Giving Up the Gun Lyrics
Your sword's grown old and rusty
Burnt beneath the rising sun
It's locked up like a trophy
Forgetting all the things it's done
And though it's been a long time
You're right back where you started from
I see it in your eyes
That now you're giving up the gun
[Verse 1]
When I was seventeen, I had wrists like steel
And I felt complete
And now my body fades behind a brass charade
And I'm obsolete
But if the chance remained to see those better days
I'd cut the cannons down
My ears are blown to bits from all the rifle hits
But still I crave that sound
[Chorus]
Your sword's grown old and rusty
Burnt beneath the rising sun
It's locked up like a trophy
Forgetting all the things it's done
And though it's been a long time
You're right back where you started from
I see it in your eyes
That now you're giving up the gun
I heard you play guitar down at a seedy bar
Where skinheads used to fight
Your Tokugawa smile and your garbage style
Used to save the night
You felt the coming wave, told me we'd all be brave
You said you wouldn't flinch
But in the years that passed, since I saw you last
You haven't moved an inch
[Chorus]
Your sword's grown old and rusty
Burnt beneath the rising sun
It's locked up like a trophy
Forgetting all the things it's done
And though it's been a long time
You're right back where you started from
I see it in your eyes
That now you're giving up the gun
[Bridge]
I see you shine in your way
Go on, go on, go on
I see you shine in your way
Go on, go on, go on
I see you shine in your way
Go on, go on, go on
I see you shine in your way
Go on, go on, go on
I see you shine in your way
Go on, go on, go on
I see you shine in your way
Go on, go on, go on
(I see you shine in your way
Go on, go on, go on
I see you shine in your way
Go on, go on, go on)
About
“Giving Up The Gun” is technically an update of Ezra Koenig’s 2004 “Giving Up Da Gun” by L'Homme Run, a comedic rap duo that Koenig created during while attending Columbia University.
In an interview with NME, Koenig talked about the idea for the song:
“I got the idea for the song from a book my Dad gave me called Giving Up The Gun. It’s a history book about the time when Japan expelled all the foreigners from the country, closed off all trade, and stopped using guns and reverted back to the sword. It seems unimaginable now that humanity could willingly go back to an older technology. It got me thinking about whether you could give up the things that you have and go back to a simpler way of life.
The music video features Wu-Tang Clan producer RZA, famed actor Jake Gyllenhaal, Jonas Brothers member Joe Jonas, and crunk star Lil Jon.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
Rostam said during a Twitter Q&A on the 7-year anniversary of Contra’s leak that it was Ezra Koenig’s idea to rework the original “Giving Up Da Gun” for VW, and that they decided to put it on Contra rather than their eponymous debut because its electronic production fit better.
i think we felt like contra was going to be a little more electronic generally and it fit more… it was totally Ezra’s idea to bring it back, my task was how the new version would tie in to the album production-wise
