Fable
Painted Wives Lyrics
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With open flame and candlestick
It came again when I was ten
With my heartbeat in his hand
We sat inside the applebox
And read the book of snakes
And every word of hope and love
Come sit with me imagine this
Your every dream a granted wish
But when you age the deal we've made
Will bring me back and you will pay
You never trade with six six six
The devil takes the graveyard shift
But if you pray the truth away
He'll make it quick on promise day
We sat inside the applebox
And read the book of snakes
And every word of hope and love
And teeth and eyes and hate
It said to me when I come back
You will have grown into a man
And we will speak about your son
And how I trick another one
We sat inside the applebox
And read the book of snakes
And every word of hope and love
And teeth and eyes and hate
The song "Fable" by Painted Wives tells a story of a child who makes a deal with the devil. The child is only six years old, and the devil makes its first appearance with an open flame and a candlestick. The devil comes back again when the child is ten, holding the child's heartbeat in hand. The two sit inside an applebox and read the book of snakes, which contains words of hope, love, teeth, eyes, and hate. The devil promises the child every dream will be a granted wish, but when the child ages, the deal will come with a cost. The devil will return, and the child will pay.
The second verse finds the devil warning the child never to trade with six six six, because the devil takes the graveyard shift. But if the child prays the truth away, the devil will make it quick on promise day. The third and final verse speaks of the devil's return when the child has grown up to become a man. The devil promises to speak about the man's son, and how he will trick another one.
The song "Fable" is a haunting tale of temptation, deception, and the high cost of making a deal with the devil. It underscores the idea that sometimes what we want most comes with a significant cost.
Line by Line Meaning
It came to me when I was six
I had a realization or vision when I was only six years old.
With open flame and candlestick
This realization involved fire or something burning, possibly a candle.
It came again when I was ten
I had a similar experience again when I was ten years old.
With my heartbeat in his hand
This experience was intense and made me feel vulnerable or scared.
We sat inside the applebox
I had this experience while sitting inside an applebox, possibly playing or daydreaming.
And read the book of snakes
I was exposed to something dangerous or deceitful, like a book about snakes.
And every word of hope and love
I was also exposed to positive ideas, such as hope and love.
And teeth and eyes and hate
But there were also negative or scary things, such as teeth, eyes, and hate.
Come sit with me imagine this
I'm inviting you to join me in thinking about the experience I had.
Your every dream a granted wish
I'm describing a hypothetical situation where all your dreams come true.
But when you age the deal we've made
But there is a catch - when you get older, you'll have to pay for these wishes.
Will bring me back and you will pay
I will return to collect payment for the wishes granted.
You never trade with six six six
I'm warning you not to make a deal with the devil (666 is a biblical reference to the devil).
The devil takes the graveyard shift
The devil works at night, or when everyone else is asleep.
But if you pray the truth away
If you pray, you can make the truth go away or pretend it's not there.
He'll make it quick on promise day
The devil will keep his promise and collect payment on the agreed date.
It said to me when I come back
The voice or vision warned me that it will return.
You will have grown into a man
When the voice returns, I will be older and more mature.
And we will speak about your son
When the voice returns, we will talk about my child, possibly warning me not to let history repeat itself.
And how I trick another one
The voice plans to trick someone else in the future, just like it tricked me.
Contributed by Lily R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.