10. The Cactus Where Your Heart Should Be
The Magnetic Fields Lyrics


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The cactus where your heart should be has lovely
Little flowers so though it's always pricking me
My ardor never sours the cactus where your heart
Once was has power to rend and flay I stick because
I'm stuck, because I just can't tear myself away




Overall Meaning

The Magnetic Fields’ “The Cactus Where Your Heart Should Be” is a song about a person who is in a complicated relationship where the other person has a prickly and difficult personality. The lyrics describe the cactus as having lovely little flowers, but despite the beauty, it always pricks the singer. However, despite the pain, the singer’s love for this person never fades. The cactus used to be a heart but it now has the power to rend and flay. The singer is stuck in this relationship and unable to leave because of the strong attachment they feel.


The use of the cactus as a metaphor is particularly interesting in this song. Cacti are known for their ability to withstand harsh conditions and thrive in dry environments. They have protective spines to deter others from touching them, but they also have beautiful and colorful flowers that bloom in the harshest of conditions. The imagery in the song, therefore, paints a picture of someone with a fierce exterior but perhaps also a hidden beauty.


Another interesting element to this song is the contrast between the prickliness of the cactus and the beauty of its flowers. The use of this contrast is a clever way to illustrate the complexity of the relationship between the singer and the other person. It is clear that this person has a difficult personality, but they also have redeeming qualities that make the singer unable to completely walk away.


Line by Line Meaning

The cactus where your heart should be has lovely little flowers so though it's always pricking me
Despite the constant pain I feel from the thorns of the cactus that has replaced your heart, I can't help but notice the beauty of the little flowers that have bloomed on it.


My ardor never sours the cactus where your heart once was has power to rend and flay
My passion for you never diminishes, even though the cactus that has grown in place of your heart has the power to hurt and wound me.


I stick because I'm stuck, because I just can't tear myself away
I am unable to remove myself from this painful situation because I am trapped by my feelings for you and the power that the cactus has over me.




Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS

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Comments from YouTube:

carefulandpolite

I love this with all my cactus heart.

George Neal

Yay! New videos.

iridescentgreen

my sentiments exactly!

Melissa de Britto

!!!!!!

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