When You're Old and Lonely
The Magnetic Fields Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

When you're old and lonely
You will wish you'd married me
I could build a fire for you
And bring you cakes and tea
When you're cold and hungry
I'll be waiting by the phone
You can call me up and
Tell me how you're all alone...
All alone...
When you're old and lonely
And the rush of life is past
Days go by too slowly and
The years go by too fast
When your golden loneliness is
Heavier than stone
You can call me up and say




"My God, I'm all alone...
All alone..."

Overall Meaning

The Magnetic Fields's song "When You're Old and Lonely" depicts a person's plea to a former lover, who rejected them, to reconsider their previous decision. The singer of the song is confident that when the former lover is old and lonely with no one to turn to, they will come back and regret their choice of not marrying the singer. The singer even shares their plans of how they will take care of their lover in their old age, by building a fire, bringing them cakes and tea, and being available for conversation when they're lonely.


The song focuses on the cyclical nature of life and the inevitability of getting old and lonely. The singer is trying to convince the former lover that they will regret not being with them in their old age, as the rush of life is past and days go by too slow. The singer is almost mocking the former lover by saying, "my God, I'm all alone", as this is something the singer has told their former lover before, to no avail.


The song reminds us that love is not always rational, and sometimes people choose their own paths despite the love they once shared. Additionally, it portrays the irony of love and life, where we don't always know what we want until it's gone.


Line by Line Meaning

When you're old and lonely
In the future, when you have grown old and find yourself without anybody for companionship


You will wish you'd married me
You will regret not having entered into a marriage with me in the past


I could build a fire for you
I would be capable of starting a fire to warm you up


And bring you cakes and tea
I could provide you with baked goods and tea to enjoy


When you're cold and hungry
At times when you feel cold and are hungry


I'll be waiting by the phone
I will always be available and waiting for you to call


You can call me up and
You have the option of calling me and


Tell me how you're all alone...
Inform me about your loneliness and how you have nobody around you


All alone...
Without anyone nearby to speak with or connect with


When you're old and lonely
When you have reached an elderly age and there is nobody there with you


And the rush of life is past
When the busyness and excitement of life have settled down and are no longer present


Days go by too slowly and
Days move at a slow pace while


The years go by too fast
The passage of time through the years appears to be fast and fleeting


When your golden loneliness is
When your aged, yet cherished, loneliness becomes


Heavier than stone
Depressing and difficult to bear with, like carrying a heavy burden


You can call me up and say
You can make contact with me and express


"My God, I'm all alone...
"My goodness, there is nobody around and I am left with my own company"


All alone..."
This feeling of solitude can be too much to endure, prompts emphasizing being alone




Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS

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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

Leah Cagley

When you're old and lonely
You will wish you'd married me
I could build a fire for you
And bring you cakes and tea

When you're cold and hungry
I'll be waiting by the phone
You can call me up and tell me
How you're all alone, all alone

When you're old and lonely
And the rush of life is past
Days go by too slowly and
The years go by too fast

When your golden loneliness
Is heavier than stone
You can call me up and say
"My God, I'm all alone, all alone."



All comments from YouTube:

Leah Cagley

When you're old and lonely
You will wish you'd married me
I could build a fire for you
And bring you cakes and tea

When you're cold and hungry
I'll be waiting by the phone
You can call me up and tell me
How you're all alone, all alone

When you're old and lonely
And the rush of life is past
Days go by too slowly and
The years go by too fast

When your golden loneliness
Is heavier than stone
You can call me up and say
"My God, I'm all alone, all alone."

Matthew Boyd

I've said this like a thousand times over the years, but Stephen Merritt understood and channelled hetero love and desire and ideation and fantasy better than any straight guy ever did. It's sick. He is a genius.

Nautical Nun

genius

SummerOfGeorge

I don’t wanna stay at your party, I don’t wanna talk with your friends.

Эдит Ноэми

Now I understand why I love this song, thanks

TR

SummerOfGeorge i don’t wanna vote for your president

Roland D'Oriano

this song was removed from spotify and i am fucking upset.

WOLVESFC

Back

Sapphira F-S

<3

Pavlos Tsampis

Moonlight feels right

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