Lyrics for Giving Up the Gun as interpreted by TemporaryLife

Giving Up the Gun Lyrics
Your sword's grown old and rusty, burnt beneath the rising sun
It's locked up like a trophy, forgetting all the things it's done
And though it's been a long time, you're right back where you started from
I see it in your eyes that now you’re giving up the gun

When I was 17, I had wrists like steel and I felt complete
And now my body fades behind a brass charade and I'm obsolete
But if the chance remains to see those better days, I'd cut the cannons down
My ears are blown to bits from all the rifle hits, but still I crave that sound

Your sword's grown old and rusty, burnt beneath the rising sun
It's locked up like a trophy, forgetting all the things it's done
And though it's been a long time, you're right back where you started from
I see it in your eyes that now you’re giving up the gun

I heard you play guitar down at a seedy bar where skinheads used to fight
Your Tokugawa smile and your garbage style used to save the night
You felt the coming wave, told me we'd all be brave, you said you wouldn't flinch
But in the years that passed since I saw you last, you haven't moved an inch

Your sword's grown old and rusty, burnt beneath the rising sun
It's locked up like a trophy, forgetting all the things it's done
And though it's been a long time, you're right back where you started from
I see it in your eyes that now you’re giving up the gun

I see you shine in your way
Go on, go on, go on

Your sword's grown old and rusty, burnt beneath the rising sun
It's locked up like a trophy, forgetting all the things it's done
And though it's been a long time, you're right back where you started from
I see it in your eyes that now you’re giving up the gun



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legal_alien
01-07-2010

 Rated  0 
I'm pretty sure it's "But if the chance remains," not "change."

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General Comment
liz1001
01-07-2010

 Rated  0 
"down at a city bar" might be "seedy" bar, but i'm not sure.
but i'm pretty positive the next line is "where skinheads used to fight."

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General Comment
fghtffyrdmns09
01-08-2010

 Rated  0 
yeah, liz1001 is right. and i think it's "burnt beneath the rising sun," too.

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General Comment
TK025
01-08-2010

 Rated  0 
Yeah I think it is 'a chance' also its not 'rivalries' its 'rifle hits' and its not 'dont be brave' but 'told me we'd all be brave' and i think it definitely is 'burnt beneath the rising sun'

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1 Reply  ·  General Comment
DreHolmes
01-12-2010

 Rated  +1 
"When I was seventeen
I had wrists like steel"

Haha, good line. Lonely nights perhaps?

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General Comment
CoppertoneLove
01-13-2010

 Rated  +6 
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.

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5 Replies  ·  General Comment
TSRTS13
01-15-2010

 Rated  0 
I think this song has to do with an old friend of Ezra's, the way they were when they were together back in the day, and how things have changed now that they no longer hang out all the time.

I also think it has a lot to do with music, the music industry, small-time bands, etc. Most obviously this is in the last verse, but for some reason the "sword" from the chorus recalls an axe as another kind of archaic individual weapon, and axe is of course slang for someone's musical instrument. The way I see it, the friend's becoming outdated (his sword's grown old and rusty) as a result of changes that have occurred that have left him behind (the rising sun as symbol of new day). A lot of this stems from the last verse though, particularly the description of the person's lack of motion . Where before it has been described as a sign of his morals, his steadfastness, etc ("you said we wouldn't flinch") at the end it's almost cast as a sign of his obstinacy and stubbornness ("You haven't moved an inch.") Yeah, I mean you could read it as saying he lived up on his part of the bargain, but the fact that the line ends on a static note, where before in the song the lines end with a flourish (you said you wouldn't fli-inch) suggests a negative tone.

I mean, in the end, the song is obviously about the passage of time. It's just hard to determine what exactly the context it is and what has happened (and to who).

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My Interpretation
youmustlearn
01-20-2010

 Rated  -1 
Ezra's indicated that it's about giving up the guitar (hence why there's no actual guitar used in this song) "Wrist of steel" is his playing hand, and how dexterous it was when the player began playing.

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Song Meaning
impairingheard
01-30-2010

 Rated  +6 
Koenig: "I got the idea for the song from a book my Dad gave me called Giving Up The Gun. It’s a history book about the time when Japan expelled all the foreigners from the country, closed off all trade, and stopped using guns and reverted back to the sword. It seems unimaginable now that humanity could willingly go back to an older technology. It got me thinking about whether you could give up the things that you have and go back to a simpler way of life."

http://www.nme.com/blog/index.php?blog=125&p=7814&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1

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General Comment
FreshAwake
02-11-2010

 Rated  0 
Yes, he's totally talking to someone who he used admire,
and at the same time, he's referring back to when music was simpler - bare bones guitar, drums, etc, instead of the electronic influences that are ubiquitous today.

The references to Japan are a medium to refer to the change in the music scene... but he obviously is also a bit enamoured with the reference itself
"your sword's grown old and rusty...
giving up the gun"
The Japanese had given up guns for swords (then later under the Meiji reverted back to guns).

So it's about going from new technology, back to old technology, sort of like going back to your roots.
This type of transition, for Ezra, is beautiful and something he longs for as he refers to "better days" and how he "crave[s] that sound".

Wrists like steel is NOT a reference to suicidal tendencies, but to strumming the guitar
The sword is the guitar

"I'd cut those cannons down" = means to cut away all these electronic excesses

I'm a little perplexed by what is next... this person he refers to - is he with the new technology or the old? It seems like he's holding steadfast to the old, but it doesn't go along with the chorus so... if someone could explain that, that would be great.

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General Comment
BringBackShakka
03-15-2010

 Rated  0 
well. if there was no symbolism at all in the song..

i know that swordsmen had incredibly strong and thick wrists.
hence wrists of steel.

but he probably intended to put symbolism in it, soo it just makes it that much better.

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General Comment
temp1444
03-17-2010

 Rated  -1 
@youmustlearn: have you even actually "listened" to the song?? theres guitar in EVERY vw track. as for the meaning the japanese thing sounds credible.

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4 Replies  ·  General Comment
XZE01
03-17-2010

 Rated  +5 
First of all, I want to say I think that a lot of these interpretations have legitimacy. No single interpretation can claim a monopoly on the meaning of a song, and all I want to do is add another one to the mix.

So I'm going to agree with the people commenting on the Japan allusions. It seems pretty definite to me, and if you've seen the music video for the song, there's only more allusions to Japan. On the other hand, I don't think the song should be restricted to some esoteric commentary on Japanese culture/politics/etc. Rather, I think the allusions are just vivid images to strengthen the more universal backbone of the song, which I believe has to do with excellence.

Think about it, Japan's traditional sword-fighting techniques were up there with any civilization/group that has ever grasped a blade. But ultimately in the post-Tokugawa era, and even to some extent before that, the swords of the samurai were being replaced with Western guns to keep Japan from falling to imperial expansion and allow Japan to do some expansion of its own. Viewing it that way, the metaphor of giving up the gun is a return to an older practice, an older part of a culture, and a shift towards something almost mythic.

Take that and apply it to your own life. If you're older now, say out of college, and you're working full-time for some business/corporation when your dream through high school was to be a different profession, say a professional sport, then I think the metaphor can be easily applied to your individual life. Giving up the gun is returning to the thing you loved to do, the thing that you cared about and valued, the thing that gave you meaning. You can see older people talking about that one football game in high school where they scored the game winning touchdown, or a last-second goal to avoid overtime (if you're not in the US :) ), and it's much the same thing - the past actions have been mythicized and are looked upon fondly.

There are a lot of vocal references that I think support this. "Locked up like a trophy." For one, this references your former successes, your trophy, and at the same time it's a reference to the fact that you are no longer actively engaged (at least not the way you were) in the activity. The fact that "your sword's grown old and rusty" also implies this weakness from disuse, as does the idea that one is "right back where you started from." All the same, there's a sort of ecstasy coming from those two lines, because all it takes is a little oil to unrust a sword, and if you're back where you started from, that also means you can regain your skills (maybe not all the way, but there's still potential for growth).

But again, the songs more complicated than that. The fact that one's ears are "blown to bits" from the gun, and the craving of "that sound" also implies that what you're doing now has worth, and you do enjoy it. So what do you do? The speaker encourages you to shine, to go on. And I think that's saying, you should return to your old passion, but you don't have to completely give up what you're doing now (but I guess that option is open, if you want to completely "give up the gun").

Also, for anyone that has seen the music video, I think the girl playing tennis and beating the other nations sustains the Japan references above-mentioned, but I think it's also sort of a dream for the girl (reliving her glory). The ultimate finish is playing herself and self-overcoming, sort of finding her way again.

Anyways, my analysis certainly isn't perfect, so if someone has some other ideas to help this interpretation of the song develop, please share.

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2 Replies  ·  My Interpretation
lalunacreciente
03-18-2010

 Rated  0 
Definitely the best song on the album.

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My Opinion
smellophant
03-21-2010

 Rated  0 
I might be way off the mark, but could it be about heroin and addiction in general? I thought it might be this because:

Gun = slang for needle

'And though it's been a long time, you're right back where you started from
I see it in your eyes that now you’re giving up the gun' = About trying to give up, but finding hard/relapsing.

'You felt the coming wave, told me we'd all be brave, you said you wouldn't flinch
But in the years that passed since I saw you last, you haven't moved an inch' = About how people think that they won't get addicted if they try addictive substances, and also about how hard it is to change your way of life when it is ruled by heroin/whatever the addiction is.

'My ears are blown to bits from all the rifle hits, but still I crave that sound'= About how you know something is bad for you, but you still want/need it.

OK, I will stop waffling now, but that was what I thought it meant when I first heard it!



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General Comment
IanMorris
03-29-2010

 Rated  0 
Sorry to bring this down to gutter level but I wondered if the "When I was 17, I had wrists like steel and I felt complete" is a reference to not having had sex and the "Gun" (Male Organ) is a metaphore for giving up sex or the hold sex can have in order to let go of a relationship that's not right.
Sorry, probably way off with this one.


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My Interpretation
gomusicgo
03-30-2010

 Rated  0 
To me, the line "When I was 17, I had wrists like steel and I felt complete", means that Ezra was a self-confident and happy 17 year old for the following reason: What do teenagers do if they're miserable? They slit their wrists. But apparently Ezra's wrists were like steel (unslitable). Why? Because he was self-confident or popular. The steel wrist line has to connect to the fact that he was 17 (17 year olds would slit their wrists if they were lonely or miserable), and that he felt complete (the confidence/popularity factor). Further proof of my point is the next line "And now my body fades behind a brass charade and I'm obsolete", which alludes to the fact that something was "good" when he was 17 but bad currently. "and NOW my body fades", my body fades NOW- things were better when I was 17. The steel wrists MUST be something positive. The song to me goes "When I was 17, i was popular/confident/complete, but now.....[unhappiness]"

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1 Reply  ·  General Comment
dtreglia
04-04-2010

 Rated  0 
obviously every "text" has fluid meaning and a multiplicity of likely interpretations but all the phallic implications are just too clear

sword=phallic

wrists like steel....about masturbating...

the song is about getting older and losing your male potency in some ways

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General Comment
GrungyBeatle
04-11-2010

 Rated  0 
sounds like a friend/musician who quite making a scene out of his music. he looks back on his friend/guitarist and finds he hasn't moved an inch since he last made a scene. this verse says he would "save the night" to yrs have passed and he's still in a rut. sad to say but i can relate to this. maybe he made a mistake or bad timing?

I heard you play guitar down at a seedy bar where skinheads used to fight
Your Tokugawa smile and your garbage style used to save the night
You felt the coming wave, told me we'd all be brave, you said you wouldn't flinch
But in the years that passed since I saw you last, you haven't moved an inch

then singer says "you shine in your own way, go on go on go on" takes a positive viewpoint from his past, he shines as a person? aside from his talent.

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General Comment
creynoldsm
04-23-2010

 Rated  0 
So this is just my take on the song

I was in rehab for a few months, and this song reminds me of someone who had to go through a similiar process, and leave behind his old life, and is now back at the beginning. This song was one of the albums that really got me through that experience, I can't tell you how many times I played Vampire Weekend and MGMT over and over.




*Your sword's grown old and rusty, burnt beneath the rising sun
*It's locked up like a trophy, forgetting all the things it's done
*And though it's been a long time, you're right back where you started from
*I see it in your eyes that now you’re giving up the gun

The user is worn and tired, burned out from all the time using. His fun times are locked up in his mind as memories, but he's starting to forget. Though he has used for a long time, he's back to sobriety. He's committed to be sober, you can tell he's ready and willing to give it up.


*When I was 17, I had wrists like steel and I felt complete
*And now my body fades behind a brass charade and I'm obsolete
*But if the chance remains to see those better days, I'd cut the cannons down
*My ears are blown to bits from all the rifle hits, but still I crave that sound

When the user was 17, using made him feel complete, he had no negative consequences, but now he's starting to show his wear and tear. But, if he could go back to those good old days, he would in a second. Using has caused him so much hardship (his ears all blown to bits from all those rifle hits), but he still craves his drug of choice.

*Your sword's grown old and rusty, burnt beneath the rising sun
*It's locked up like a trophy, forgetting all the things it's done
*And though it's been a long time, you're right back where you started from
*I see it in your eyes that now you’re giving up the gun

The user is worn and tired, burned out from all the time using. His fun times are locked up in his mind as memories, but he's starting to forget. Though he has used for a long time, he's back to sobriety. He's committed to be sober, you can tell he's ready and willing to give it up.

*I heard you play guitar down at a seedy bar where skinheads used to fight
*Your Tokugawa smile and your garbage style used to save the night
*You felt the coming wave, told me we'd all be brave, you said you wouldn't flinch
*But in the years that passed since I saw you last, you haven't moved an inch


This paragraph might be talking about an old using friend, who the user had to give up in order to stay sober, although they loved this person. This person was the life of the part, and was fun to be around. The using buddy saw what was coming, but said that he wouldn't let him affect him or his social group. But, years have past, and he's still out using.

******This verse was really touched me, as I had to let go of my best friend during this experience, and this verse completely describes him, own to every detail, the smile, guitar, everything.


*Your sword's grown old and rusty, burnt beneath the rising sun
*It's locked up like a trophy, forgetting all the things it's done
*And though it's been a long time, you're right back where you started from
*I see it in your eyes that now you’re giving up the gun

The user is worn and tired, burned out from all the time using. His fun times are locked up in his mind as memories, but he's starting to forget. Though he has used for a long time, he's back to sobriety. He's committed to be sober, you can tell he's ready and willing to give it up.


*I see you shine in your way
*Go on, go on, go on

They're going down two separate paths, and hopefully both being successful, though in two completely different ways.

*Your sword's grown old and rusty, burnt beneath the rising sun
*It's locked up like a trophy, forgetting all the things it's done
*And though it's been a long time, you're right back where you started from
*I see it in your eyes that now you’re giving up the gun

The user is worn and tired, burned out from all the time using. His fun times are locked up in his mind as memories, but he's starting to forget. Though he has used for a long time, he's back to sobriety. He's committed to be sober, you can tell he's ready and willing to give it up.








Now, this isn't entirely from experience, I went into rehab when I was 15. But, it's still pretty much the same for everybody who goes through with this type of thing, and for me this song summed up the general experience that I had pretty perfectly.


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General Comment
IThinkImInLove
04-30-2010

 Rated  0 
Best song ever. Just saying.

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My Opinion
IThinkImInLove
04-30-2010

 Rated  -1 
This song sounds a lot like the Jonas Brother's newer songs.

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2 Replies  ·  General Comment
dougbarbin
05-01-2010

 Rated  0 
It's about someone who gave up playing guitar.

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My Interpretation
mhcii0723
06-06-2010

 Rated  0 
I love Vampire City because they incorporate not only a deep emotional hidden analogy in their lyrics, but they're also very historical and the lyrics are very accurate to that historical sense. The way I see it is that the history behind it with the Japanese and the whole Last Samurai interpretation is completely true, it all makes sense, but I also feel that there's also that emotional hidden meaning in the lyrics also. To me the sword is the way a person (who I believe they are obviously talking about a past girl or girlfriend) used to act, like they used to do a certain thing, namely be a classic stereotypical girl and use guys, and then eventually that girl changed and put away her sword because it was rusted from the sun, as in she used the excuse/ type of personality too much. And then said girl started using "the gun", a different personality or view of life, and now she is giving up the gun and going back to her old ways.

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1 Reply  ·  My Interpretation
emadeedledoo
06-19-2010

 Rated  0 
I think the general idea of Japan's reversion to the sword (as mentioned above) and "giving up the gun" is used as a metaphor for any person quitting at something or accepting inadequacy. The song itself seems to suggest that the inadequacy is due to aging ("now I'm obsolete").

The inadequacy referenced in the song seems to be a general loss of confidence and youth. The sword is the subject's youth and the gun, his confidence, talent or profession (of course, whatever he is giving up due to his feeling of inadequacy in old age).

"I see you shine your way
Go on, go on, go on"
Would indicate that the writer urges the subject never to lose confidence (or his "gun") even though his "sword's grown old and rusty".

"You felt the coming wave, told me we'd all be brave, you said you wouldn't flinch
But in the years that passed since I saw you last, you haven't moved an inch"
This quote seems to reveal a youthful confidence in the subject (sorry to use a bunch of the same words over and over) that had obviously faded. A false bravery that, if real, would have sent the subject forward on his desired path. However, he loses heart (heart that may not have ever been there) and doesn't take risks, never moving forward. The writer reflects on the subject's lack of progression as it is implied that he, the writer, has moved forward on his own path.

All in all, this in an inspiring song. The lesson of "never giving up" could be applied to anything.

I dunno, that's just how I see it. :)

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