A Dustland Fairy Tale
The Killers Lyrics


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Dustland fairytale beginning
Just another white trash
County kiss
Sixty one
Long brown hair and foolish eyes
He looks just like you want him to
Some kind of slick chrome American prince
A blue jean serenade
And Moon River what'd you do to me
And I don't believe you

Saw Cinderella in a party dress but
She was looking for a night gown
I saw the devil warping up his hands
He's getting ready for the show down
I saw the minute that I turn away
I got my money on a pond tonight

Change came in disguised of revelation
Set his soul on fire
She said she'd always knew he'd come around
And the decades disappear like sinking
Ships we persevere god gives us hope
But we still fear
We don't know
The mind is poison castle in the sky
Sit stranded vandalized
The draw bridge is closing

Saw Cinderella in a party dress but
She was looking for a night gown
I saw the devil warping up his hands
He's getting ready for the show down
I saw the ending were they turned the page
I threw my money and I ran away
Strait to the Vally of the great divide

And were the dreams roll high
And were the wind don't blow
Out here the good girls die
And the sky won't snow
Out here the bird don't sing
Out here the field don't grow
Out here the bell don't ring
Out here the bell don't ring
Out here the good girls die

Now Cinderella don't you go to sleep
Its such a bitter form of refuge
Ah don't you know the kingdoms under siege
And everybody needs you
Is there still magic in the midnight sun
Or did you leave it back in sixty-one




In the of the cadence in the young mans eyes
And were the dreams roll high

Overall Meaning

The Killers' "A Dustland Fairy Tale" is a story that unfolds as the song progresses. The lyrics depict a Dustland fairytale beginning with what appears to be an ordinary love story between two people. The guy is described as having long brown hair and foolish eyes, resembling a slick chrome American prince. The girl is referred to as Cinderella, wearing a party dress, but looking for a night gown. The lyrics indicate that the story takes place in 1961, as the song mentions Moon River, a classic song from 1961.


The story takes a dark turn as the devil appears warping up his hands, getting ready for a showdown, and the song's narrator throws money and runs away to the Valley of the Great Divide. The song emphasizes the idea of change coming in the form of revelation and replacing fear with hope. However, despite the positive message, the end of the song sees a bleak picture of good girls dying and the bell not ringing in the Dustland.


Interestingly, the song was written by The Killers' lead vocalist Brandon Flowers about his mother, who survived cancer twice but checked into an assisted-living facility due to health issues. The references to 1961, including Moon River, relate to the time when his mother moved from the small town of The Dalles, Oregon, to Las Vegas.


Line by Line Meaning

Dustland fairytale beginning
The story begins with a tale of fantasy in a dusty land.


Just another white trash County kiss
The beginning is similar to many tales of a romance between two people from a small town.


Sixty one Long brown hair and foolish eyes
The year was 1961, and the girl had long brown hair and naive eyes.


He looks just like you want him to Some kind of slick chrome American prince
The boy had the looks of an ideal American prince, polished and charming.


A blue jean serenade And Moon River what'd you do to me
He serenaded her with a song about blue jeans and Moon River, which deeply affected her.


And I don't believe you
But she doesn't trust him completely.


Saw Cinderella in a party dress but She was looking for a night gown
The singer saw Cinderella dressed for a party, but it seemed like she was actually searching for something more comfortable.


I saw the devil warping up his hands He's getting ready for the show down
The singer saw the devil preparing for a showdown, possibly with Cinderella.


I saw the minute that I turn away I got my money on a pond tonight
As soon as the singer looked away, he knew something bad was going to happen, so he bet on the outcome.


Change came in disguised of revelation Set his soul on fire
Something happened that was both unexpected and eye-opening, which made him feel alive and passionate.


She said she'd always knew he'd come around And the decades disappear like sinking Ships we persevere god gives us hope But we still fear We don't know
Cinderella had faith that he would eventually change and become a better person, and despite the passage of time, they remained strong, with hope but still uncertain about the future.


The mind is poison castle in the sky Sit stranded vandalized The draw bridge is closing
The mind can be dangerous, and even fantasies can be devastating when they are corrupted by reality. The bridge that connects these two worlds is closing down.


I saw the ending were they turned the page I threw my money and I ran away Strait to the Vally of the great divide
The singer saw the end of the story and bet on it before running away to a different place.


And were the dreams roll high And were the wind don't blow Out here the good girls die And the sky won't snow Out here the bird don't sing Out here the field don't grow Out here the bell don't ring Out here the bell don't ring Out here the good girls die
In this new place, where dreams can come true, life is harsh and often deadly for good people. Nature's beauty is absent here.


Now Cinderella don't you go to sleep Its such a bitter form of refuge Ah don't you know the kingdoms under siege And everybody needs you
The singer urges Cinderella not to give up and escape into sleep, as the world is in dire need of her help.


Is there still magic in the midnight sun Or did you leave it back in sixty-one In the of the cadence in the young mans eyes And were the dreams roll high
The singer wonders if there is still magic in the world, or if it was lost in 1961, when the young couple first met. Perhaps it can be found in the eyes of a passionate young man, or in the place where dreams flourish.




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BRANDON FLOWERS, DAVE BRENT KEUNING, MARK AUGUST STOERMER, RONNIE JR. VANNUCCI

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@deisy4677

Lyrics:

A Dustland fairytale beginning
With just another white trash county kiss
In '61, long brown hair and foolish eyes
He looked just like you'd want him to
Some kind of slick chrome American prince
A blue jean serenade
Moon River what'd you do to me
I don't believe you

Saw Cinderella in a party dress but
She was looking for a night gown
I saw the devil wrapping up his hands
He's getting ready for the showdown
I saw the minute that I turned away
I got my money on a pawn tonight

The change came in disguise of revelation, set his soul on fire
She said she'd always knew he'd come around
And the decades disappear like sinking ships, but we persevere
God gives us hope, but we still fear what we don't know
The mind is poison
Castles in the sky sit stranded vandalized
We're drawbridges closing

Saw Cinderella in a party dress
But she was looking for a nightgown
I saw the devil wrapping up his hands
He's getting ready for the showdown
I saw the ending when they turned the page
I threw my money and I ran away
Straight to the valley of the great divide

Out where the dreams all hide
Out where the wind don't blow
Out here the good girls die
And the sky won't snow
Out here the bird don't sing
Out here the field don't grow
Out here the bell don't ring
Out here the bell don't ring
Out here the good girls die

Now Cinderella don't you go to sleep
It's such a bitter form of refuge
Why don't you know the kingdom's under siege
And everybody needs you
Is there still magic in the midnight sun
Or did you leave it back in sixty-one
In the cadence of a young man's eyes
Out where the dreams all hide



@gabbydeloreann

A Dustland Fairytale beginning
With just another white trash county kiss
In ‘61
Long brown hair and foolish eyes
He looked just like you'd want him to
Some kind of slick chrome American prince
A Blue Jean serenade
Moon River, what'd you do to me?
I don't believe you

Saw Cinderella in a party dress
But she was looking for a nightgown
I saw the devil wrapping up his hands,
He's getting ready for the showdown.
I saw the minute that I turned away,
I got my money on a pawn tonight.

A change came in disguise of revelation
Set his soul on fire.
She said she always knew he'd come around
And the decades disappear
Like sinking ships but we persevere
God gives us hope, but we still fear what we don't know

Your mind is poisoned
Castles in the sky sit stranded, vandalized.
The drawbridge is closing

Saw Cinderella in a party dress
But she was looking for a nightgown
I saw the devil wrapping up his hands
He's getting ready for the showdown.
I saw the ending when they turned the page
I threw my money and I ran away
Straight to the valley of the great divide
Out where the dreams all hide
Out where the wind don't blow
Out here the good girls die
And the sky won't snow
Out here the bird don't sing
Out here the field don't grow
Out here the bell don't ring
Out here the bell don't ring
Out here the good girls die

Now Cinderella, don't you go to sleep
It's such a bitter form of refuge
Why don't you know the kingdom's under siege
And everybody needs you.
Is there still magic in the midnight sun
Or did you leave it back in '61?
In the cadence of a young man's eyes
Out where the dreams all hide



All comments from YouTube:

@bobblehead7002

“Is there still magic in the midnight sun, or did you leave it back in ‘61?”

God I adore this lyric

@AlejandroRodriguez-xs4lt

Right!?

@foreverspice1982

Having been born in '81, it's an interesting choice

@Demiurge13

@@foreverspice1982 the song is a tribute to his parents

@viagotanega9898

Elaborate

@davidkenneth3983

Where were u in 61?

2 More Replies...

@theonesyouloved

this song is definitely under-appreciated

@TheAerofrontier

+theonesyouloved For me, the best!

@dethwyshtv1

+theonesyouloved i think i heard in a interview Brandon said it was one of his personal favorites, that he wished more enjoyed and gave notice to

@zaydqasas6156

+theonesyouloved Very under-appreciated. I absolutely love this song. It was used in my wedding, infact!

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