Tar-Heel Boy
The Magnetic Fields Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Tar-heel boy sings a song
Bout a girl who ain't comin' home
By n by, by n by
She worked too long in the mill
She's gone to those rolling hills in the sky
We're barely off Mama's milk
And we're locked in here weavin' silk
We can't buy, we can't buy
While you been off in Oregon
I been drinkin' here all alone
All night long, all day long




They shot a nine-year-old boy
For a hundred dollars

Overall Meaning

The song "Tar-Heel Boy" by The Magnetic Fields tells the story of a young man who is singing about a girl who has passed away. She had worked in the mill for too long and eventually, she went to the afterlife in the rolling hills in the sky. The young man's town is impoverished, and the mill workers struggle to make ends meet. The boy sings about how they are stuck in their situation while others like the boy who was shot for a hundred dollars are even worse off. The lyrics showcase the harsh reality of poverty, loss, and the struggles of living in a working-class community.


The song's lyrics reflect the band's typical songwriting style of being candid and sincere, displaying the reality in its undiluted form. The contrast between the idyllic image of the rolling hills and the harshness of life in the mill town showcases the themes of hopelessness and desolate hope that is common among lesser-known American communities. The song also highlights how alcoholism is another prevalent issue amongst the inhabitants of such towns.


Line by Line Meaning

Tar-heel boy sings a song
The singer, a boy from North Carolina, is singing a song.


Bout a girl who ain't comin' home
The song is about a girl who has passed away and will not be returning.


By n by, by n by
The chorus or refrain of the song.


She worked too long in the mill
The girl worked long and hard in a mill, likely leading to her death.


She's gone to those rolling hills in the sky
The girl has passed away and gone to heaven.


We're barely off Mama's milk
The singer and likely many others in the community are young and inexperienced.


And we're locked in here weavin' silk
The community is stuck in a cycle of poverty and working in textile mills.


We can't buy, we can't buy
The community is struggling financially and cannot afford basic necessities.


While you been off in Oregon
The artist is likely singing to someone who left North Carolina for a better life in Oregon.


I been drinkin' here all alone
The artist has been struggling emotionally and has turned to alcohol as a coping mechanism.


All night long, all day long
The chorus or refrain of the song.


They shot a nine-year-old boy
A tragic event that occurred in the community, highlighting the violence and injustice present in their world.


For a hundred dollars
The boy's life was taken for a minimal amount of money, emphasizing the lack of value placed on human life in this community.




Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING

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