The Queers are a pop-punk/punk rock band from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, fo… Read Full Bio ↴The Queers are a pop-punk/punk rock band from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, formed in 1982. Singer/Guitarist/Songwriter Joe King has been the principal member of the group, with a vast number of musicians cycling in and out of the band over the years. Supposedly, the band name 'Queers' was used simply to poke fun at what he called the "Art Fag" community in NH. That same brand of humor and inanity has become a staple of The Queers music, who have produced songs such as "Can't Stop Farting", "Born To Do Dishes", and "I Didn't Get Invited To The Prom" in their own Ramones-esque style. While some punk rock bands attempt to use their music to impart a social or political message, King has made it clear that The Queers exist simply to play punk rock for the fun of it.

The Queers play a Ramones style of pop punk with songs about girls and beer. King has often collaborated with Ben Weasel, from Screeching Weasel. The band begun with a notoriety primarily in their own backyard, but with the release of Love Songs for the Retarded, recorded by legendary punk producer Mass Giorgini, their following grew to international proportions. They have collaborated with Mass Giorgini several times since.

Along with his casual acquaintance Ben Weasel, Joe King has criticized the re-emergence of the street punk scene and what he sees as the glorification of violence and class warfare by certain bands. The song, "Little Rich Working Class Oi Boy" from the album Beyond the Valley of the Assfuckers takes aim at the working class pretensions and bellicose attitudes of some members of the Oi! scene. In a 2005 post to The Queers official website, King criticizes the effect of Boston punk band, the Dropkick Murphys. Writes King, "With all this stupid fucking Irish/Dropkick BS these days the whole punk scene (what's left of it) is full of assholes that just wanna fight."

Mirage
The Queers Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I see you standing in the alleys and the hallway's
Corner
I'd love to get you but you vanish through the doorway
And oh wow
All it is to think about you
I love everything about you
Now I know you're real enough
But my imagination is so stunned

That I see you coming into view
And your face is telling me that you
Oh yeah oh, wanna be by my side
Oh yeah oh, now it's finally time
Mirage, that's all you are to me
Mirage, something that I hardly see
So I keep walking through the alleys and the hallways
Where are you
I keep remembering the kisses in the doorway
And car too
How it all comes back to me
The movies ever Saturday
And the places that we use to be

I wish somehow to have that life
Well it use to be

Overall Meaning

The Queers' song Mirage describes the overwhelming feeling of infatuation with someone you can't seem to reach. The singer is mesmerized by an individual they see around the community, in corners, alleys, and hallways, but they disappear as soon as the singer tries to approach them. The singer admits that they love everything about this person and that they think about them all the time. Even though they know that this person is real, their imagination is so stunned that they can't help but see them coming into their view. The singer believes that this person wants to be by their side, and finally, the time has come for them to be together. However, the reality is that this is just a mirage, something that they can hardly see or touch. The singer, hoping to relive the moments they shared with this person, keeps walking and remembering the kisses in the doorway and their time spent in the movies every Saturday. Despite their wish to have that life back, all that remains is a mirage.

Line by Line Meaning

I see you standing in the alleys and the hallway's Corner
I catch glimpses of you in random places

I'd love to get you but you vanish through the doorway And oh wow
I wish I could have you, but you always disappear

All it is to think about you I love everything about you
Just thinking about you makes me happy, I love everything about you

Now I know you're real enough But my imagination is so stunned That I see you coming into view And your face is telling me that you
I know you're real, but my imagination is so strong that it feels like I'm seeing you as if for the first time and your face tells me that you want to be with me

Oh yeah oh, wanna be by my side Oh yeah oh, now it's finally time
You want to be with me and now is the right time

Mirage, that's all you are to me Mirage, something that I hardly see
You're just a mirage, something I can hardly see

So I keep walking through the alleys and the hallways Where are you
I keep searching for you in the places we used to meet

I keep remembering the kisses in the doorway And car too
I can't help but remember the times we kissed in the doorway or in the car

How it all comes back to me The movies ever Saturday And the places that we use to be
It all comes back to me, the Saturdays we spent watching movies and the places we used to go

I wish somehow to have that life Well it use to be
I wish I could have that life again, the life we used to have

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Ritchie Cordell

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS