Vampire Weekend received much buzz from local blogs throughout 2007 during their rise to a record deal with indie label XL Recordings. Rolling Stone placed Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa at number 57 for the top 100 songs of 2007.
The band's debut album, "Vampire Weekend" was released on January 28. 2008. It was a surprise success, peaking at #17 on the Billboard 200.
Their second album "Contra" was released on January 12, 2010. It contains the single "Cousins". The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200, only the 12th independently released and distributed album to achieve such a feat.
They are self-proclaimed "specialists in the following styles: 'Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa', 'Upper West Side Soweto', 'Campus', and 'Oxford Comma Riddim.'"
The name "Vampire Weekend" comes from a movie that Ezra Koenig made in the summer of his freshman year at college. You can watch the trailer on Youtube, here.
Their official site is http://www.vampireweekend.com/
08 Finger Back
Vampire Weekend Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wrap it in a paper towel
Break a twig in half and set it straight
Hit me with a wood bat
Hit me with a canister that's fired while
The soldiers drive away
On and on and on and on for days
Hit me with a wood bat
Hit me like a Yankee, like a son of
Freedom, never had a slave
It's etiquette, you idiot
Spend time behind the line
Show sympathy to LA where the sun don't ever shine
Everybody wants you, but baby you are mine
And baby you're not anybody's fool
Bless me with a heart attack
A real cries cardiac
And show me where to find the
Surgeon's knife
Eviscerate me now (hack)
Take me to my punishment?
The punishment I needed all my life
Bend my finger back (snap)
On and on and on and on with strife
Listen to my bum rap
Listen to the evidence exonerating me from
Being right
It's etiquette, you idiot
Spend time behind the line
Show sympathy to LA where the sun don't
Ever shine
Everybody wants you, but baby you are mine
Baby you're not anybody's fool
You know that I've been wicked and the
Road to hell is wide
Cursed by curiosity that made
Us go inside
Everyone was charming but we took 'em for a ride
Baby, you're not anybody's fool
Bend my finger back (snap)
Wrap it in a paper towel
Break a twig in half and set it straight
Hit me with a wood bat
Hit me with a canister that's fired while
The soldiers drive away
Bend my finger back (snap)
On and on and on and on for days
Hit me with a wood bat
Hit me like a Yankee, like a son of
Freedom, never had a slave
It's etiquette, you idiot
Spend time behind the line
Show sympathy to LA where the sun don't ever shine
Everybody wants you, but baby you are mine
And baby you're not anybody's fool
The harpsichord is broken and the
Television's fried
The city's getting hotter like a
Country in decline
Everyone's a coward when you look
Them in the eyes
But baby, you're not anybody's fool
See ya next year in Jerusalem
You know, the one at 103rd and Broadway?
'Cause this orthodox girl fell in love with the guy at the falafel shop
And why not?
Should she have averted her eyes and just stared
At the laminated poster of the dome of the rock?
And then blood, blood, blood, blood, blood, blood, blood, blood
And then blood, blood, blood, blood, blood, blood, blood, blood
Remembrances of holy days in tarry town and rye
I don't wanna live like this, but I don't wanna die
Condolences to gentle hearts who
Couldn't bear to try
I don't wanna live like this, but I don't wanna die
Remembrances of holy days in tarry town and rye
I don't wanna live like this, but I don't wanna die
The lyrics to Vampire Weekend’s song “Finger Back” are scattered and full of enigma, yet the refrain’s message is clear: they want to be abused. The chorus urges their audience to torture them, either by hitting them with baseball bats or bending their fingers back until they snap. The lyrics go back and forth between violence and desire, holding the listener off-balance the whole time. In the second verse, they ask to be eviscerated and taken to punishment, as if they consider this their only salvation. The song then circles back to the chorus before diving into a poem about an Orthodox Jewish love story, new and old memories, and a desire to live without fear nor die. As a whole, “Finger Back” explores the juxtaposition of pleasure and pain, violence and powerlessness.
The lyrics to “Finger Back” ask for violence and abuse, but ultimately, they are not calling for literal violence. In an interview, one of the band members said that the song is about the sexual desires of a submissive person who wants to be dominated by another person. In the same vein, the reference to the Orthodox Jewish girl falling in love with the guy in the falafel shop is also a metaphor for sexual desire as it tells the story of a Jew and a Muslim falling in love, which refers to the forbidden and the unknown. The song's refrain lyrics “bend my finger back” come from a spanking game and the second verse's line, “eviscerate me now,” is a reference to fetishism. It’s a song about sexuality as well as religion, history, and power dynamics.
Line by Line Meaning
Bend my finger back (snap)
Cause me pain by forcibly bending my finger until it snaps
Wrap it in a paper towel
Protect my injured finger by wrapping it in a soft paper towel
Break a twig in half and set it straight
Straighten my broken finger by using a twig as a makeshift splint
Hit me with a wood bat
Assault me by hitting me repeatedly with a hard wooden bat
Hit me with a canister that's fired while
Assault me with a canister that discharges its contents when fired
The soldiers drive away
Inflict violence on me as the soldiers leave the scene, implying that they are complicit in the assault
On and on and on and on for days
Continue inflicting pain and violence on me without end for days
It's etiquette, you idiot
Sarcastically mock someone who does not understand social norms
Spend time behind the line
Respect the boundaries of what is socially acceptable
Show sympathy to LA where the sun don't ever shine
Demonstrate empathy for a place where it is difficult to thrive
Everybody wants you, but baby you are mine
Assert dominance over someone who is desired by others
Bless me with a heart attack
Wish for a sudden, severe medical event to occur to me
A real cries cardiac
Clarify that the desired heart attack should be severe enough to result in audible crying
And show me where to find the
Lead me to the place where I can find
Surgeon's knife
A surgical instrument used for cutting and incising tissue
Eviscerate me now (hack)
Demand that I be disemboweled immediately, using a slang term for the procedure
Take me to my punishment?
Bring me to the place where I will receive my punishment
The punishment I needed all my life
Imply that the punishment is deserved and has been long-awaited
Listen to my bum rap
Hear me out as I complain about an unfair situation
Listen to the evidence exonerating me from
Pay attention to evidence that clears me from
Being right
An argument or dispute that I lost
You know that I've been wicked and the
Admit to past wrongdoings
Road to hell is wide
Indicate that it was very easy to make bad choices
Cursed by curiosity that made
Cursed by being too curious, leading to negative consequences
Us go inside
Refer to a specific instance of curiosity leading to a bad outcome
Everyone was charming but we took 'em for a ride
Deceived others by acting charming but having insincere motives
The harpsichord is broken and the
A piano-like keyboard instrument that is in disrepair
Television's fried
A television that is broken beyond repair
The city's getting hotter like a
Imply that the city is getting more dangerous and chaotic, like
Country in decline
A nation that is experiencing political and economic troubles
Everyone's a coward when you look
People are afraid to show courage when faced with difficult situations
Them in the eyes
Making direct eye contact with someone can be intimidating and revealing
See ya next year in Jerusalem
Sarcastically imply that someone will not achieve their desired outcome for a long time
You know, the one at 103rd and Broadway?
Provide details to suggest that Jerusalem is a real place but that the specific location mentioned is not
Cause this orthodox girl fell in love with the guy at the falafel shop
Express a romantic story about a religious Jewish girl and a man who makes and sells falafel
And why not?
Imply that there is no good reason for the romance not to be possible
Should she have averted her eyes and just stared
Question whether the girl should have ignored her attraction and simply looked away
At the laminated poster of the dome of the rock?
Suggest that the girl should have ignored the man and instead focused on a religious shrine
And then blood, blood, blood, blood, blood, blood, blood, blood
Repeat the word 'blood' eight times in a row, implying a sudden and extreme act of violence
Remembrances of holy days in tarry town and rye
Reflect on past religious traditions and events that took place in specific towns
I don't wanna live like this, but I don't wanna die
Express a feeling of being trapped between two undesirable states
Condolences to gentle hearts who
Offer words of comfort to kind and compassionate people
Couldn't bear to try
Imply that these gentle people were unable to overcome challenges or obstacles
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Ezra Koenig, Rostam Batmanglij
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Karen Ceciliano
this is my fave song from MVOTC - it has received bad reviews/not the fave overall, but the message of it is beautiful. i love the quirkiness as well, and ezra's spoke word definitely expands its awesomeness
rahul bansode
@Majid Alansari true
Captain Moondog
@Alejandro Burciaga con ese mensaje, es probablemente la canción más infravalorada de Vampire Weekend
Alejandro Burciaga
@Rick Martínez Hola! Disculpa la tardanza.
El mensaje de la canción habla sobre las relaciones entre personas de distintas culturas "Como un hijo de la libertad que nunca ha sido esclavo"(Hijo de la libertad se refiere a americano) "se enamoró del tipo en la tienda de falafel" (El falafel es una comida de medio oriente)
Dando a entender un romance entre personas de culturas muy distintas, también "condolencias a corazones gentiles que no pueden intentar" se refiere a aquellos que no toleran las relaciones entre culturas distintas.
Rick Martínez
karen ceciliano ¿Cuál es el mensaje de la canción? Yo la verdad no la entiendo, pero me encanta!!!
Majid Alansari
karen ceciliano fingerback is either people least favorite song from the record or in the top 3
The Puerto Rican Demon
"Condolences to gentle hearts who couldn't bear to try
I don't wanna live like this but I don't wanna die"
Jean Figueroa
@CaptessLyrics why. does it talk about vampire weekend?
CaptessLyrics
sony music... watch Shane Dawson's documentary
aunthau MV
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