Is This What They Used to Call Love
The Magnetic Fields Lyrics


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Feels like December but it's May
I've gone as pale as Doris Day
The blue sky's torn assunder
By clouds that warn of thunder
Is this what they used to call love?

Your face surrounds me everywhere
Like a kaleidoscope's nightmare
This outpouring of emotion
Is boring as an ocean
Is this what they used to call love?

Well it musn't be
The chicken pox
I've never met a chicken
But whenever I
Get near you dear
My heart starts to sicken

In the 9th circle of this hell
My heart is burning and unwell
What demons like within it
I'll die in one more minute




Is this what they used to call love?
Is this what they used to call love?

Overall Meaning

The Magnetic Fields's song "Is This What They Used to Call Love" talks about the intense emotions that one goes through when they fall in love. The first line of the song "Feels like December but it's May" sets the tone for the rest of the song, as it describes the sensation of feeling cold and isolated even in the midst of a sunny day. The singer feels as if they are living in a nightmare, that they can't escape from.


The second verse goes on to describe the lover's face being everywhere, which initially seems like a positive attribute, but it quickly becomes overwhelming as it is likened to a kaleidoscope's nightmare. There is too much of their lover, and the emotions being expressed are too extreme. The line "This outpouring of emotion is boring as an ocean" highlights the contrast between the chaos of the feelings and the mundanity of the effect that they have.


The singer questions whether what they are feeling is really love, given how difficult it is to understand and the physical symptoms that they are experiencing. They have never experienced anything that resembled those feelings of pure halcyon happiness, and instead are burdened by anguish and pain. Ultimately, the song ends with the phrase: "Is this what they used to call love?", which demonstrates an acceptance of the emotions being too complex to be easily defined.


Line by Line Meaning

Feels like December but it's May
I feel cold and lonely, even though it's warm and sunny outside.


I've gone as pale as Doris Day
I'm so sad that I look as white as an old Hollywood actress.


The blue sky's torn asunder
The sky is disrupted by dark clouds that foreshadow a storm.


By clouds that warn of thunder
The clouds are a sign of an approaching storm with thunder.


Is this what they used to call love?
This overwhelming feeling of sadness and heartbreak, is this what love is supposed to be?


Your face surrounds me everywhere
I can't escape the memories of you and your face is in everything I see.


Like a kaleidoscope's nightmare
It's like a never-ending, chaotic and confusing dream sequence.


This outpouring of emotion
These intense and overwhelming feelings that I can't control.


Is boring as an ocean
Despite the intensity of my emotions, it all feels monotonous and unchanging.


Well it musn't be
I'm trying to convince myself that it's not an illness or disease causing my heartache.


The chicken pox
I'm using a silly example to try and downplay my sadness.


I've never met a chicken
I'm admitting that the example I used was nonsensical and irrelevant.


But whenever I
Despite my attempts to deny it, I can't help the way I feel.


Get near you dear
When I'm close to you or thinking about you.


My heart starts to sicken
I feel physically ill and my heart aches.


In the 9th circle of this hell
I feel like I'm in the worst possible place or situation, like Dante's Inferno.


My heart is burning and unwell
My heart feels like it's on fire and I'm not well.


What demons like within it
I'm acknowledging that the pain and heartbreak comes from within me.


I'll die in one more minute
The pain is so intense that it feels like I won't be able to survive much longer.


Is this what they used to call love?
This overwhelming pain and heartbreak, is it really what love is supposed to feel like?




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

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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