I wake up, my shoulders cold
I've got to leave here, before I go
I pull my shirt on, walk out the door
Drag my feet along the floor
I pull my shirt on, walk out the door
Drag my feet along the floor

Then I see you, you're walking 'cross the campus
Cruel professor studying romances

How am I supposed to pretend
I never want to see you again
How am I supposed to pretend
I never want to see you again

Walked to class, in front of ya
Spilled kefir on your keffiyeh
You look inside and turn to the door
Drag your feet along the floor

Then I see you, you're walking 'cross the campus
Cruel professor studying romances

How am I supposed to pretend
I never want to see you again
How am I supposed to pretend
I never want to see you again

In the afternoon, you're out on the stone and grass
And I'm sleeping on the balcony after class
In the afternoon, you're out on the stone and grass
And I'm sleeping on the balcony after class
In the afternoon, you're out on the stone and grass
And I'm sleeping on the balcony after class



Lyrics submitted by carlitalolitax

Track duration: 02:56


Campus song meanings
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48 Comments

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  • 0
    My Interpretation:I wake up, my shoulders cold *

    *Giving someone the cold shoulder? Perhaps an ex?...

    I've got to leave here, before I go
    I pull my shirt on, walk out the door
    Drag my feet along the floor
    I pull my shirt on, walk out the door
    Drag my feet along the floor

    *He's dragging; he just went through a tough breakup/ rejection of some sort.

    Then I see you, you're walking 'cross the campus
    Cruel professor studying romances

    *He sees this girl (person.. if you agree with the homosexual interpretations. But really it could be either, it doesn't matter) often. She is a "Cruel professor studying romances" because she is a tease. She is studying romance by playing with people's hearts, and she is a professor because she is also teaching him "lessons" in love/heartbreak.



    How am I supposed to pretend
    I never want to see you again
    How am I supposed to pretend
    I never want to see you again

    *He still wants her, but she has rejected him. He has to see her often around campus, so he has to learn to act like he doesn't care about her anymore. How can he do that? It's difficult for him, her lesson hurts.

    Walked to class, in front of ya
    Spilled kefir on your keffiyeh
    You look inside and turn to the door
    Drag your feet along the floor

    *This verse I'm not so sure about... Kefir is like a milky-yogurt drink, and a Keffiyeh is an arab head wrap. So maybe he is saying she is middle-eastern? I think she is proud of her ethnicity, and since he is mad at her he is "spilling" disdain on her, because to him there's nothing really substantial that he can make fun of about her (he's still in love with her).

    In the afternoon, you're out on the stone and grass
    And I'm sleeping on the balcony after class

    *She is in a normal common place on campus, studying or something, and since it hurts him to see her and be around her all the time, he has to go to the balcony to get away from her.
    Flag mlejo11on May 15, 2013   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:What if he is saying
    "how am I supposed to pretend I never want to see you again"
    and he is meaning how am I supposed to pretend that I never want to see you again.
    like he still likes this person but they rejected him.
    Flag SuzMangoon December 29, 2012   Link
  • 0
    My Opinion:i don't see how this song is about a gay relationship. based on the complete lack of descriptive pronouns, it could be about any kind of relationship (hetero or otherwise). i think it's simply about a relationship that ended badly.
    Flag blooderflieson October 06, 2012   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning:Come on guys, you are looking into it far too much.

    Anyone who has had a breakup yet remains on the same campus as their ex can relate to this song.

    My girlfriend broke up with me yet we still go to the same school. It's a small campus. I'll occasionally see her around. It's awkward as all hell: how am I supposed to pretend? I never want to see her again.
    Flag eforvendettaon January 03, 2012   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:Whenever I listened to it, I never felt that it was an affair between a student & a professor. I always felt that it was about him having some sort of relationship with someone that didn't work out & even when he's trying to repress the feelings he's having, he can't because he has a "cruel professor" that's making him study romances in class.
    Flag sings24on December 29, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:i kinda agree with SBP8 about it being about a gay relationship, but I don't think it's a professor and i think they did in fact have some kind of sexual relationship. it could be about a one-night-stand with a guy he really liked, but the guy has moved on and he has not. and the difficulties of having to see the person on campus and pretending he's moved on too (but hasn't). the "cruel professor studying romances" bit is a reference to "ex-lover" having a mean romance professor (mainly because professors tend to "teach" and not "study").
    Flag nanea465on September 06, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:the lines...

    "Walked to class, in front of ya
    Spilled kefir on your keffiyeh
    You look inside and turn to the door
    Drag your feet along the floor"

    rule out it being a relationship with the professor. the professor would have to be INFRONT of the student because he/she has to unlock the door.
    Flag mylesjon August 15, 2010   Link
  • +2
    General Comment:haha wow, I have a *totally* different take on this song than ya'll. ;-) I think it's about being gay and living on a college campus. Let me explain my reasoning...

    No one has pointed this out yet, but a keffiyeh is something traditionally worn by males.. not females. :) I believe Batmanglij wrote the lyrics to this song, and he has since come out as being gay (out.com/…).

    To me this song tells a story of falling in love with a male (possibly professor) who turns out to not be gay, and hence is not interested in a relationship. The line, "You look inside and turn to the door," to me means that when the person realizes Batmanglij is gay, he walks away (i.e., not interested).

    Thoughts? I could be wrong here.. have been wrong many times. ;-)
    Flag SPB8on July 22, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I have a theory that this song is actually about a teacher who has a thing for their student. Ezra (the lead singer) used to be a grade-8 english teacher. I think he may have fallen for a year 12 student who went to the school that he taught and this song is about it. Vampire Weekend tend to write songs based on their personal experiences so I imagine this one is too.

    The "Studying Romances" line is interesting, as year 12 English extension student study Romantic literature.
    Ezra repeatedly talks about trying to get over the person, this is possibly because he knows he can't make any move on the girl because it's illegal/unethical.
    Flag charlibee92on July 15, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I agree with the people who have said that it's about running into an ex or unrequited love who you're supposed to dislike, be mad at, or simply not love, but you do love them. I think the "cruel professor studying romances" is saying that the subject of the song, let's call her "the girl", is cruel enough that she wasn't in a relationship with "the guy" because she liked him, but because she just wanted to study romances-to experiment with love and play around with it. That might just be because I have this friend-his favorite band is VW and he's in an on-again-off-again relationship with a girl who appears to just be "studying romances."
    Flag musicaddict114on June 04, 2010   Link

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