Are you out of love with me?
Are you longing to be free?
Do I drive you up a tree?
Yeah! Oh, yeah!

Do I drive you up the wall?
Do you dread every phone call?
Can you not stand me at all?
Yeah! Oh, yeah!

Though I need you more than air
Is it true you just don't care?
Are you having an affair?
Yeah! Oh, yeah!

When we met I thought
Money was everything
So I let you buy the house,
The car, the ring

But I can't take your perpetual whining
And you can't sing
I though if we live apart
We could made a brand-new start

Do you want to break my heart?
Yeah! Oh, yeah!
I've enjoyed making you
Miserable for years

Found peace of mind in
Playing on your fears
How I loved to catch your gold
And silver tears, but now my dear

What a dark and dreary life
Are you reaching for a knife?
Could you really kill your wife?
Yeah! Oh, yeah!

Of, I die, I die, I die!
So it's over, you and I
Was my whole life just a lie?
Yeah! Oh, yeah!


Lyrics submitted by Anne Arbour

Yeah! Oh, Yeah! Lyrics as written by

Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING

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Yeah! Oh, Yeah! song meanings
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9 Comments

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  • +1
    General Comment

    some anon on wikipedia uses this song as synecdochic of the entire meaning/form of 69 Love Songs in general. He or she (and not me) writes:

    Another way of understanding 69 Love Songs is through Merritt's praise of an artist (Laurie Anderson) who "write[s] heartbreaking melodies with words that make fun of heartbreaking melodies."[3] Consider "Yeah! Oh, Yeah!" where Stephin and Claudia, playing jilted lovers modeled closely on Sonny & Cher, sing their complaints to one another, overplaying and overstating their grievances such that their words become garish declarations of woe ("what a dark and dreary life / are you reaching for a knife?") to which the other character isn't really capable of responding but must still follow in tone ("yeah, oh yeah"). The lack of a firm distinction between content (what is sung) and form (the way it is sung) implies that this couple lives and dies by virtue of how persuasively they can sing to one another, and illustrates the persistent Magnetic Fields songwriting device of trapping a character within the conventions or formalities of a genre.

    Salty Kevinon March 15, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    this is a song about how love REALLY is. hah. really...what's to interpret? sometimes you just get SICK of your significant other.

    catherinekson April 02, 2003   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I saw them in LA last summer, and the show was pretty disappointing, because they didnt bring their synthisizers. reguardless, this song was the best performance. I love this song,

    dansron February 09, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    How does this only have two comments? Everything from the typical Stephin Merritt genius lyric work that is so obtuse yet so relatable to the nice (and rare on 69 Love Songs) shoegaze-y production makes this a song I really cannot get out of my head. Please help.

    HyperGlitteron April 26, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    this song is hysterically funny.

    mockingsmileon March 20, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    one of my absolute favourites by Magnetic Fields. The vocal melody is just too beautiful and I find myself whistling it all the time. at work, in the kitchen or when walking down the street.

    the lyrics are also brilliantly written and the whole duet thing is just awesome!

    KarlKanteon July 01, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    "Are you reaching for a knife? Could you really kill your wife? Yeah! Oh, yeah! Of, I die, I die, I die! So it's over, you and I Was my whole life just a lie? Yeah! Oh, yeah!"

    NO COMMENTS

    genius!!!!

    puajon July 19, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Yeah, that last part is definately the best. I think they love eachother so much it makes them sick. It's sort of a love-hate relationship.

    userpersonon January 02, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I love this song. It's incredibly mean and cynical, and breaks my heart, and at the same time, funny as hell.

    Genius.

    muldrakeon September 17, 2012   Link

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