Long-Forgotten Fairytale
The Magnetic Fields Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Someone told me you'd be here
Whispering these familiar things
Talking to my little pet, smoking the same old cigarettes
I would have laughed

I saw you last in summertime
You said you hated long goodbyes
You said, "There's nothing to explain, in every life a little rain"
Etcetera

And a long-forgotten fairytale is in your eyes again
And I'm caught inside a dream world where the colors are too intense
And nothing is making sense
There's a floating town of ire down in a mist of mystery
There's an old enchanted castle and the princess there is me
Decked-out like a Christmas tree

I guess you've had your little joke
But I have lost my sense of humor
My medication's wearing off, for it's just not strong enough
To cover this

Then you kissed me like before
I found myself wanting more
And you tell that little lie that kept me hypnotized
Another kiss

And a long-forgotten fairytale is in your eyes again
And I'm caught inside a dream world where the colors are too intense
And nothing is making sense
There's a floating town of ire down in a mist of mystery
There's an old enchanted castle and the princess there is me
Decked-out like a Christmas tree

If somebody told me I'd succumb
If someone said I'd be so dumb
After all the sleepless nights, when I turned on all the lights
I would have hit them

But I have turned the other cheek
My voice trembles, my knees are weak

And you beat me once again
And I know what happens then
You raise the ante

And a long-forgotten fairytale is in your eyes again




And I'm caught inside a dream world where the colors are too intense
And nothing is making sense

Overall Meaning

The Magnetic Fields's song Long-Forgotten Fairytale tells the story of a person who reunites with a former lover who had hurt them in the past. The song begins with the singer being surprised by the presence of their old flame, smoking and talking to their pet. The two catch up and the former lover attempts to brush off what happened between them, using cliche phrases like "in every life, a little rain must fall."


As they spend more time together, the singer begins to feel caught up in a dream world with "colors that are too intense". It's clear that the former lover has a way of making them feel both enchanted and confused. The chorus references a "long-forgotten fairytale" that can be seen in the former lover's eyes, hinting at their tendency to lure the singer into a fantasy world.


As the song progresses, the singer seems to realize that they are falling victim to the same pattern of behavior that caused them pain in the past. They explain that their medication isn't strong enough to block out the emotions they are feeling. Toward the end of the song, the singer acknowledges that they are likely to be hurt again, but they cannot resist the lure of the fairytale in the former lover's eyes.


Overall, Long-Forgotten Fairytale tells a story of a toxic relationship that keeps drawing the singer back in, despite the pain and confusion it causes. The use of fairytale imagery serves to underscore the escapism and fantasy that is a hallmark of such dysfunctional relationships.


Line by Line Meaning

Someone told me you'd be here
I was informed of your presence by someone else


Whispering these familiar things
You are saying things that I have heard before, in a quiet voice


Talking to my little pet, smoking the same old cigarettes
You're talking to my pet and smoking the same cigarettes you always have


I would have laughed
I would have laughed at the thought of seeing you again


I saw you last in summertime
The last time I saw you was in the summer


You said you hated long goodbyes
You expressed your dislike for prolonged farewells


You said, "There's nothing to explain, in every life a little rain"
You spoke of how sometimes bad things happen for no reason


And a long-forgotten fairytale is in your eyes again
Your eyes convey a sense of nostalgia and longing for something from the past


And I'm caught inside a dream world where the colors are too intense
I feel like I'm in a surreal, hyper-realistic dream world


And nothing is making sense
I can't make sense of what's happening


There's a floating town of ire down in a mist of mystery
There is a mysterious misty town full of anger and hostility


There's an old enchanted castle and the princess there is me
I feel like a princess in an old magical castle


Decked-out like a Christmas tree
I am dressed up elaborately, like a Christmas tree


I guess you've had your little joke
I assume you've played a little prank on me


But I have lost my sense of humor
I am no longer finding this amusing


My medication's wearing off, for it's just not strong enough
The medication I'm taking is losing its effectiveness


To cover this
To mask my feelings


Then you kissed me like before
You kissed me the same way you did before


I found myself wanting more
I realized I wanted more of your affection


And you tell that little lie that kept me hypnotized
You tell me a small falsehood that keeps me under your spell


Another kiss
We kiss again


If somebody told me I'd succumb
If someone had warned me that I would give in


If someone said I'd be so dumb
If someone had told me I would do something foolish


After all the sleepless nights, when I turned on all the lights
After many nights of insomnia, when I've had to turn on all the lights in the house


I would have hit them
I would have been angry with them for suggesting I would do something like this


But I have turned the other cheek
I have chosen to forgive and forget


My voice trembles, my knees are weak
I am visibly emotional and unsteady on my feet


And you beat me once again
You have defeated me once again, emotionally


And I know what happens then
I know what is going to happen next, I am familiar with this pattern


You raise the ante
You up the level of intensity or risk


And a long-forgotten fairytale is in your eyes again
You appear to be lost in a nostalgic memory or past fantasy


And I'm caught inside a dream world where the colors are too intense
I feel like I'm in a surreal, hyper-realistic dream world


And nothing is making sense
I can't make sense of what's happening




Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Stephen Raymond 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
Comments from YouTube:

allrequiredfields

I love how 1988 this tune is. I wish he'd do an entire album like it.

Ivan Clark

This song is too good!

Nigel Corney

Haven’t heard this song in a long time 😩

Ricky picture

time to listen to this over and over again

_——

this could be a new order song. love it!

Nate Burrows

This song goes so unimaginably hard

ilou

wow i'd not heard of this group before seeing an illustration based on this song by Luke Pearson and i really didn't expect the song to live up to the picture but by gum that was good!

Lisa779

So funny and relatable! 69 Love Songs is a masterpiece

Katie Bean

been listening since I was 8. I'm 23 now 😂

George

I don't get it, what's so funny? or who even cares?

More Comments

More Versions