In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
I had a feeling once
That you and I
Could tell each other everything
For two months
But even with our oath
With truth on our side
When you turn away from me
It's not right
I think you're a Contra (x4)
My revolution thoughts
Your little arrows of desire
I wanna trace them to the source
And the wire
But it's not useful now
Since we both made up our minds
You're gonna watch out for yourself
And so will I
I think you're Contra
I think that you lied
Don't call me Contra
Till you've tried
You wanted good schools
And friends with pools
You're not a Contra
You wanted Rock' n' Roll,
Complete control
Well, I don't know
Never pick sides
Never choose between two
But I just wanted you, I just wanted you
Said never pick sides
Never choose between two
But I just wanted you, I just wanted you
I think you're Contra
I think that you lied
Don't call me Contra
Till you've tried
That you and I
Could tell each other everything
For two months
But even with our oath
With truth on our side
When you turn away from me
It's not right
I think you're a Contra (x4)
My revolution thoughts
Your little arrows of desire
I wanna trace them to the source
And the wire
But it's not useful now
Since we both made up our minds
You're gonna watch out for yourself
And so will I
I think you're Contra
I think that you lied
Don't call me Contra
Till you've tried
You wanted good schools
And friends with pools
You're not a Contra
You wanted Rock' n' Roll,
Complete control
Well, I don't know
Never pick sides
Never choose between two
But I just wanted you, I just wanted you
Said never pick sides
Never choose between two
But I just wanted you, I just wanted you
I think you're Contra
I think that you lied
Don't call me Contra
Till you've tried
Lyrics submitted by Shaedyn, edited by kevinuriza, BbyGma, Jate
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What is "a contra"? A girl who changes her mind or never really loved you at all? A cheat? A liar? What do you make of that word?
came here with the exact same question. dunno, "a contra" = a contradictory person? it's obviously about a love relationship that has come to an end (too early in the eyes of the lyricist), no?
I'd say a contra is a two-faced person of sorts. Could be wrong.
The Contras were a rebel group opposing the Sandinista government in Nicaragua during the 1980s. Wikipedia just told me that the origin of the term is Spanish, from "la contrarrevolucion" - the counter-revolution. So in the context of the song, I'd agree with Conn92. I think it means she has another facet to her, another allegiance - she's not who he thought she was and so he can't trust her anymore.
Ezra Koenig: " But what's so interesting about the word contra--and why people make such a big deal of it as an album title--is that it means so many different things that are linked by the root of the word, which is 'against'. Contra might have all these deeper connotations but it's actually a neutral word. It implies conflict but doesn't imply which side is better."<br /> <br /> This is what he said in his Pitchfork interview. I think this songs is just about a guy who has no idea what to think about his ex, so he's wavering between the negative & the positive.
"I think you're a contra."<br /> <br /> It's an association with an idea that he doesn't really understand. As if to say 'You feel like this thing, even though this thing is a bigger, more vague idea than I really can fully comprehend.'<br /> <br /> And whatever images this conjures up in his head, whether he can see or understand them clearly. The same way the taste of a horchata recalls something to him that he can't quite put his finger on, and that's ok.
AOL: In the Vampire Weekend world, what is a "contra?"<br /> <br /> Ezra: Well contra just means against, and that's the primary association that we have with it. Even though to other people it means something much more specific, but it basically means against. So, I think to call somebody a contra, is trying to put them into a box and say that their like the opposite of you. It's you versus them.
Very good, fishleader. Most accurate definition I've read thus far. Koenig said something very similar in a Rolling Stone article.
Reagan-backed, CIA funded revolutionaries. Imperialist punks. Walking contradictions.<br />
Contra, as a prefix, means against. In the interviews quoted above, it sounds like Koenig wanted to leave it open to interpretation, a technique used by many indie artists, often with the intention of connecting to their audience in a more personal way. To me, it seems like the word "contra" in this text is used to refer to someone who goes against what is widely accepted or mainstream.<br /> <br /> The first two stanzas are about how the narrator and whoever he's talking to are the same in that they are different.<br /> <br /> "My revolution thoughts" are the rebellious ideas that the two 'contras' (the narrator and the person he's singing about) agree on.<br /> <br /> "It's not useful now / since we both made up our minds / you're going to watch out for yourself / and so will I" is the narrator telling the counterpart not to voice his/her 'contra' opinions to the world so as not to look odd.<br /> <br /> "You wanted good schools / friends with pools / You're not a contra" To the narrator, these are seen as mainstream desires.<br /> <br /> "You wanted rock-and-roll / complete control / well, I don't know" These things could go either way.<br /> <br /> The rest is pretty self-explanatory.