The band's lineup fluctuated significantly over their first nine years, though founding members Steven Ronald "Stevo" Jensen, guitarist Jan Nils Ackermann, and first consistent drummer Joe Escalante remained regular fixtures. Of the original members only Escalante has remained through all incarnations of the band. The current lineup of Escalante, Dave Quackenbush, Warren Fitzgerald, and Josh Freese has remained intact since 1990 and is considered by most fans to be far removed from the band's early 1980s incarnation. Since 2002 Escalante has released all of the band's albums through his Kung Fu Records label, with Fitzgerald generally producing.
Fourteen
The Vandals Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For all these years
And shamefully admit,
I've loved to watch you blossom
And it's awful hard to quit
Feeling these feelings
Stirring up inside of me.
You nearly are a woman now
All the rules and boundaries
Will slowly disappear,
Wait now, my child
Until you get a little older,
Every new sunrise brings
Your heart a little closer to me
Chorus:
But I can't make love to you
Because you're fourteen
Just a peck on the cheek
As I'm counting the weeks go by
(Why? why?)
We can't make love together
Because you're fourteen years old
And the trust of your mom
That we're not doing wrong,
I just can't betray today.
Just an ounce of patience
We can still do things we like
Watch you eat an ice cream cone
And watch you ride your bike
Patiently longing
For that future day of truth
I want to hug and kiss you
Nearly every time I see you
But I don't want the neighborhood
To get the wrong idea
There'll come a day
When love like ours is not a crime
Just give it time
Chorus x2:
But I can't make love to you
Because you're fourteen
Just a hug and a sigh
From a law biding guy tonight
(why? why?)
We can't make love together
Because you're fourteen years old
And the trust of your mom
That we're not doing wrong,
I just can't betray today.
The song "Fourteen" by The Vandals is a controversial ballad that talks about the singer's dilemma of being attracted to a fourteen-year-old girl. He opens up by confessing that he has known the girl for years and admits to enjoying watching her grow and become a woman. However, he also acknowledges that his feelings for her are inappropriate and that he cannot act upon them. He tells her to wait until she's a bit older because he is not ready to cross the boundaries of the law, nor does he want society to get the wrong idea.
The first verse of the song portrays the singer's confession of his feelings for the girl. He goes on to talk about his sexuality towards her and claims that the passing of time has only intensified his feelings towards her. He then proceeds to tell her that he will not act on these feelings because she is still too young and that even when she grows old enough, things could never be the same again. In the chorus, he emphasizes his helplessness and his inability to act by saying that they cannot make love together because she is fourteen years old. He laments that all they can do now is just hug and kiss, but even those have to be subtle.
The song deals with a sensitive issue that has divided opinions among its listeners. While some argue that the song promotes pedophilia, others say that it is an honest discussion of an otherwise taboo issue. The band's frontman, Dave Quackenbush, has defended the song, saying that it is an allegory for the sexualization of minors by the media and society.
Line by Line Meaning
I've watched you grow
I've observed your growth
For all these years
It has been years since I observed your growth
And shamefully admit,
I regretfully confess
I've loved to watch you blossom
I'm fond of seeing you develop
And it's awful hard to quit
It's not easy to end this feeling
Feeling these feelings
Experiencing these emotions
Stirring up inside of me.
Stimulating me internally
You nearly are a woman now
You're almost a grown woman
And in a couple years,
Within a few years
All the rules and boundaries
All the limitations and regulations
Will slowly disappear,
Will gradually fade away
Wait now, my child
Be patient, my dear
Until you get a little older,
Until you mature a little more
Every new sunrise brings
Every new day brings
Your heart a little closer to me
Our connection a little stronger
But I can't make love to you
I cannot engage in sexual activities with you
Because you're fourteen
Because you're underage
Just a peck on the cheek
Just a kiss on the cheek
As I'm counting the weeks go by
As time passes
(Why? why?)
Asking why this is the case
We can't make love together
We can't engage in sexual activities together
And the trust of your mom
And your mother's trust
That we're not doing wrong,
That we're not engaging in illicit activities
I just can't betray today.
I cannot violate that trust
Just an ounce of patience
Just a little bit of patience
We can still do things we like
We can still enjoy activities
Watch you eat an ice cream cone
See you enjoy an ice cream cone
And watch you ride your bike
See you ride your bike
Patiently longing
Longing with patience
For that future day of truth
For the day when we can be together
I want to hug and kiss you
I want to show affection physically
Nearly every time I see you
Almost every time I see you
But I don't want the neighborhood
But I don't want people in the community
To get the wrong idea
To get the incorrect impression
There'll come a day
There will be a time
When love like ours is not a crime
When our relationship isn't prohibited
Just give it time
Just be patient
Just a hug and a sigh
Just a hug and a deep breath
From a law biding guy tonight
From a law-abiding man tonight
(why? why?)
Asking why this is the case
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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