What do you think Weekend Wars means?

MGMT: Weekend Wars Meaning

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Album cover for Weekend Wars album cover

Weekend Wars Lyrics

Evil is I, Yes to find a shore
A beast that doesn't quiver anymore
And we can crush some plants to paint my walls
And I won't try to fight in the weekend wars
Was I? I was too lazy to play
Or paint or write or try to make a change
Now I can...

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  1. 1TOP RATED

    #1 top rated interpretation:
    Philosophizer
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     Sep 25th 2009 !⃝

    The song begins by asking the MGMT fan if they could find a place (beach) where you could just do kids stuff (make and play with paint). The answer for VanWyngarden involves looking back in time, to look back upon our memories when we were all young. It continues by reminiscing his youth because he wants to tell us about what they called "the Weekend Wars."
    But first... When it picks up the pitch and slows down the words, I see someone taking psychedelic drugs. "Instant battle plans" decorate the sidewalk with colors that challenge the fear and laws against taking such intense substances. "Mental mystics" can be seen as the hallucination of a warped & twisted, stripped-down car, which can only be done by amplifying your mind to embrace colorful lights, majestic sounds (good music), and love again without any strings attached. Psychedelics either prepare you for a weekend of war or put you in it; probably the later, since uppers make you even happier than your fondest childhood memory. Somewhere within your mental trip, you remember your childhood because it was the only other thing generating this much happiness inside yourself.
    Then the intensity and rhythm increases, becoming more energetic and hip sounding. Suddenly, we are introduced to the idea of our parents. Children obviously need their parents but are also "cursed" to have them, for they make them try all sorts of things and do things that seem like daunting or impossible tasks, when all you want to do is have fun. You end up messing up the place or breaking a rule or 2 (such as not wanting to clean it up right away), which gets ya grounded (like you "couldn't use (your) computer..." Stuff only ever got boring when it seemed like things slowed down; in this case, you were grounded for making a mess and not wanting to clean it up. But when you thought about the weekend in your room or something, it ended your boredom, and the ideas happily ran upon your imagination.
    The following stanza seems to come full circle by bringing the listener back to the present. It focuses on the relationship between man & woman and how that can affect people metaphorically. Losing love in any person or form can be as devastating as losing a limb (100 years to grow an arm). Then you'd escape your lost companion by driving to Arizona out along the horizon into the sunset. While driving, you realize you may have a torn heart with conflicting desires (continue to love or not) and life's troubles (love lost), so you think to yourself: "Screw It, I'm still a Weekend Warrior."
    MGMT explains why in the last part: He's cursed to become a father, he's only one sound or voice out of many many / that when he speaks / there's no point in trying to win out over everybody else, so he sings (like is doing now) / he doesn't know where to begin the song, but he will write one for us nonetheless so he can sing it to us later, like he is doing now in the present within the song.

    The lyrics defy the normal rules of conventional speech, even most songs. It literally jumps from one concept to another to fast-forward through life. Typically weekends are the most active days of the week in various cultural and social settings around the world. For MGMT, their weekends were so amazing that they had to write a song about how cool they are to everybody. In that song, the message would summarize to something like this: your fondest memories make you a better person so hold onto those of then and make some more now.

  2. anonymous
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     Nov 17th 2019 !⃝

    I honestly think it’s simply about wasting time arguing online.

  3. anonymous
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     Mar 11th 2014 !⃝

    This song is really up for interpretation but this is the way I see it.

    Evil is I yes to find a shore
    A beach that doesn't quiver anymore
    Where we can crush some plants to paint my walls
    And I won't try to fight in the weekend wars.

    (I think they alluding to the plight of man in separating ourselves from a more natural life. I see it as almost a lamentation of where we are going wrong in society. They are looking for a place to revert back to a more harmonic lifestyle. ie crushing plants to paint walls. Crude, tribalism.)

    Was I? I was to lazy to bathe
    Or paint or write or try to make a change
    Now I can shoot a gun to kill my lunch
    And I won't have to think or love too much.

    (Here he's talking about apathy. The lack of desire to Change the world, or lack of motivation. To lazy to take care of himself or try to make a positive impact on the world. Sort of a tip of the hat to most in our society.)

    Instant battle plans written on the sidewalk
    Mental mystics in a twisted metal car
    Tried to amplify the sound of light and love.

    (Post apocalyptic world? Battle plans written on sidewalks? Mystics amidst the chaos trying to meditate for a better world? To be honest this hook eludes me.)

    Christ is cursed of FATHERS and MARTYRS
    Might even take a knife to split a hair
    Or even scare the children off my lawn
    Giving us time to make the makeshift bombs

    (I believe he's saying MARTYRS in the top line. Christ ((Christianity)) or any religion is hobbled by people who use it for unjust reasons, ie father's ((priests)) and Martyrs ((One's who commit atrocities in the name of religion)) Might even take a knife to split a HAIR. Meaning that they are willing to kill over semantics. Or even create bombs to kill masses for what they believe.)

    Every mess invested was a score
    We couldn't use computers anymore
    It's difficult to win unless you're bored,
    And you might have to plan for the weekend wars

    (Meaning that every negative thing we as a society have done has been tallied against us in the long run. We couldn't use computers anymore hints to the idea that we are heading toward a fall as a society ie loss of tech or regression.
    It's difficult to win unless your bored hints at the idea that unless you can detach from the meaningless over stimulation society bombards us with on a daily basis you're going to fall in line with the rest of the "Sheeple" and will have to plan for the weekend wars, or the daily routine most of us have succumb to.)

    Try to break my heart I'll drive to Arizona.
    It might take 100 years to grow an arm
    I'll sit and listen to the sound of sand and cold
    Twisted diamond heart, I'm the weekend warrior
    My predictions are the only things I have
    I can amplify the sound and light and love

    (This part is a little off topic but I think they are referring to the healing caves in Arizona. Shamans believe that certain caves have regenerative properties and that one could in fact (over much time) grow a new limb in such caves. The reason is frequency, these caves give of high frequencies which stimulate our cells. Thus the idea of amplifying sound and love. Love resonates at 528Hz. I'd try to explain more but I think this verse still confuses me to a certain respect. But the idea that his predictions are the only things he has hints at the idea of manifestation and how the mind can create the reality around you.)

    I'm a curse and I'm a sound,
    When I open up my mouth,
    There's a reason I don't win,
    I don't know how to begin

    (This signifies the idea that we as humans are just the same as anything else in this universe (sound) but the fact that we choose to set ourselves apart from it all makes us a curse to ourselves. Our words and intentions have a big part in the collective consciousness of the world but the reason we don't win, or attain harmony is because we have no idea where to start.)

    At least that's what I glean from this song. It definitely changed my outlook on life. and Is one of my favorites.

  4. anonymous
    click a star to vote
     Aug 12th 2013 !⃝

    "crush some plants"? ? how much else is valid in this interpretation. Pretty sure it's "crush some plans", very distinct, no "t" sound at all.

  5. anonymous
    click a star to vote
     Dec 11th 2011 !⃝

    This song seems to have the same message as Masters of War, by Bob Dylan, but aimed at the people who do nothing about societal problems. Also, it sounds very sarcastic, poking fun at modern people.

    "Christ is cursed of fathers and mother
    Might even take a knife to split a hill
    Or even scare the children off my lawn
    Giving us time to make the makeshift bombs
    Every mess invested was a score
    We couldn't use computers anymore
    But it's difficult to win unless you're bored
    And you might have to plan for the weekend wars."

    These are all problems with society that people don't like, but do nothing about. The last two lines are saying that people are too busy to deal with them. But, they'll come out and fight on the weekends, when they have some free time.

    "Twisted diamond heart, I'm the weekend warrior
    My predictions are the only things I have
    I can amplify the sound and light and love"

    Sarcasm perhaps?

    I'm a curse and I'm a sound
    When I open up my mouth
    There's a reason I don't win
    I don't know how to begin (fade out)


    People could bring change, but they don't know where to begin. Quite a paradox.

  6. anonymous
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     Apr 8th 2011 !⃝

    "Evil S I yes to find a shore" i think he was talking about the evil in the world taking hold while the good sleeps on a comfortable recliner

    "Where we can crush some plants to paint my walls,
    And I won't try to fight in the weekend wars"
    Was I? I was to lazy to bathe
    Or paint or write or try to make a change.

    and how the public ignores the bligtely obvius becuse it is easyer to ignore rother than take action.

    "Now I can shoot a gun to kill my lunch
    And I don't have to love or think too much"

    i can feed my self and therefore i dont need to think about anybody else.

    "Instant battle plans written on the sidewalk
    Mental mystics in a twisted metal car
    Tried to amplify the sound of light and love"

    and the few that actualy think that way are the ones not credable to the rest.

    "Christ is cursed of faders and maders"

    how religion is used to direct the masses to ends that dont justify the means.

    "We couldn't use computers anymore"

    how the few political activists are treated in a western society as terrorists.

    "It's difficult to win unless you're bored"

    becuse the foresayed activists are usualy unemployed and the rest dont have the time to put up a fight.

    "Try to break my heart I'll drive to Arizona."

    it is easyer to run away.

    "It might take 100 years to grow an arm"

    even if it takes a hundead years to make an effective resistance to the currect situation but it will happen in the end.

    "Twisted diamond heart, I'm the weekend warrior
    My predictions are the only things I have
    I can amplify the sound and light and love"

    diamonds are the strongest material on earth and the heart behind a true fight must be of this strength to win.

    "I'm a curse and i'm a sound,
    When I open up my mouth,
    There's a reason I don't win,
    I don't know how to begin"

    how the few of the top views his reflection of life as a curse while the general masses feel it is their voice. but the ones who control the system are the ones with the power to begin.

  7. anonymous
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     Jan 7th 2011 !⃝

    I thought it was talking about being crazy and wild on weekends and always trying to find something to do that will make up for the week.

  8. DoomShroom
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     Apr 28th 2010 !⃝

    Although most MGMT songs defy explanation, I reckon this song's just about living it up at the weekend... During the week, you might have a a job, school or college, but at the weekend you can just go out and go wild, being yourself. People that you don't particularly care about during the week, you will know love and die for. Be a Weekend Warrior!

  9. anonymous
    click a star to vote
     Apr 10th 2010 !⃝

    the song meaning is clearly staded in the title. "weekend wars" a weekend warrior is a person who does chores around the house on weekends. the artist is explaining how he is to lazy to go and do things around the house. in the line "Where we can crush some plants to paint my walls,
    And I won't try to fight in the weekend wars."
    he talks about geeting things done early so he dosent have to do it this weekend. he also says
    "Was I? I was to lazy to bathe
    Or paint or write or try to make a change."
    he is speaking about being lazy and not wanting to do everyday needs. if you listen to the lyrics close enough you will find many more examples. Honestly though i get lost in what he is talking about because his phsychedelic imaging that strays away from the topic. But the main meaning of the song is still about him being too lazy to clean or anytype of work. Which is a very normal quality in people who use drugs,especialy marijuana wich is what the artist uses often;i believe

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway

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