Era Vulgaris
Queens of the Stone Age Lyrics


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I, play the game 'til I'm dead,
Or on a magazine.
I wanna look like I'm dead,
Dancing on strings.
I eat the food when it's there,
Make a mess of things.
Get that blood,
Everywhere.
But keep that blood,
off my face.

(Chorus)
[Everybody else wanna fall in love,
there's no room for love in a modern sky.
Living in the Era Vulgaris,
Just drool in the dark as you stare at the lights.]

From a crumbling tower,
I've seen everything.
London, Tokyo,
New York City.
There's no love.
There's no love!
There's no love,
Anyplace!

(Chorus)

Are we,
Creatures,
Helplessly attacking reputation?
Over,
Over,
Left with who we are.
Did you tell anyone,
Did you tell,
Anyplace?

(Chorus)

Da da da da du da da da du da da da du da da da.
Living in the Era Vulgaris,
Just drool inthe dark as you stare at the lights.

Just stare at the lights.

Just stare at the lights.





Just stare at the lights

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Era Vulgaris" by Queens of the Stone Age discuss various themes, ranging from the desire to look like a corpse to the emptiness of modern life. The opening lines of the song seem to refer to the musician's desire to play music until they are dead or in a magazine, suggesting a longing for fame and recognition. The lines "I wanna look like I'm dead, Dancing on strings," hint at a desire to become an icon, a lifeless figure that dances to the strings of the music industry.


The following lines "I eat the food when it's there, Make a mess of things. Get that blood, Everywhere," portray reckless behavior and a disregard for consequences, which is a common trait among rockstars. The chorus of the song depicts a nihilistic worldview, claiming that there's no room for love in a modern sky, and we're living in an era vulgaris. The final part of the chorus, which repeats the phrase "Just drool in the dark as you stare at the lights," suggests that our lives have become nothing but meaningless distractions and entertainment to distract us from our own emptiness.


The bridge of the song, "Are we, Creatures, Helplessly attacking reputation? Over, Over, Left with who we are. Did you tell anyone, Did you tell, Anyplace?" suggests that we're driven by our reputation, and that we attack others to enhance it. But ultimately, we're left with who we are, as we can't escape our true selves, despite our attempts to manipulate others' perceptions of us. To conclude, the song appears to be a commentary on the emptiness of modern life, the illusion of fame, and the struggle to find meaning in a world that seems to have lost it.


Line by Line Meaning

I, play the game 'til I'm dead,
I continue playing along with society's expectations until I die.


Or on a magazine.
I strive to appear on a magazine cover.


I wanna look like I'm dead,
I desire to achieve a lifeless appearance.


Dancing on strings.
I want to be controlled like a puppet.


I eat the food when it's there,
I take advantage of opportunities.


Make a mess of things.
I create chaos and destruction.


Get that blood,
I obtain power and control.


Everywhere.
I strive to be dominant.


But keep that blood,
I try to conceal my intentions.


off my face.
I hide my desire for power from others.


[Everybody else wanna fall in love,
Most people desire love.


there's no room for love in a modern sky.
The modern world has little space for love.


Living in the Era Vulgaris,
We live in a time of obscenity and immorality.


Just drool in the dark as you stare at the lights.]
We are reduced to mindless creatures, fixated on bright, artificial lights.


From a crumbling tower,
From a decaying position of power,


I've seen everything.
I have witnessed all.


London, Tokyo,
I have traveled to major cities around the world.


New York City.
I have experienced New York City.


There's no love.
Love is absent.


There's no love!
There is absolutely no love.


There's no love,
Love is nonexistent.


Anyplace!
No matter where you look, love cannot be found.


Are we,
Are we human beings,


Creatures,
Animals,


Helplessly attacking reputation?
Do we instinctively destroy others' reputations?


Over,
Over and over again,


Over,
Repeating our mistakes.


Left with who we are.
Left only with our true selves.


Did you tell anyone,
Did you confide in anyone,


Did you tell,
Did you share,


Anyplace?
Anywhere?


Da da da da du da da da du da da da du da da da.
Instrumental section


Living in the Era Vulgaris,
We live in a time of obscenity and immorality.


Just drool in the dark as you stare at the lights.
We are reduced to mindless creatures, fixated on bright, artificial lights.


Just stare at the lights.
We simply gaze upon the lights, without thought, reason, or purpose.




Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: JOSH HOMME, JOEY CASTILLO, TROY DEAN VAN LEEUWEN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

「Pessimismo」神

I play a game 'til I'm dead
Or on a magazine
I wanna look like I'm dead
Dancing on a string
I eat the food when it's there
Make a mess of things
Get that look everywhere
But keep that look off my face

Everybody else wanna fall in love
There's no room for love in a modern sky
Living in the era vulgaris
Just drool in the dark
As you stare at the lights

From a crumbling tower I see everything
London, Tokyo, New York City
There's no love any place

Everybody else wanna fall in love
There's no room for love in a modern sky
Living in the era vulgaris
Just drool in the dark
As you stare at the lights

All we creatures helplessly attacking repetition
Over, over left with who we are
Did you tell anyone?
Did you tell any place?

Everybody else wanna fall in love
There's no room for love in a modern sky
Living in the era vulgaris
Just drool in the dark
As you stare at the lights

Living in the era vulgaris
Just drool in the dark
As you stare at the lights

Just stare at the lights



All comments from YouTube:

Joshua Minnon

When your B-sides are as good as your official releases, there's a special place for you in heaven.

Myles Marrero

When your B-sides are better than your official releases, there's a special place for you in hell.

Untitled

Myles Marrero cough muse, royal blood

Gregory Marty

Joshua Mi

TheBaioken

yeah, I also thing this is a really dope track, dont get why its not on there. I dont dislike any track on Era Vulgaris, but there are some I definitely like less than this.

Terry Treger

TheBaioken I feel this would be a much better final track than Run Pig Run. It has the same dysfunctional yet catchy feel as the rest of the album and has the insane spiraling outro.

13 More Replies...

Asgrod Elros

This is the most QOTSA song ever, I feel this song like a mix of all their albums at that time, i can listen this song 99999999999999999 times and never get bored of it

yukimaruzam

Very well said and on point. I really never do get tired of this song. I think it is the driving beat and mix of up tempo energy.

ALPHA

Damn. That’s crazy👀

E11even

Still mad this isn't on Spotify

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