Diplomat's Sun
Vampire Weekend Lyrics


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It's not right but it's now or never
And if I wait could I ever forgive myself?
On a night when the moon glows yellow in the riptide
With the light from the TV's buzzing in the house

'Cause I'm gonna cut it where I can
And then I'm gonna duck out behind them
If I ever had a chance it's now then
But I never had the feeling I could offer that to you

To offer it to you would be cruel
When all I want to do is use, use you

He was a diplomat's son
It was '81

Dressed in white with my car keys hidden in the kitchen
I could sleep wherever I lay my head
And the sight of your two shoes sitting in the bathtub
Let me know that I shouldn't give up just yet

'Cause I'm gonna take it from Simon
And then I'm gonna duck out behind them
If I ever had a chance it's now then
But I never had the feeling I could offer that to you

To offer it to you would be cruel
When all I want to do is use, use you

He was a diplomat's son
It was '81

I know, you'll say
I'm not doing it right
But this is how I want it

I can't go back
To how I felt before

That night I smoked a joint
With my best friend
We found ourselves in bed
When I woke up he was gone

He was the diplomat's son
It was '81

Looking out at the ice-cold water all around me
I can't feel any traces of that other place




In the dark when the wind comes racing off the river
There's a car all black with diplomatic plates

Overall Meaning

The opening lines of this Vampire Weekend track, “It’s not right but it’s now or never/And if I wait could I ever forgive myself?” speaks to making a decision in the moment, even if it's not exactly the right one, in order to avoid regret later on. The singer is torn between wanting something and knowing that it wouldn't really be the best thing for them. The lyrics create a sense of urgency with the repeated phrase “now or never” and the image of the moon glowing yellow in the riptide adds to the feeling of anxiety and uncertainty.


The phrase “'Cause I'm gonna cut it where I can/And then I'm gonna duck out behind them” suggests that the singer is trying to find a way out of a difficult situation. They are aware of the consequences of their actions and are trying to minimize the damage they could do. The lyrics refer to the singer being a diplomat's son, and how he feels constrained by the expectations of that identity. This is reinforced by the line “To offer it to you would be cruel/When all I want to do is use, use you” - he feels like he can't really offer anything to the person he desires, because of his social status.


The song ends with the singer alone and looking out at the “ice-cold water all around me,” suggesting a sense of isolation and vulnerability. The final image of the diplomat’s car with diplomatic plates suggests again that the singer's identity is limiting him and keeping him isolated from people outside of his world.


Line by Line Meaning

It's not right but it's now or never
I know what I'm about to do is not moral but I have to do it right now or never do it at all.


And if I wait could I ever forgive myself?
If I wait, will I be able to forgive myself for not taking action right now?


On a night when the moon glows yellow in the riptide
On a night when the moon emits a subdued yellow light reflecting on the ocean currents.


With the light from the TV's buzzing in the house
The only source of light in the house on this eerie night is the television set, producing a monotonous hum.


'Cause I'm gonna cut it where I can
I will terminate the issue at hand wherever it is feasible


And then I'm gonna duck out behind them
Then I will secretly slip away from the situation


If I ever had a chance it's now then
If there ever was a time where I could seize this opportunity, it would be now


But I never had the feeling I could offer that to you
I never had the confidence that I could give you what you truly deserve


To offer it to you would be cruel
To make any false promises of what I can offer you would be torment.


When all I want to do is use, use you
All I can think of is taking advantage of you and exploiting you to serve my interests


He was a diplomat's son
A person I'm thinking of was related to a diplomat


It was '81
It happened in the year 1981


Dressed in white with my car keys hidden in the kitchen
My outfit was all white, and I hid my car keys in the kitchen.


I could sleep wherever I lay my head
I could sleep in any bed, no matter where it is.


And the sight of your two shoes sitting in the bathtub
Observing your two shoes placed inside the bathtub accelerates my belief that I still have a chance.


Let me know that I shouldn't give up just yet
It indicates that I shouldn't quit trying just yet.


I know, you'll say
I'm aware you will say


I'm not doing it right
I'm not going about it the right way


But this is how I want it
But this is how I desire to carry it out.


I can't go back
I can't turn back the clock


To how I felt before
To how I felt previously.


That night I smoked a joint
The night I smoked cannabis


With my best friend
I was with my closest ally


We found ourselves in bed
We woke up together in the same bed


When I woke up he was gone
When I came to, he was already gone from the scene


Looking out at the ice-cold water all around me
Starring at the frigid water all around me


I can't feel any traces of that other place
I can't feel remnants of that other place


In the dark when the wind comes racing off the river
In the gloomy night when the wind howls from the river


There's a car all black with diplomatic plates
There's a black car with diplomatic license plates in sight




Lyrics © IMAGEM U.S. LLC , Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DAVID JAMES TAYLOR, EZRA KOENIG, MATHANGI ARULPRAGASAM, ROSTAM BATMANGLIJ, THOMAS WESLEY PENTZ

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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