Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Warrior

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  General Comment:"When it's missing and you want it more
  It isn't right
  Turning, turning out the door
  And back to this
  Leave it like it was before
  And let me out
  Must've been the end of the story"
  
  I kind of see this as someone wanting out of a relationship.
  How you miss things when they're gone sometimes and how it feels wrong and you should be over it. I see 'turning turning out the door and back to this' as someone leaving and you're back to single you. You're left as you were before the relationship. You've been 'freed'. I see 'Must've been the end of the story" as the other not really wanting it to end and just kind of going with it.
  
  "Giving it all
  Giving it all away
  You're going to wake up someone
  Study it all
  The wings, they crowd your face
  You're going to end up like one"
  
  "Trouble at home
  Travel away you say
  The road don't like me
  Travel away
  Travel it all away
  The road's going to end on me"
  
  These verses I always have trouble with since I always feel differently about them. "Giving it all away" right now seems to me as the person who left cheating or being sneaky somehow. This leads to 'You're going to wake up someone' meaning someone, maybe the protagonist, finding out. Someone always does find out... So, she studies everything that might have led up to it and the evidence left. Now, 'The wings they crowd your face, you're going to end up like one' leaves me at a blank most times. I usually invision someone hiding behind some type of angelic nature. More recently I've been correlating wings with birds. Birds tend to just fly away whenever they please. So, if this is about a relationship, it may be about a guy who's a bit of a player.
  
  "Trouble at home, Travel away you say" Seems like an excuse someone would use to just disappear and leave any problems behind. Maybe a significant other can't put up with what's expected of them. Say they are cheating and it's too much for them to handle, so they just pack up and leave. "The road don't like me" might be the 'relationship' road. "The road's going to end on me" sounds like she's going to change this line of bad luck, some way or another.
  
  
  "Men, they like me
  Because I'm a warrior
  A warrior
  Stand on my feet
  Danced the warrior
  The warrior
  Where would I be?
  I'd be a warrior
  A warrior"
  
  Whenever I hear this verse in the song, I feel as though I hear a purposeful amount of 'pain' in Karen O's voice. In thinking this, it's like she's pretending to be a 'warrior' so as to fool everyone. "Stand on my feet Danced the warrior... Where would I be? I'd be a warrior" As though if she didn't pretend, she'd be nothing. She's kept up this 'warrior' image that she's become one. Sometimes if we tell ourselves something enough times, we believe it.
  
  Now the strangers have caught on
  And they're riding in the back seat
  The river's going to wash all
  Yeah, the river, it spoke to me
  It told me I'm small
  And I swallowed it down
  If I make it at all
  I'll make you want me
  
  "Now the strangers have caught on" could be everyone catching onto her act. They all accept her new attitude,though, so they're tagging along. "The river's going to wash all.." I see as her future's going to wash all of the bruises of the past away. But, river's (the future) is big and full of possibilities. Her singing " It told me I'm small, And I swallowed it down" sounds to me like her future challenging her, so she 'swallowed it down' and accepted the challenges. "If I make it at all, I'll make you want me" Seems like her challenging the one who left her.
  
  "Trouble at home
  Travel away, you say
  The road don't like me
  Travel it all
  Travel it all away
  The road's going to get all me
  
  And I'm small
  The road's going to get all me
  If it gets it at all
  The road's going to end all me"
  
  These two verses I see as the same, except 'the road's going to get all me' Is that she's going to concur any demons and/or obstacles instead of let them pass by without a second glance.
  
  "Like a warrior
  A warrior
  Danced the warrior
  The warrior"
  
  That's all I've got. I tried... haha
  
  
  

  Flag stephaniekristinon August 27, 2010   Link

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  General Comment:I think it's about when she moved away from her boyfriend in NY. The same one as Maps is about. He was in a band, so I think all the travelling references are about literally travelling.
  
  "The wings, they crowd your face
  You're going to end up like one"
  You're going to end up like one of all the other rock stars.
  
  
  "Now the strangers have caught on
  And they're riding in the back seat"
  Is about the fans following the band, but they're stangers and don't mean too much personally.
  
  "When it's missing and you want it more
  It isn't right"
  Is about missing him.
  
  And I suppose the references about her being a warrior is about her trying to get over the relationship.
  
  "If I make it at all
  I'll make you want me"
  About her ex not paying her attention and giving all his focus to the band.
  
  It sounds pretty correct to me.
  I love this song, so very much.

  Flag lovemonkeyon July 25, 2009   Link

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  General Comment:okay so this is probably out there, but "Study it all The wings, they crowd your face" maybe you're sick of your current lover or they're crowing you...you keep 'studying' them and picking out things you don't like. "Trouble at home Travel away" maybe you cheat on your lover? But maybe the fling you wanted ends up trying to be more "Men, they like me Because I'm a warrior" And you're smothered all over again. yeah it's a stretch, i know.

  Flag dakotaloveon March 31, 2009   Link

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  General Comment:zippythehippy I have to agree with you, that seems probably what it is most likely about.
  
  this is by far my favourite yyy song. its just so amazing.

  Flag arlexahnderuhon October 07, 2008   Link

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  General Comment:I loooove urbanandra's explanation. amazing, dead on in my opinion. this song is so fucking amazing!!!!

  Flag mmmiloveiton February 16, 2008   Link

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  General Comment:this song.. is one of the best. i can have one of the most shittyest days.. but as soon as i put this cd in.. and turn it to this song.. and turn it as loud as it goes... my whole mood just changes.. to me this song is powerful..i believe music is therapy.and this song does that.

  Flag billyfranklinbobon January 11, 2008   Link

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  General Comment:she's always on tour. and so is her boyfriend, angus andrew, from the band liars. i think that's what this song is about. always being away, traveling everywhere. it's harder cos she's a girl, surrounded by men, so she thinks of herself as a "warrior" to help her get the confidence to survive the harsh realities of the road and being on tour. "the strangers have caught on and they're riding in the back seat" represents her fans and the fact that while on tour she's surrounded by strangers, hanger-ons and people who don't know her very well, and all she can think of his how much she misses her home and all the simple things which she wanted to escape from originally. it's a lonely song about wanting what you can't have and how being a musician in a popular band doesn't grant you instant happiness.

  Flag zippythehippyon December 18, 2007   Link

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  General Comment:the funny thing about this song is that i cannot say what it is about. but i get her. i so, so, so, so feel her words.
  
  karen o must be the most... everything... in the world

  Flag johannsenon October 03, 2007   Link

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  General Comment:i could understand why she would dedicate this song to all the girls in the crowd
  
  one: she says "men they like me, cause i am a warrior", men love strong women, but strong women are strong for a reason, i was in a situation where someone wanted to control that, like they couldnt handle the same thing that they were attracted to, to let it flourish, fuck that, i left. women who dont need anyone, but who doesnt want to be wanted.
  "When it's missing and you want it more/ it isn't right/ Turning turning out the door
  and back to this/Leave it like it was before/ and let me out/ Must've been the end of the story"
  
  i agree that there is an existentialist tone to the song.
  
  
  2: "Now the strangers have caught on/and they're riding in the back seat/ The rivers going to wash all/ Yeah, the river it spoke to me/ It told me I’m small/and I swallowed it down/ If I make it at all/ I'll make you want me"
  have you ever noticed when you have a mission, and you have to focus on someone or something thats when EVERYONE wants to come around and distract you, its like they smell the sent of strength, sadness, insanity, beauty, light. like ok when you are in a relationship, and no one paid you attention before, now you in one and folks want a piece, fuck that. just an example of the magnetic attraction. i say this because traditionally, in my practices the river is all that is feminine, Ochun, which brings sweetness like honey. she goes to river to drink, she wants some of the femininity, like she has to be a strong warrior all the time maybe she needed a bit of sweetness, or maybe she thought if she is sweeter that her interest will be with her.
  also to follow a river is to be off the beaten path or main road.
  
  3; with the roads part. "travel it all away" same person traveled to the other side of the country to find themselves or something. but to me where ever you go, YOU are going to be right there. the road is going to end on you/ me, no matter where we go and the same issue will pop up unless we deal with whats inside, thats the fucking hard part right.
  
  4: there seems to be like this inevitable sadness to the song, like we are strong, we try to avoid the main road as warriors, but maybe the road just might cross our path at some point, or maybe i will try to go on the road and be a warrior that way, i dont know. who knows. who really knows.
  
  essentially its about becoming a woman of independences.

  Flag urbanandraon September 21, 2007   Link

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• +1
  General Comment:ooo karen o! i love this song. what i think it means is a lover trying to leave her or take a break because of trouble in the relationship (at home). She's sort of warning him, like, "once you leave me, you are going to miss me. you may say that the road doesn't like me, and therefore you need to go off on your own, but the road is going to end eventually and its going to end right back on me. It's going to bring you back to me, and somehow, someway because I am a warrior, I am going to stay strong and believe this, no matter who tries to tell me i'm small, and tell me to forget you and get over it. I WILL MAKE YOU WANT ME."

  Flag rainingallthetimeon July 25, 2007   Link

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