06. The Death of Ferdinand de Saussure
The Magnetic Fields Lyrics


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I met Ferdinand de Saussure
On a night like this
On love he said
"I'm not so sure
I even know what it is
No understanding
No closure
It is a nemesis
You can't use a bulldozer
To study orchids"

He said
So we don't know anything
You don't know anything
I don't know anything
about love
But we are nothing
You are nothing
I am nothing
Without love

I'm just a great composer
And not a violent man
But I lost my composure
And I shot Ferdinand
Crying "it's well and kosher
to say you don't understand
but this is for Holland-Dozier-Holland"

His last words were
We don't know anything





His fading words were
We don't know anything

Overall Meaning

The Magnetic Fields' song "The Death of Ferdinand de Saussure" is a clever take on the life and work of Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure. The song starts with the singer claiming to have met de Saussure and having discussed love with him. De Saussure, being a scholar of language, claims not to understand love and likens it to studying orchids with a bulldozer - it just can't be done. The chorus comes in with the repeated line "We don't know anything about love," emphasizing the lack of understanding of the concept.


Towards the end of the song, the singer reveals that he had shot de Saussure, claiming it was because de Saussure had said "it's well and kosher to say you don't understand but this is for Holland-Dozier-Holland." Holland-Dozier-Holland were a songwriting team that produced Motown hits in the 1960s. The meaning of their mention is unclear, but it can be interpreted as de Saussure dismissing the idea of love songs as trivial. De Saussure's final words are a repetition of the chorus, once again emphasizing the uncertainties surrounding the concept of love.


The lyrics of the song are structured in a way that mimics de Saussure's theories of language. De Saussure believed that meaning in language is arbitrary and is only given value through a system of relationships between signs. Similarly, the song's lyrics play with the arbitrary meanings of words and how they relate to each other to create a narrative.


Line by Line Meaning

I met Ferdinand de Saussure
I once crossed paths with Ferdinand de Saussure


On a night like this
On a certain night, as if out of fate


On love he said
He spoke to me regarding matters of affection


"I'm not so sure
"I am uncertain


I even know what it is
Of what love truly comprises


No understanding
Lack of comprehension


No closure
No endpoint


It is a nemesis
It is a challenging obstacle


You can't use a bulldozer
One cannot approach it with brute force


To study orchids"
To research something that requires gentleness and care


So we don't know anything
Thus, we are not certain of anything


You don't know anything
Nor do you hold any surety


I don't know anything
I too lack confidence in my knowledge


about love
Regarding the topic of love


But we are nothing
Notwithstanding our ignorance


You are nothing
And you, too, are empty


I am nothing
I myself hold no significance


Without love
If not for love


I'm just a great composer
As much as I take pride in my skills as a musician


And not a violent man
I am not one to revel in violence


But I lost my composure
But in a fit of passion


And I shot Ferdinand
I shot at Ferdinand


Crying "it's well and kosher
With the justification


to say you don't understand
That claiming ignorance


but this is for Holland-Dozier-Holland"
But this is due to Holland-Dozier-Holland


His last words were
His final utterances were


We don't know anything
We truly comprehend naught


His fading words were
As his voice grew fainter, he stated


We don't know anything
We are ignorant with regards to much




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