Giving Up the Gun Lyrics

Lyric discussion by CoppertoneLove 

Cover art for Giving Up the Gun lyrics by Vampire Weekend

This song hints a lot to Japan. Right when they were industrialized, and the use of swords was no longer needed. Think "The Last Samauri" time era. But more than that, it's about them returning to the sword, back to their roots. All the words such as "rising sun". Especially with his war references, such as "brass atire", and the lyrics about the cannons and rifles. Koenig even makes use of the surname "Tokugawa smile", referring to the shoguns who began the name. And "Giving up the Gun" was actually a book, with the full title being, "Giving Up the Gun: Japan's Reversion to the Sword". It all fits, but how? I honestly don't know what this song is about, but I want to. I feel I've found bits and pieces, but I don't see the whole picture yet.

I have a sneaking suspicion that the sword is referring to a penis, and this song is about how someone is regretting not getting any as they get old, even though Ezra thinks they still could if they tried.

good call all around. it wouldn't surprise me in the least if the lyrics were meant to exist literally with an overall metaphor. the song being interpreted literally the way you described and with the metaphor being simply about a messy relationship that he still craves and misses. i personally had a similar relationship and the song hits me really hard in that way even if its not what its supposed to mean.

The metaphor is the other way around ... quite simply, it personifies Japan. Makes a lot of sense when one considers the rampant East Asian jones (which borders on fetishism there, but in the hands of Ezra avoids it entirely here) on display in the Discovery stuff.