The Vandals are an American punk rock band formed in 1980 in Huntington Bea… Read Full Bio ↴The Vandals are an American punk rock band formed in 1980 in Huntington Beach, California and currently recording for Kung Fu Records. They have released ten full-length studio albums and two live albums and have toured the world extensively, including performances on the Vans Warped Tour. They are well-known for their use of humor, preferring to use their music as a vehicle for entertainment and sarcasm rather than as a platform for more "serious" issues.

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.

My Neck My Back
The Vandals Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'm a gonna get my worker's comp check.
I'm a gonna buy you lots of food.
I'm a gonna drop some bricks on my head.
I'm a gonna be laid up for good.

My neck, my back. My neck and my back hurt.
I had another accident, so someone tell the management.
I'll be in my kiddie pool recovering,

I'll get my tools another time.
If my spine, if it ever realigns.

My neck, my back. My neck and my back!
And I never will recover. And I never will recover.
And I never will recover. And I never will recover, yeah.

I'm a gonna get my worker's comp check.
I'm a gonna buy you lots of food.
I'm a gonna drop some bricks on my head.
I'm a gonna be laid up for good.

Compassionate society has a whole variety of saftey nets and benefits.
For anyone that's ever been a victim of negligence, stress, fatigue or recklessness.
Offer me a settlement. Just offer me a settlement.

Cuz I gotta stay at home.
My neck and back is nearly broke.
I kind of won the lottery.
I'll take what they are offering.
Vicodine and Ambien and watch alot of television.

My neck, my back. My neck and my back!
And I never will recover. And I never will recover.
And I never will recover. And I never will recover, yeah.

I'm a gonna get my worker's comp check.
I'm a gonna buy you lots of food.

I'm a gonna drop some bricks on my head.
I'm a gonna be laid up for good.

Overall Meaning

"My Neck My Back" by The Vandals is a sarcastic take on the concept of worker's compensation. The song is about a man who plans to injure himself so that he can receive worker's comp and stay at home to recover. The lyrics are full of irony and humor, mocking the idea that someone would deliberately hurt themselves to avoid working.

The first verse of the song sets the tone for the rest of the lyrics. The singer talks about getting his worker's comp check and using it to buy food for his loved ones. He then jokes about dropping bricks on his head in order to be laid up for good. The humor in this verse lies in the fact that the singer is willing to hurt himself for financial gain.

The chorus of the song is repetitive and catchy, with the singer complaining about his neck and back pain. The second verse continues the sarcasm, describing the singer recovering in a kiddie pool and accepting a settlement for his injury. The verse ends with the singer listing the drugs he will be taking while recovering.

The song is a critique of a system that encourages people to hurt themselves in order to receive compensation. The lyrics make it clear that the singer has no intention of working and is willing to go to great lengths to avoid it.

Line by Line Meaning

I'm a gonna get my worker's comp check.
I need compensation for my work-related injury.

I'm a gonna buy you lots of food.
I will spend the money on food for you.

I'm a gonna drop some bricks on my head.
I will do something foolish and get myself injured again.

I'm a gonna be laid up for good.
As a result, I will be bedridden for a long time.

My neck, my back. My neck and my back hurt.
I am in a lot of pain in my neck and back.

I had another accident, so someone tell the management.
I need to inform the management of my injury.

I'll be in my kiddie pool recovering,
I will try to recover in a kiddie pool.

I'll get my tools another time.
I will put off getting my tools until later.

If my spine, if it ever realigns.
There is a chance my spine may never realign.

Compassionate society has a whole variety of safety nets and benefits.
Society has benefits to help those who were hurt due to negligence, stress, fatigue, or recklessness.

For anyone that's ever been a victim of negligence, stress, fatigue or recklessness.
The benefits are for anyone who has suffered from negligence, stress, fatigue, or recklessness.

Offer me a settlement. Just offer me a settlement.
All I want is a settlement.

Cuz I gotta stay at home.
I have to stay at home.

My neck and back is nearly broke.
My neck and back are almost broken.

I kind of won the lottery.
I feel like I won a lottery by getting injured.

I'll take what they are offering.
I will accept whatever compensation they offer me.

Vicodin and Ambien and watch a lot of television.
I will take Vicodin and Ambien and watch a lot of TV.

My neck, my back. My neck and my back!
I can't stop thinking about the pain in my neck and back.

And I never will recover. And I never will recover.
I may never fully recover from my injuries.

And I never will recover. And I never will recover, yeah.
I will likely never recover, unfortunately.

I'm a gonna get my worker's comp check.
I will receive worker's compensation.

I'm a gonna buy you lots of food.
I will buy you plenty of food.

I'm a gonna drop some bricks on my head.
I will do something foolish and dangerous and put myself at risk.