Goin’ Back To The Country
The Magnetic Fields Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'm going back to the country
City life's too slow
I'm sick of that 120 BPM punk and disco
I'm doing a one-eighty
Break out the fiddle tunes
I'm still that fair folk lady howling up at the moons

And I'm gonna fly back to Wyoming
And never more my friends I'll go a-roaming
I'm gonna fly back to Laramie
Let Laramie take care of me till they bury me

I'm going back to the country
The big city's too small
I don't need more than one tree house but there's none at all
I'm hanging up the tire swing
A hammock in the yard
I'll hear an angel choir sing as I wing countryward

And I'm gonna find me a country boy
And have a couple country kids, Leanne and Leroy




And we're gonna wind down those country roads
And sing and play the dulcimer till this world explodes

Overall Meaning

The Magnetic Fields’ “Goin’ Back to the Country” is a song about a person leaving behind their life in the city for a simpler life in the country. The persona is tired of the fast-paced lifestyle of the big city and the music that comes with it. They mention that the city life's too slow, but it is unclear if this is an ironic twist or just a misnomer. They express their growing weariness with punk and disco music, symbolizing the contemporary metropolitan lifestyle. The persona mentions that they are doing a one-eighty and breaking out the fiddle tunes. This means they are turning their life around and listening to folk music that is more in line with the lifestyle they wish to lead.


The persona is headed back to Laramie or Wyoming, a place that is more in line with their values and aspirations. They have no intention of leaving the place again and will let the city take care of them till they are buried. The persona wishes to establish a simpler living as they are tired of the complexities of city life. They want to get back to nature and establish simpler living attitudes. This is why they mention that the city is too small and that they don't need multiple tree houses, but only one. They resolve to hang a tire swing and a hammock in the yard where they will hear an angel choir sing as they leave the city behind.


In summary, the lyrics of “Goin’ Back to the Country” describe a simple and peaceful lifestyle that the persona of the song desires. They are tired of the modern, fast-paced lifestyle and want to retreat into a simpler, quieter, and more genuine place in the world.


Line by Line Meaning

I'm going back to the country
I want to leave the city and live in rural areas.


City life's too slow
The way of life in cities is monotonous for me.


I'm sick of that 120 BPM punk and disco
I'm tired of fast-paced, aggressive music genres like punk and disco.


I'm doing a one-eighty
I'm making a complete change from the way I was living before.


Break out the fiddle tunes
Get ready to listen to traditional country music.


I'm still that fair folk lady howling up at the moons
I'm still that person who loves to express my emotions through singing and howling at night.


And I'm gonna fly back to Wyoming
I will return to Wyoming by airplane.


And never more my friends I'll go a-roaming
I will not wander around like before and instead settle down in one place.


I'm gonna fly back to Laramie
I will return to Laramie by airplane.


Let Laramie take care of me till they bury me
I want to live in Laramie and spend the rest of my life there.


The big city's too small
I want to live in an open and spacious environment, which is not possible in the city.


I don't need more than one tree house but there's none at all
I want to live a simple life and need only one house, but it's not available in the city.


I'm hanging up the tire swing
I'm installing a tire swing in my new house.


A hammock in the yard
I'm taking some time to relax and spend time in the yard on a hammock.


I'll hear an angel choir sing as I wing countryward
I'll feel content and peaceful while moving toward the countryside.


And I'm gonna find me a country boy
I want to find a partner who shares my love for the rural lifestyle.


And have a couple country kids, Leanne and Leroy
I want to have two children and raise them in the countryside with country names.


And we're gonna wind down those country roads
We'll enjoy driving on the peaceful country roads.


And sing and play the dulcimer till this world explodes
We'll enjoy singing and playing our dulcimers until the end of the world.




Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: STEPHIN MERRITT

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

Lee Ann Stephenson

Amazingly we just heard this song this AM and it caught my ear as we live in the country in Wyoming and we are Lee Ann and Leroy! Going to me one of our new standards!

Nick Colannino

love it

Conrad Poos

Stephin is really the reincarnation of Cole Porter.

David Evans

Always confuses me: over 3000 people viewed this and but 11 people give an opinion via thumbs up or down. Weird, anyway kudos to the 10 who liked it: good taste and although I heartily disagree with the person who gave it a thumbs down, at least that person had an opinion and shared it! S. Merritt creates some of the best tunes and lyrics around and has done so for a lot of years, and although I don't know this album, I really like this song.

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