The Book of Love
The Magnetic Fields Lyrics


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The book of love is long and boring
No one can lift the damn thing
It's full of charts and facts and figures
And instructions for dancing

But I, I love it when you read to me
And you, you can read me anything
The book of love has music in it
In fact that's where music comes from
Some of it is just transcendental
Some of it is just really dumb

But I, I love it when you sing to me
And you, you can sing me anything

The book of love is long and boring
And written very long ago
It's full of flowers and heart-shaped boxes
And things we're all too young to know

But I, I love it when you give me things
And you, you ought to give me wedding rings




I, I love it when you give me things
And you, you ought to give me wedding rings

Overall Meaning

"The Book of Love" by The Magnetic Fields has a simple yet poetic title that draws in the audience. The first verse begins with a description of the title object; it is long and boring and cannot be lifted by anyone. It is filled with charts, facts, and instructions for dancing.


However, the song takes a sudden turn in the chorus. The singer says, "But I, I love it when you read to me, and you, you can read me anything." Here, the book of love symbolizes the stories that the person singing the song is sharing with the listener, illustrating that love can be found in even the most boring and mundane of activities.


The second verse takes a different angle, discussing how the book of love contains music, and that transcendental and dumb music comes from it. However, once again, the singer expresses his love for when the person singing the song sings to him. The song then concludes with a final refrain, expressing how the book of love is full of heart-shaped boxes and flowers, and how it is written in the past, including things the singer is too young to know. The singer's ultimate desire is for marriage, represented by the line, "you ought to give me wedding rings."


Line by Line Meaning

The book of love is long and boring
The book that represents love is extensive and tiring


No one can lift the damn thing
It is so heavy that no one can possibly bear to carry it


It's full of charts and facts and figures
It contains a lot of statistics, data, and diagrams


And instructions for dancing
It even includes guides for how to dance


But I, I love it when you read to me
However, I find it enjoyable when you read it aloud to me


And you, you can read me anything
I trust that you can pick any section and read it to me


The book of love has music in it
Love itself is accompanied by music


In fact that's where music comes from
In fact, music stems from love


Some of it is just transcendental
Some love music is so profound that it transcends everyday understanding


Some of it is just really dumb
Some love music is simply idiotic


But I, I love it when you sing to me
Regardless, I enjoy it when you serenade me with love tunes


And you, you can sing me anything
I am open-minded about the love songs you choose to sing


The book of love is long and boring
Once again, the love book is a taxing read


And written very long ago
It was authored a great deal of time in the past


It's full of flowers and heart-shaped boxes
It includes illustrations of blooms and heart-shaped containers


And things we're all too young to know
It also has content that is beyond our youthful understanding


But I, I love it when you give me things
Nonetheless, I cherish your expression of love through gifts


And you, you ought to give me wedding rings
In my opinion, you should symbolize our love through wedding bands


I, I love it when you give me things
Once more, I appreciate when you grant me tokens of your affection


And you, you ought to give me wedding rings
I believe that marriage is the ultimate expression of our love




Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Stephin Raymond Merritt

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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