I Don't Believe You
The Magnetic Fields Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

So you quote love unquote me
Well, stranger things have come to be
But let's agree to disagree
'Cause I don't believe you
I don't believe you

You tell me I'm not not cute
Its truth or falsity is moot
'Cause honesty's not your strong suit
And I don't believe you
I don't believe you

You tell me of what once was
And all about Buck, Butch, and Buzz
How they were not like me because
But I don't believe you
I don't believe you

I had a dream and you were in it
The blue of your eyes was infinite
You seemed to be
In love with me
Which isn't very realistic

You may sing me "They Were You"
And I start crying halfway through
But nothing else you say is true
So I don't believe you
I don't believe you

You may set your charm on stun
And say I'm delightful and fun
But you say that to everyone
Well, I don't believe you
I don't believe you

So you're brilliant gorgeous and
Ampersand after ampersand
You think I just don't understand
But I don't believe you
I don't believe you




I don't believe you
I don't believe you

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to The Magnetic Fields' song "I Don't Believe You" express a sense of skepticism and mistrust towards the words of a lover or admirer who seems insincere. The singer of the song is being complimented, told stories, and promised love, but finds it hard to take any of it seriously. The repetition of the line "I don't believe you" serves as a refrain that emphasizes the distance and lack of connection between the singer and the singer.


The first verse sets the tone for the song by acknowledging that "stranger things have come to be" than being loved by someone who seems fake or unreliable. The second verse plays with the idea of the singer's physical appearance, suggesting that it doesn't matter if they are cute or not because the singer's honesty is questionable. The third verse dismisses attempts at comparison with past lovers or acquaintances.


The dream sequence in the fourth verse stands out as an exception in which the singer imagines being loved and desired, but quickly dismisses it as unrealistic. The fifth verse alludes to a potentially emotional moment in which the singer is moved to tears by a song, but even that is not enough to overcome the mistrust. The final verse addresses the singer's attempt to flatter and charm the singer, pointing out that it's a tactic that's been used on others as well.


The song's lyrics highlight the difficulty of trusting others in a world where people often say things they don't mean or can't follow through on. The repetition of "I don't believe you" reinforces the sense of isolation and loneliness that can come from feeling misunderstood or deceived. The detachment and distance between the singer and the singer suggest a lack of intimacy and connection. Overall, "I Don't Believe You"'s lyrics capture the sense of disillusionment and weariness that can come from trying to navigate relationships in a world where authenticity is hard to come by.


Line by Line Meaning

So you quote love unquote me
You claim to love me but put ‘love’ in quotes which suggests that you don’t actually love me.


Well, stranger things have come to be
Unusual things have happened before, so perhaps it’s possible that you love me.


But let's agree to disagree
We can acknowledge that we have different opinions on this matter and not try to convince each other.


'Cause I don't believe you
Despite what you say, I don’t believe that you love me.


You tell me I'm not not cute
You say that I’m cute, but you use double negatives which indicate that you don’t really think I am.


Its truth or falsity is moot
Whether or not I’m cute is irrelevant because I don’t think you’re being honest.


'Cause honesty's not your strong suit
You often aren’t truthful, so I don’t trust what you say to me.


And I don't believe you
I don’t believe that I’m cute when you say it.


You tell me of what once was
You reminisce about a past that I didn’t experience with you.


And all about Buck, Butch, and Buzz
You talk about these people from your past who were different than me.


How they were not like me because
You highlight the differences between me and these people from your past.


But I don't believe you
I don’t believe that there is a significant difference between me and these people from your past.


I had a dream and you were in it
I had a dream in which you were a part of it.


The blue of your eyes was infinite
The color of your eyes was gorgeous and vast in my dream.


You seemed to be
You appeared to be in my dream.


In love with me
You appeared to be in love with me in my dream, though I know it’s not realistic.


Which isn't very realistic
I acknowledge that what I dreamed is not realistic or likely to happen in real life.


You may sing me 'They Were You'
You might perform the song ‘They Were You’ for me.


And I start crying halfway through
The song makes me emotional and I begin to cry while listening to it.


But nothing else you say is true
Even though I may be emotionally moved by the song, I still don’t believe what you say to me.


So I don't believe you
Overall, I don’t believe the things you say to me.


You may set your charm on stun
You try to use your charisma to influence me.


And say I'm delightful and fun
You compliment me and tell me that I’m enjoyable to be around.


But you say that to everyone
I suspect that you tell everyone the same thing to make them feel good about themselves.


Well, I don't believe you
I’m not convinced by your attempt to charm me, and I still don’t believe what you say to me.


So you're brilliant gorgeous and
You call yourself brilliant and beautiful,


Ampersand after ampersand
Using ‘&’ symbols, you list qualities that you associate with yourself.


You think I just don't understand
You assume that I don’t fully comprehend the extent of your positive qualities.


But I don't believe you
Despite your claims, I still don’t believe that you have these qualities.


I don't believe you
Overall, I don’t trust what you say to me.




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

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Most interesting comment from YouTube:

October Grae

So you quote love unquote me
Well, stranger things have come to be
But let's agree to disagree
Cause I don't believe you
I don't believe you

You tell me I'm not not cute
Its truth or falsity is moot
Cause honesty's not your strong suit
And I don't believe you
I don't believe you

You tell me of what once was
And all about Buck, Butch, and Buzz
How they were not like me because...
But I don't believe you
I don't believe you

I had a dream and you were in it
The blue of your eyes was infinite
You seemed to be
In love with me
Which isn't very realistic

You may sing me "They Were You"
And I start crying halfway through
But nothing else you say is true
So I don't believe you
I don't believe you

You may set your charm on stun
And say I'm delightful and fun
But you say that to everyone
Well, I don't believe you
I don't believe you

So you're brilliant gorgeous and
Ampersand after ampersand
You think I just don't understand
But I don't believe you
I don't believe you
I don't believe you
I don't believe you



All comments from YouTube:

M Hug

This is their best song. Great tune, great lyrics, so real. I literally start crying halfway through.

October Grae

So you quote love unquote me
Well, stranger things have come to be
But let's agree to disagree
Cause I don't believe you
I don't believe you

You tell me I'm not not cute
Its truth or falsity is moot
Cause honesty's not your strong suit
And I don't believe you
I don't believe you

You tell me of what once was
And all about Buck, Butch, and Buzz
How they were not like me because...
But I don't believe you
I don't believe you

I had a dream and you were in it
The blue of your eyes was infinite
You seemed to be
In love with me
Which isn't very realistic

You may sing me "They Were You"
And I start crying halfway through
But nothing else you say is true
So I don't believe you
I don't believe you

You may set your charm on stun
And say I'm delightful and fun
But you say that to everyone
Well, I don't believe you
I don't believe you

So you're brilliant gorgeous and
Ampersand after ampersand
You think I just don't understand
But I don't believe you
I don't believe you
I don't believe you
I don't believe you

Jeff Norman

Last verse would work better as "ampersand and ampersand." First, it scans better. Second, there's the sonic interplay between AND and ampersAND. And, of course, "and" and "ampersand" mean the same thing.

Yes, I am daring to quibble with the greatest living lyricist.

Amaya

Thank you! ♡

Coyote Johenson

Not all heroes wear capes. Some get drunk and post lyrics in their underwear.

Jonathan Gatson

@Jeff Norman Do those two phrasings mean the same thing? Stephen's lyrics indicate a laundry list of desirable qualities that are somehow not worth mentioning. Etcetera in too many words. Ampersand and ampersand is just... two additional things? Let's agree to disagree 😜

papaniko58

@Jonathan Gatson Well, I don't think there's really much gained from "after" vs. "and" in that phrase: in context, "after" refers only to coming after an earlier item if you're reading or speaking...which, given that any reading or speaking takes place in time anyway, "and" already implies.

My main issue, though, is the phrasing: there's an extra syllable there, and I can't make it "mean" anything to have an extra syllable. So it feels like a flaw...one readily not only corrected by "and" instead, but with the added benefit of greater euphony.

But, you know, stranger things have come to be...

Jeremymc6

The banjo in the chorus makes this song so good. 

deprofundis

Agreed!!

Natalie 82

Every part of this song makes it so good :)

More Comments

More Versions