Lullaby for Wayne

"Lullaby For Wayne"
Album track by Weezer
Album	Weezer (Deluxe Edition) (Disc 2)
Released	March 23, 2004
Recorded	August 11, 1993 at S.I.R. Studios
Length	3:36
Label	Geffen
Writer(s)	Rivers Cuomo, Patrick Wilson
RC#	148
Producer(s)	Ric Ocasek
Status	Officially released
Weezer (Deluxe Edition) (Disc 2) track listing
"Only in Dreams (Demo) (11) "Lullaby For Wayne" (12) "I Swear It's True" (13)
Rivers Cuomo song chronology
"Punk Rock Snippet" (RC# 147) "Lullabye For Wayne" (RC# 148) "I've Thrown It All Away" (RC# 149)

"Lullaby for Wayne" is a Weezer song demoed in contention for the band's debut album. It appeared as the twelfth track on the second disc of that album's 2004 deluxe edition (Dusty Gems & Raw Nuggets).

Appearances

• Dusty Gems & Raw Nuggets (2004)
• Video Capture Device (2004)
• Patrick & Rivers (2020)
• Weezer (The Blue Album) (30th Anniversary Deluxe) (2024)

Overview

"Lullaby for Wayne" was originally demoed by Patrick Wilson, likely in March of 1992. The Weezer Recording History describes the song as having no vocals and being different from later iterations. Rivers Cuomo recorded a demo of the song (with lyrics) in February of 1993. The song was thereafter performed live by Weezer. The band recorded the song with Dale Johnson, a music production student at Loyola Marymount University, on April 27 of that year, a few weeks following the sessions that yielded the song "Jamie." On April 29, as friend of the band Pat Finn was leaving Los Angeles, Weezer performed the song live at Club Dump with the name "Wayne" substituted with "Pat."

"Lullaby for Wayne" was one of fifteen tracks considered for the band's 1994 debut album, and was demoed on August 11, 1993, at S.I.R. in New York City, prior to entering the studio to record the album. Ultimately, the song was rejected for being too similar to (and more difficult to play than) "Surf Wax America."

The song was first heard by fans in 2004. The August 11 pre-production demo appeared on the second disc of the deluxe edition of The Blue Album, and the live "Lullaby for Pat Finn" was released the same day on the DVD Video Capture Device. Rivers Cuomo's 1993 demo was released on December 9, 2020, as part of the digital compilation Patrick & Rivers.

Personnel

• Rivers Cuomo – lead guitar, lead vocals
• Jason Cropper – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
• Matt Sharp – bass guitar, backing vocals
• Patrick Wilson – percussion
• Ric Ocasek – producer
• Chris Shaw - engineer

Lyrics

Class of 1988
Never thought you'd graduate
Playin' with your guns all day
If only they could see you now
And how you've learned to shoot so well
They wouldn't laugh that way

Wayne, you know it's true
There's nothing you can do
So put them guns away

All of your friends are through
They've given up what they tried to do
See now how happy they are?
Each with a new lease on life
A brand new car, a low-mileage wife.
Put down them guns and fall into line

Wayne, you know it's true
There's nothing you can do
So put them guns away
Who cares who's wrong or right?
So please give up the fight
And put them guns away

All your friends have proved
There's nothing you can do
So put them guns away

Do do do do do do do do...

Wayne, you know you're in too deep
All your friends have gone to sleep
Wayne, you know you're in too deep
Wayne, you know you're in too deep
All your friends have gone to sleep
Wayne, you know you're in too deep

All your friends are through
There's nothing you can do
So put them guns away
Wayne, you know it's true
There's nothing you can do
So put them guns away
Who cares who's wrong or right?
So please give up the fight
And put them guns away

Known recordings

about this table

Performer(s)	Title	Filename	Date of recording	Recording location	Length	Appeared on	Notes
Pat Wilson	Lullaby for Wayne		March 1992(?)				8-track. No vocals. Reportedly different from later versions.
Rivers Cuomo	Lullaby for Wayne	17 Lullaby For Wayne.mp3	February 1993		3:17	Patrick & Rivers	8-track demo.
Weezer	Lullaby for Wayne		March 15, 1993	Club Lingerie, Los Angeles, CA			Live performance. Taped off mixing board.
Weezer	Lullaby for Wayne		April 27, 1993	Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, CA	3:32	Weezer (The Blue Album) (30th Anniversary Deluxe)	Recorded by Dale Johnson. Unknown number of takes.
Weezer	Lullaby for Pat Finn		April 29, 1993	The Central, West Hollywood, CA	4:09	Video Capture Device	Live performance. Audio recorded by Karl Koch. Videotaped by venue.
Weezer	Lullaby for Wayne		June 7, 1993	Club Lingerie, Los Angeles, CA	3:53	Weezer (The Blue Album) (30th Anniversary Deluxe)	Live performance. Taped off mixing board.
Weezer	Lullaby for Wayne		August 6, 1993	Cole Rehearsal Studios, Los Angeles, CA			Rehearsal session. Recorded on Rivers Cuomo's portable DAT.
Weezer	Lullaby for Wayne		August 11, 1993	S.I.R., New York City, NY	3:36	Dusty Gems & Raw Nuggets	Blue Album pre-production demo. Engineered by Chris Shaw.

See also

• List of Weezer songs