Vampire Weekend – Walcott

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Walcott, don't you know that it's insane?
Don't you want to get out of Cape Cod, out of Cape Cod tonight?
Walcott, Mystic seaport is that way
Don't you know that your life could be lost out of Cape Cod tonight?

Walcott, don't you know that it's insane?
Don't you want to get out of Cape Cod, out of Cape Cod tonight?
Walcott, the bottleneck is a shit show
Hyannisport is a ghetto, out of Cape Cod tonight

The lobster's claw is sharp as knives
Evil feasts on human lives
The Holy Roman Empire roots for you

Walcott, all the way to New Jersey
All the way to the Garden State, out of Cape Cod tonight

Walcott, fuck the women from Wellfleet
Fuck the bears out in Provincetown
Heed my words and take flight

Walcott, don't you know that it's insane?
Don't you want to get out of Cape Cod, out of Cape Cod tonight?
Walcott, don't you know that it's insane?
Don't you want to get out of Cape Cod, out of Cape Cod tonight?

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Lyrics submitted by carlitalolitax

Track duration: 03:41


Walcott song meanings
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  • 0
    General Comment:I know that this song is about a movie that VW wrote a longgg time ago, but really? VW is way too intelligent to be that literal. Well, okay it might be a little literal, but I think that it is merely about a guy that has to get out of his small town! This is one of my favorite VW songs, and I love how the music imitates the sound of running during the instrumental, and then when Ezra sings it gives the impression that Walcott is taking a rest to breathe and begins to think. The narrative of the song seems to be that little voice in your head that is telling you what to do. One voice says THIS IS INSANE, and the other says, hey, Walcott, buddy you gotta freaking get out of Cape Cod man! Haha. And then the other voice says "But your life could be lost! Oh well, it seems that Walcott continues on his journey. Then VW references Hyannis Port which could maybe be a Kennedy reference?? I don't know. But this is where it gets confusing, At this point we do not know why Walcott is on the runs, but the songs states that "Lobsters Claws are as Sharp as Knives" this could insinuate that there are things lurking that are out to get you, and evil feasts upon you. So we know that someone is out to get him, but apparently the Holy Roman Empire Roots for him. This again makes me think of Kennedy because he was a known Catholic. Then the song just going on about him fleeing to new jersey, which is a reference to Ezra's home state. So, by the end of this song I'm super confused. It is either about a small town boy wanting to get out of the town where people have bad intentions or it could be about a man fleeing from the people out to get him, and this goes along with my Kennedy theory. I don't know. Give me your thoughts.
    Flag Leelee123on May 12, 2013   Link
  • +1
    My Interpretation:I find it a bit strange that no one has really mentioned the fact that there may be any deeper meaning to this song...

    Anyway, here is what I think about the song. Obviously, in the literal sense this song is about the movie the band members wrote.

    I think that the song is rather metaphorical as well. Since Walcott is on a mission to save Cape Cod, I'd say most of the lyrics are just excuses for why he should get "out of Cape Cod tonight." It almost seems like the song is sung from the perspective of the voice inside Walcott's head that is telling him to leave. The important part about this is that he has the responsibility to save Cape Cod so he can't.

    Therefore, I think this song is about responsibilities, the desire to run away from them, and the struggle to persevere.
    Flag IplayBeeron May 02, 2012   Link
  • +2
    General Comment:I live on Cape Cod. I have for my whole life. It is absolutely horrible. For those of you who vacation here in the summer, yeah, it is fun. But once October rolls around, Cape Cod becomes a dark, gloomy, rainy place. It's cold. It's windy. There is nothing good about it in the off season. I am 15 years old. And the only thing I can dream of is getting out of Cape Cod. My best friend lives in Wellfleet and it is hilarious when we hear the part "fuck the women in Wellfleet". Oh and by the way, yes, Hyannis is ghetto. The only reason they said Hyannisport is because of the beat in the song. I am sure if the song was different the lyrics would be too. In general, Hyannis is the ghetto of Cape Cod. Unless you live on the water. I love this song.
    Flag nfhannahon December 21, 2010   Link
    • 1 Reply
  • 0
    General Comment:cape cod is not a town haha it's part of Massachusetts, there are towns within it. We're pretty much a man-made island. You can only get here by crossing two bridges, taking the train, or flying. Provencetown (what we call p-town), hyannis, and wellfleet are some of many. We're also broken up into county's. The part of the song where they say the "bottleneck is a shitshow" refers to the part of our highway that is one lane (exits 9a-12) which has also earned the name "suicide ally". It's a shitshow because it's ALWAYS backed up in the summer. And the only part of hyannis that is remotely the ghetto is around main street. It's as much of a ghetto as you're going to get on cape cod
    Flag mcorsetti25on September 26, 2010   Link
    • 1 Reply
  • 0
    General Comment:PS a ghetto, as in an original ghetto, is like a cage. The modern day slang was made popular by its original meaning as a sometimes fenced or otherwise forcibly locked off area of a city in which to segregate and gather a minority peoples, such as the Jews in European cities during WWII, into a few small and controllable blocks, eventually making it easier to gather them for slaughter. And that is the ghetto that Hyannisport is tonight, so grab your buns and book it, Walcott!
    Flag lomographicon July 31, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Hilarious. This is totally a reference for the film of the band's namesake as mentioned previously. How many times do you just want to scream at a hero in a horror movie, "Don't do it! Don't go around the corner! Don't pull back the shower curtain! Don't close the door behind you!!!! " An entire song about that feeling.
    Flag lomographicon July 31, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Vampire weekend shot a short film called vampire weekend. The basic plot is Walcott, the main character, father is dying because of vampires. The father tells him to go to cape cod to warn the governor. Thought that might help a little clear up the confusion
    Flag jdizzle1984on May 23, 2010   Link
  • 0
    My Opinion:I've always thought that, "fuck the bears out in Provincetown," was referencing Grizzly Bear because I know that they've done some recordings out on the Cape.
    Flagged chrisharrison May 22, 2010   Link
    • 1 Reply
  • 0
    General Comment:What's a ghetto? A place where you are among people that are just like you, not necessarily a poor place, thought it did take taht connotation. I think the word originally described Jewish areas in Italian cities as Venice. So Hyannisport, with all the huge houses you talk about, must be a ghetto: a place where you only find people just like you, quite rich, quite nice, but where you do not get to see anything else than what you're already used to. Don't you want to get out of Cape cod, and see something else? It's insane to stay.
    Flag Zilerteon May 10, 2010   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning:well i was in hyannisport over the summer and a bunch of guys started beating each other up right in front of me ... not sayin its a ghetto or anything, but its not a perfect city either.

    i also agree with those of you who said that VW were just being ironic (because the kennedy's mansion is hugeee)
    Flag person1001on March 09, 2010   Link

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