies of Cambridge) lyrics by Vampire Weekend

second line of the second verse is definitely:

lady's the pharaoh, Charles's the nile

like the river.

maybe the last line is 'stones of your fathers standin' there today', since they're talking about hanging out in a graveyard. Also, I think chestnut park is an expensive old folks home kindof place in brookline, but i don't know what that has to do with the charles or cambridge.

Cover art for Boston (Ladies of Cambridge) lyrics by Vampire Weekend

i think the incomple verse is like

graveyard freaks we're fallin in style lady's the pharaoh, Charles is the nile thats a museum, thats a cool place stones of your fathers standin' today

Cover art for Boston (Ladies of Cambridge) lyrics by Vampire Weekend

ee cummings wrote a poem (untitled, as always). You can look it up by its first verse, which is "the Cambridge ladies who live in furnished souls". This song is more or less a reference to that poem.

Cover art for Boston (Ladies of Cambridge) lyrics by Vampire Weekend

cos when you left my room to go to the kitchen i imagined that you were dead a morbid steak runs through the whole of my family but for you i could put it to rest

the bridge/slow part gets me. i don't know how, but it relates to me, in some way.

Cover art for Boston (Ladies of Cambridge) lyrics by Vampire Weekend

The part that you said you can't make out for the life you goes something like

Graveyard freaks we're fallin' in style Lady's the Pharaoh, Charles is the Nile That's a museum, that's a cool place Stones of your fathers standin' today

 
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