I Don't Wanna Get Over You
The Magnetic Fields Lyrics


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I don't want to get over you
I guess I could take a sleeping pill
And sleep at will
And not have to go through what I go through
I guess I should take Prozac, right
And just smile all night
At somebody new
Somebody not too bright
But sweet and kind
Who would try to get you off my mind
I could leave this agony behind
Which is just what I'd do
If I wanted to
But I don't want to get over you

'Cause I don't want to get over love
I could listen to my therapist
Pretend you don't exist
And not have to dream of what I dream of
I could listen to all my friends
And go out again
And pretend it's enough
Or I could make a career of being blue
I could dress in black and read Camus
Smoke clove cigarettes and drink vermouth
Like I was seventeen




That would be a scream
But I don't want to get over you

Overall Meaning

The Magnetic Fields' song "I Don't Want to Get Over You" is a heartbreaking ballad about the difficulty of moving on from a past love. The lyrics explore various coping mechanisms that the singer is considering in order to forget about their former lover. They mention taking sleeping pills or medication like Prozac to alleviate the pain, but acknowledge that it wouldn't actually help them get over their ex. The singer also considers dating someone new, but only if they were sweet and kind enough to try and get their mind off their past love. Ultimately though, the singer doesn't want to get over their lost love at all, even if it means they'll be facing continued agony.


The desperation and longing in the lyrics are palpable, and the melancholic melody only adds to the emotional weight of the song. The line "Or I could make a career of being blue" speaks to the idea of being stuck in a state of sadness and grief, almost as though it has become the singer's identity. The references to dressing in black and reading Camus, as well as smoking cloves and drinking vermouth, show that the singer might be adopting a sort of artifice in order to cope. But despite all of these potential ways to move on, the singer ultimately admits that they don't want to get over their lost love.


Overall, "I Don't Want to Get Over You" is a poignant and honest portrayal of heartbreak and the difficulty of moving on. Its exploration of different coping mechanisms and the internal struggles of the singer make it a relatable and emotional song that resonates with listeners.


Line by Line Meaning

I don't want to get over you
I am still in love with you and I do not want to move on.


I guess I could take a sleeping pill
I could take medicine to make me sleep and avoid thinking of you.


And sleep at will
I could sleep easily if I take medicine to avoid thinking of you.


And not have to go through what I go through
I could avoid the pain and suffering I am currently experiencing after the break-up.


I guess I should take Prozac, right
I could take medication to make me feel better and not experience the pain of the break-up.


And just smile all night
I could take medication to make me feel better and pretend to be happy.


At somebody new
I could pretend to be happy around someone else who is interested in me.


Somebody not too bright
I could be with someone who is not very intelligent or interesting.


But sweet and kind
I could be with someone who is gentle and caring.


Who would try to get you off my mind
I could be with someone who would try to help me forget about you.


I could leave this agony behind
I could move on and avoid the pain of the break-up.


Which is just what I'd do
This is what I would do if I truly wanted to move on from you.


If I wanted to
But, in reality, I do not want to move on from you.


'Cause I don't want to get over love
I do not want to forget the love I had for you.


I could listen to my therapist
I could follow the advice of my therapist and try to move on.


Pretend you don't exist
I could pretend that you never existed to help me move on.


And not have to dream of what I dream of
I could avoid the pain of dreaming about you at night.


I could listen to all my friends
I could listen to the advice of my friends and try to move on.


And go out again
I could go out and meet new people.


And pretend it's enough
I could pretend that being with someone else is enough to make me happy.


Or I could make a career of being blue
I could focus on being sad all the time and never try to move on.


I could dress in black and read Camus
I could be a sad and depressed person who wears black clothes and reads depressing books.


Smoke clove cigarettes and drink vermouth
I could smoke expensive and exotic cigarettes and drink alcohol to try to forget about you.


Like I was seventeen
I could act like a teenager and rebel against everything to try to forget about you.


That would be a scream
That would be a crazy and wild way to try to forget about you.


But I don't want to get over you
In reality, I do not want to move on from you.




Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Stephin Raymond Merritt

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

@bobirae4590

I don't want to get over you
I guess I could take a sleeping pill
And sleep at will
And not have to go through
What I go through
I guess I should take Prozac, right?
And just smile all night
At somebody new
Somebody not too bright
But sweet and kind
Who would try to get you off my mind
I could leave this agony behind
Which is just what I'd do
If I wanted to
But I don't want to get over you

'Cause I don't want to get over love
I could listen to my therapist
Pretend you don't exist 
And not have to dream of
What I dream of
I could listen to all my friends
And go out again
And pretend it's enough
Or I could make a career of being blue
I could dress in black and read Camus
Smoke clove cigarettes and drink vermouth
Like I was seventeen
That would be a scream
But I don't want to get over you



All comments from YouTube:

@birddangler3697

“Cause I don’t wanna get over love” really is the simplest, yet hardest-hitting line

@AT-kv4id

I could leave this agony behind

@Timurlane100

What makes this song so brilliant is that it is both comic and tragic at the same time. Brilliant encapsulation of the human condition.

@Gilliganfrog

Expressing tragic heartbreaks & melancholy via sad and bleak but cleverly comical lyrics is the Magnetic Fields method, 100%.

@lukedguy1253

listening to 69 love songs in full after a breakup is the correct way to listen to it, change my mind

@paulmitchell9975

Full vinyl version went on sale recently. Limited release. Only the price of a small family home.

@imperatorfuriosa7061

Reading Camus and remembering this fondly...

@maryam4259

We r the same person

@TRAMADOL-EN-AYUNAS

Vo so yo?

@a.p.2356

This song is a perfect encapsulation of the period after a breakup where you aren't completely debilitated by the loss anymore, but you're not yet ready to stop being a sad sack. You're gaining just enough perspective to know that none of your friends actually want to listen to your deep thoughts on the nature of love and the human condition, but not enough to stop doing it. Part of you is healing, and that part is rolling it's eyes as the rest of you tears up in the grocery store because you just walked past the brand of toilet paper your ex always bought. You know you should start moving on, but feeling like shit is the only piece of your relationship you have left and you're not ready to give it up yet.

It's the part of the breakup where you know you're being ridiculous, but that doesn't make it hurt any less.

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