I Want to Be Old
The Cure Lyrics


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I want to be old
And creek by the fire
I want to smell of rotting wood
It's all I desire

I want my joints to seize up
I want my legs to ache
I want my eyesight to fail
I want my skin to flake

To be old
I want to be old
I want to be old
I want to be old

I want false teeth
And not be able to chew
I want to be senile
A centenarian fool

I want to have lots of wrinkles
Want my hearing to go
I want to be ignored
And I want to be slow

To be old
I want to be old
I want to be old
I want to be old

I want to be old
I want to be old




I want to be old
I want to be old

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to The Cure's song "I Want to Be Old" seem at first glance to be a bit bizarre, perhaps even macabre. But upon closer examination, the lyrics reveal a deeper sense of longing for a simpler, more traditional way of life. The singer expresses a desire to age gracefully, to live a life free of the pressures and complications that come with youth and middle age. The references to rotting wood, flaking skin, and failing eyesight may seem unappealing, but they also suggest a sort of natural decay, a return to the earth that we all must face eventually. The desire to be old and forgotten feels like a longing for a simpler, more peaceful existence.


The singer's desire to have false teeth and be unable to chew also suggests a desire to simplify life. In old age, we often must make adjustments to our diets and health habits, and the singer seems to long for the simplicity of those changes. The desire to be senile and ignorant further underscores this desire for simplicity; there's a sense of relief in not having to worry about the complexities of modern life.


Ultimately, the song speaks to a longing for a sort of timeless existence, one in which the rhythms of life are dictated by the natural processes of aging and decay, rather than the stresses and distractions of modern life. It's a poignant reminder of the value of simplicity and the importance of embracing the natural changes that come with aging.


Line by Line Meaning

I want to be old
The singer desires to age and experience the deterioration that comes with it.


And creek by the fire
The singer looks forward to sitting by the fire and hearing an old person's joints creaking, as this is a characteristic of old age.


I want to smell of rotting wood
The smell of rotting wood is associated with old and musty things, which the singer desires to embody in their old age.


It's all I desire
The artist is fixated on this idea, and it is the only thing they want out of life.


I want my joints to seize up
The artist desires the characteristic of aged joints, which tend to lose mobility and seize up.


I want my legs to ache
Additionally, the singer wants to experience the pain that comes with aged and aching legs.


I want my eyesight to fail
The singer desires the loss of eyesight that is often associated with aging.


I want my skin to flake
The artist also desires the physical characteristic of flaking skin, which is commonly associated with old age.


To be old
The artist reiterates their desire to age and become old.


I want false teeth
The artist desires to lose teeth and replace them with false ones, another characteristic of old age.


And not be able to chew
The singer wants to suffer the consequences of losing teeth, which includes not being able to properly chew food.


I want to be senile
The artist desires the mental deterioration that often comes with old age.


A centenarian fool
The singer wants to live long enough to be seen as a foolish old person, reaching the age of one hundred or more.


I want to have lots of wrinkles
The singer desires the physical characteristic of having many wrinkles, which is commonly associated with old age.


Want my hearing to go
Additionally, the singer wants to experience the loss of hearing that comes with aging.


I want to be ignored
The artist desires the typically negative attitudes that younger people have towards the elderly. They wish to be ignored and overlooked.


And I want to be slow
Finally, the artist wants to slow down and experience the physical limitations that come with aging.


I want to be old
The singer reiterates their desire to age and become old.


I want to be old
The singer again repeats their desire to age and experience the negative effects of it.


I want to be old
The artist repeats this line once more, reinforcing their desire to age and become old.


I want to be old
The artist's final repetition of the line once again emphasizes their strong desire to age and experience the negative effects of it.




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: LAURENCE ANDREW TOLHURST, MICHAEL STEPHEN DEMPSEY, ROBERT JAMES SMITH

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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