I Love You
The Beautiful South Lyrics


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Birds are singing in the trees
As we rise up on a beautiful morning
But I can't hear
That beautiful sound
Because I'm permanently yawning

What about the time of the fancy dress
When you came dressed as your mum
And there I was splendid in my penguin suit
So scared to show my bill

You must have been listening to your Carousel
Your Carousel, that Carousel

Remember the time
When I turned the house into a rocket ship
And you refused to come to Mars
You said "It's too far"
You had to be back by six to watch your Carousel
Saturn's much too far
You had to watch Carousel (What's going on in there?)

When we first met
I asked you for your hand
I didn't really mean that hand
I meant join hands
Bake phallic cake (Bake phallic cake)
Carry round sticky tape
And love those devil dogs
Be an Indian elephant (Be an Indian elephant)
Bait straight people
But you must have missed my wink
You must have missed my wink

(I love you,
But you're boring, you know,
I really do love you
But you're so particularly boring)

Maybe you were too busy listening to Carousel
Watching Carousel, living Carousel




You were listening to Carousel
You were watching Carousel

Overall Meaning

The Beautiful South's song I Love You is a love ballad with a cynical twist. It conveys a message of love that's slightly tainted and bored. In the first verse, the birds are singing on a beautiful morning, but the singer is yawning and unable to appreciate the beauty around because of the fatigue he feels in the relationship. The song progresses to reminisce about past memories, like the time they dressed up and went to a party or the time the singer tried to take her to Mars in his "rocket ship." However, she refused to go because she had to be back by six to watch her favorite TV show, Carousel.


Carousel serves as a metaphor throughout the song to illustrate how the other person is too busy living vicariously through the lives of the people on the TV screen to engage meaningfully in their own relationship. The singer feels neglected and unimportant because he is not as interesting to her as the fictional characters on TV. The song ends by repeating that the singer loves the other person, but they are boring, and they know it.


Overall, The Beautiful South's I Love You is a poignant reminder of how easy it is for people to forget what's happening in their real lives when they get caught up in a fantasy world. It warns that real love doesn't always involve fantastical gestures but requires mutual engagement and interest in the other person's life.


Line by Line Meaning

Birds are singing in the trees
The morning is beautiful with the sounds of nature


As we rise up on a beautiful morning
The start of a new day with beauty and potential


But I can't hear
The exhaustion and fatigue is overwhelming


That beautiful sound
The sounds of nature and the world waking up


Because I'm permanently yawning
The fatigue is constant and never-ending


What about the time of the fancy dress
Reflecting on a specific memory


When you came dressed as your mum
Remembering a humorous moment


And there I was splendid in my penguin suit
Remembering personal appearance and presentation


So scared to show my bill
Feeling insecure and vulnerable


You must have been listening to your Carousel
Assuming the other person was preoccupied


Your Carousel, that Carousel
Emphasizing the focus and fixation on something else


Remember the time
Reflecting on another specific memory


When I turned the house into a rocket ship
Remembering imaginative play


And you refused to come to Mars
The other person didn't share the same interest in the imaginative play


You said 'It's too far'
The other person had practical concerns that prevented them from engaging in imaginative play


You had to be back by six to watch your Carousel
Prioritizing something else over imaginative play


Saturn's much too far
The imaginative play was too unrealistic


You had to watch Carousel (What's going on in there?)
The fixation on something else is mentioned again


When we first met
Reflecting on a past relationship


I asked you for your hand
Literal request for physical touch


I didn't really mean that hand
Admitting a true intention behind the request


I meant join hands
A metaphorical request for connection


Bake phallic cake (Bake phallic cake)
Revealing a sense of humor, possibly inappropriate


Carry round sticky tape
Mundane tasks and responsibilities


And love those devil dogs
Lifestyle habits or preferences


Be an Indian elephant (Be an Indian elephant)
Role-playing and imagination


Bait straight people
Possibly controversial views or actions


But you must have missed my wink
Feeling misunderstood or misinterpreted


I love you,
Expressing love and affection


But you're boring, you know,
Honesty about a perceived negative trait in the other person


I really do love you
Reaffirmation of affection


But you're so particularly boring
Emphasizing the perceived negative trait in the other person


Maybe you were too busy listening to Carousel
Repeating the assumption that the other person is preoccupied


Watching Carousel, living Carousel
Further emphasizing the fixation on something else


You were listening to Carousel
Final repetition of the fixation on something else




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DAVE ROTHERAY, PAUL HEATON

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

arklowrockz

mysterious little beautiful south song

Steve Lanciloti

Super post! Ty

jamie byrne

Peter doherty brought me here

Anthony Miller

kooples?

Sam Shapiro

+jamie byrne me too

Jon Hill

Me too :D

Josh Fourteen

Did he buy you a pint on the way?

Fil Baxter

How?

Elias Horton

big bean

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