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."

Voodoo Doll
The Queers Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I know girls, and I know you
And the the stupid games you play
I'm not good enough for you
Well this is what I say

You may not know it but hey it's true
He don't love you but I sure do
Don't you know

I love you so

All the girls say they're above me
And I know you really love me
But you're just my voodoo doll
Oh yeah, just my voodoo doll
Oh yeah, just my voodoo doll
Oh yeah, just my voodoo doll
Oh yeah, just my voodoo doll

Walking down the street, staring at my feet
And I'm all alone
Everybody laughs at me
I'm in the twilight zone

You may not know it but hey it's true
He don't love you but I sure do
Don't you know
I love you so

All the girls say they're above me
And I know you really love me
But you're just my voodoo doll
Oh yeah, just my voodoo doll
Oh yeah, just my voodoo doll

Oh yeah, just my voodoo doll
Oh yeah, just my voodoo doll

Overall Meaning

The Queers' song Voodoo Doll is about unrequited love and the pain that comes with it. The lyrics are addressed to a girl with whom the singer is in love, but who doesn't return his affections. He is fully aware of the games she plays, yet he cannot help the way he feels. He expresses his frustration with the situation, saying that he's not good enough for her. However, he also tells her that he loves her, which is what truly matters to him.

The chorus, "All the girls say they're above me, and I know you really love me, but you're just my voodoo doll," showcases the singer's low self-esteem as he feels inferior to the girls around him. Yet, he also suggests that the girl he loves does love him but in a disconnected way, like a preoccupied voodoo doll. He's trying to explain that he's little more than a manipulating puppet that she can control and discard whenever she wants.

The verses of the song describe the singer's loneliness and alienation from society. He's walking down the street, staring at his feet, feeling like he's in the twilight zone. His romantic failure may have made him a social outcast, ridiculed by everyone. However, he still cannot shake his love for the girl, and so he sings to her of his unrequited affection and his hopes for reciprocation.

Line by Line Meaning

I know girls, and I know you
I am familiar with many girls and I happen to be familiar with you too

And the stupid games you play
I am aware of the foolish games that you often engage in

I'm not good enough for you
I don't feel that I am capable of meeting your high standards

Well this is what I say
This is what I have to say about the matter

You may not know it but hey it's true
You may not be aware of this fact but it is indeed true

He don't love you but I sure do
He may not love you but I definitely do

Don't you know
Aren't you aware

I love you so
I love you very much

All the girls say they're above me
All the girls think that they are superior to me

And I know you really love me
And I am aware that you genuinely love me

But you're just my voodoo doll
But you are merely an object that I manipulate as I please

Oh yeah, just my voodoo doll
Yes, you are only a lifeless puppet that I control

Walking down the street, staring at my feet
I am walking down the street while looking at my feet

And I'm all alone
And I am completely alone

Everybody laughs at me
Everyone mocks and ridicules me

I'm in the twilight zone
I'm in an eerie and surreal state of mind

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: JAMES EARP, DEE ADAM, OLIVIA SEBASTIANELLI

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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