"Spellbound" is most notable for the strong drumming rhythm that carries the song, courtesy of Budgie, who had recently joined the band as their new percussionist. The single peaked at number twenty-two on the UK singles chart in 1981. The 12-inch extended version of the song appeared on compact disc for the first time when it was included on the bonus disc of the 2003 retrospective The Best of Siouxsie & the Banshees.
Spellbound
Siouxie and the Banshees Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Comes a beckoning voice
It sends you spinning
You have no choice
You hear laughter
Cracking through the walls
It sends you spinning
Following the footsteps
Of a rag doll dance
We are entranced
Spellbound
And don't forget
When your elders forget
To say their prayers
Take them by the legs
And throw them down the stairs
When you think
Your toys have gone beserk
It's an illusion
You cannot shirk
You hear laughter
Cracking through the walls
It sends you spinning
You have no choice
Following the footsteps
Of a rag doll dance
We are entranced
Spellbound
The lyrics of Siouxie and the Banshees's song Spellbound explore the idea of being mentally and emotionally overwhelmed while being controlled by an outside force. The song begins with a call from a beckoning voice that sends the listener spinning without any choice. The laughter that can be heard cracking through the walls is a symbol of the insanity that comes with this overwhelming feeling. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of being entranced and spellbound by some force. The rag doll dance is a metaphor for the helpless movements that a person must make while being controlled, unable to act independently.
The second verse of the song takes a dark turn as it speaks of children experiencing the same kind of spellbinding control over their elders. The lyrics suggest that when adults forget to pray, they may fall under some dark spell or influence, and the only solution is to take them by the legs and throw them down the stairs. This gesture is symbolic of breaking the hold of the spell over them. Finally, the song reminds us that when we feel as though our world has gone insane, it is probably an illusion that we must learn to accept.
Line by Line Meaning
From the cradle bars
From the beginning of our lives
Comes a beckoning voice
We are called to an unknown fate
It sends you spinning
It confuses us and leaves us disoriented
You have no choice
We have no control over our destiny
You hear laughter
There is a sinister force at work
Cracking through the walls
Breaking through our barriers
Following the footsteps
We are being led
Of a rag doll dance
We are being controlled like puppets
We are entranced
We are under a spell
Spellbound
We are trapped and unable to break free
And don't forget
Do not overlook
When your elders forget
When those who guide you go astray
To say their prayers
To stay connected to a higher power
Take them by the legs
Hold them accountable for their actions
And throw them down the stairs
Demand change and justice
When you think
When you believe
Your toys have gone beserk
Your distractions and comforts have turned dangerous
It's an illusion
It is not real
You cannot shirk
You cannot ignore the truth
Following the footsteps
We are being led
Of a rag doll dance
We are being controlled like puppets
We are entranced
We are under a spell
Spellbound
We are trapped and unable to break free
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: SIOUXSIE, THE BANSHEES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@maroudevoted
From the cradle bars
Comes a beckoning voice
It sends you spinning
You have no choice
You hear a laughter
Cracking through the walls
It sends you spinning
You have no choice
You hear laughter
Cracking through the walls
It sends you spinning
You have no choice
Following the footsteps
Of a rag doll dance
We are entranced
Spellbound
Following the footsteps
Of a rag doll dance
We are entranced
Spellbound
Spellbound
Spellbound
Spellbound
Spellbound
Spellbound
Spellbound
And don't forget
When your elders forget
To say their prayers
Take 'em by the legs
And throw 'em down the stairs
When you think
Your toys have gone berserk
It's an illusion
You cannot shirk
You hear laughter
Cracking through the walls
It sends you spinning
You have no choice
Following the footsteps
Of a rag doll dance
We are entranced
Spellbound
Following the footsteps
Of a rag doll dance
We are entranced
Spellbound
Spellbound
Spellbound
Spellbound
Spellbound
Spellbound
Spellbound
Spellbound
Following the footsteps
Of a rag doll dance
We are entranced
Following the footsteps
Of a rag doll dance
We are entranced
Entranced, entranced
Entranced, entranced
Entranced, entranced
@Melleina
if u at a goth club and they dont put this on at least once, they doin it wrong
Update: they played this at the goth club last night. They doin right
Update 2: they played this at a goth house party. It was good, now i have flu.
Update 3: was at a mushroom bar and they did not play this song and then i was kicked out
Update 4: im not allowed out anymore, so i play this song at house and pretend im at a goth club
Update 5: was meant to go to goth club tonight to listen to song, but corona got there first and now i wait till she goes away to june 5
Update 6: THEY FORBID FUN IN MY COUNTRY. BEEN LISTENING TO THIS FOR 48HRS STRAIGHT. WOWOWOWOW.
Update 7: havent seen another goth in weeks, i sing this song to call to them from rooftops. am i mad? maybe, or maybe they dead and i last one of my kind.
Update 8: went dumpster diving and found forlorn mannequin, i dressed her as siouxsie and now we inject coffee together. she good listener
Update 9: guess whos going to a goth party in a limo and leaving in a cop car tonight?
Update 10: ok so i didn't wake up in a cell, but found yogurt in my hand and around mouth, someone yelled at my hair and spellbound was not played. im confused but not surprised
Update 11: still in lockdown and masks are everywhere, dunno about you, but why am i the only one who also has to wear handcuffs. im spellBOUND >:(
Update 12: i was dancing to this while i dug a hole, i didnt have headphones or speakers, siouxsie was telepathically sent me this track. i dont want to see doctor again
Update 13: im gods child and he left me in a hot car for 2 years, at least he left the radio on for this song
Update 14: ya hear laughter, cracking through the walls theyre spinning...i have no choice because IM IN FUCKING LOCKDOWN
Update 15: no goth or human contact in weeks since I moved into the treehouse outside. mum keeps insisting I use the toilet inside, but I refuse since I claimed a piss-patch
Update 16: taken up the hobby of tossing pennies at local joggers and cyclists while i wait for my clothes to be finished at the dry cleaners
Update 18: I moved out of the treehouse and now living in my pastor's basement. It's nice, dark and damp, and there's a weird metallic reddish smell on the ground. I dunno how many days I've been here because I never learnt how to count.
Update 19: ok so I discovered that putting fingers inside power sockets is not a good way to get powers, but you know, how else can i become a supervillain and do a stip tease to this song while i tell the protagonist my plans. BTW what asshole decided to sell xmas stuff BEFORE halloween was OVER??
Update 20: its 05/11/2021, in the year of our Lord, Robert Smith. right now its 2:07am and my housemates just decided they were to become pagan and run around naked in the stormy rain while they draw runes on themselves. i would join, but im still not allowed out after that fiasco with the neighbour and the septic tank
Update 21: going to a party tonight. im going to use that new magic trick ive been practicing on myself and use it against my friends.
Update 22: UNHOLY MOLY i forgot to tell you guys what happened. ok so i got sent the address and because my brain is wired backwards, i went to the wrong house, but i didnt know it yet. i saw this dank swamp house in the yard and i was like 'no way its here, but dont judge,' i go up and this large man with mono brow with a limp cigarette hanging from his crispy lips asked me 'the fuck you want'.
'im here for the party' i said
he looks at me up and down 'oh yeah?'
'does Pina even live here?' i said with a quizzical expression.
'who the fuck is Pina?' he said
'i need to get to Pina's party, pronto. kbye'
'you can come here if you cant find her' he said.
i was like THE HECK I AM before running off to the actual correct address on the other side of a very long street. i got to Pina's house with everyone there and no one even bothered to ask me why i smell like sweat and breathing heavy. now that i think about it, theyre probably used to it.
Update 23: SO my new years eve was pretty tame and usual, like sniffing down cuba's fave nose candy in every crevice of the underground chamber and begging wrestlers to strangle me, nothing that insane i guess. what did you guys do?
Update 24: the dark and spiky mistress (not siouxsie), covidella has graced me with her presence in my nostrils and throat. never again shall i share a sniffing pipe
uPdAtE 2%: covidella has gracefully left my fragile bodice and now my rampaging pansexuality is ready to take on the town tonight.
update 26: mama mia i havent seen this comment in a hot minute. i thought being famous in the comment room was a fever dream.
Update 27: I took a long ass trip around the world. While there, I got a killer migraine in Greece, I got the flu in Egypt, I got sea sick in Croatia and I got the chicken pox in Serbia. I feel like a trashbag but at least Im still skinny and goth.
@mlight8443
Running through the woods aimlessly is the most gothic 80s thing you can do.
@jordanforbes149
M Light you can see the direct influence it had on black metal
@juliehaley2765
John falls if you watch closely
@RunToEternity
I so have ran through the woods now that you mention it, and in the 80's as a matter of fact. Stupid me though, I did that before I found Siouxsie, and goth music, which is my favorite to this very day. Not long ago, 'Trees come down", and then, 'I could get bored, in the flat field'. Assuming I was alone, I panicked when I heard 'I said Run, I'm right behind you!' Yes my musical tastes have grown since Siouxsie and the Banshees to include Fields of the Nephilim, Bauhaus, and Skeletal Family. I never new my favorite music was goth, until I found it.
@darling_danke_schoen
Hahah Peter Murphy does it also in the “Cuts You Up” video— good call
@Tracy-Lee-Staton
handymandan100 I was just gonna comment about Peter Murphy, but you beat me to it! haha. Good call on your behalf! Cheers!
@lightasmr6623
There is something addictive, bewitching and mysterious about this song and I keep listening to it, as if I were looking for its hidden meaning. Idk, this songs puts me in a strange, undescribable mood. I love it
@LeoRex13
You are entranced... spellbound!
@garyz2043
Siouxie is fantastic,just listen to her other stuff as well,all of it.It's great Lilya.
@Agothygoth
I totally get that.