Farewell to the Fairground

For me, this song is about moving to a new place that you thought would be great and realising its not right for you.

Could be completely wrong, but still, a great song by a great band.

I have been living in the cold arctic for the last 2 years. I thought that getting away from my family and everything familiar would make me a happier man. God do I miss things. When I hear this song it's like the things I want to say. There is actually not place like home. And home doesn't neccesarily have to be the place where you sleep but your roots, your family, familiar faces and places, history.

I think its about two people who have dreams of better places and must leave 'the fairground' to achieve them because theres nothing there for them anymore. 'Until the ice begins to thaw' This line tells us How dead the place is but it will get better once the 'Ice begins to thaw'Almost like a depression has hit and they must escape but the use of the word thaw means its only temporary so it will get better,They must go quickly because 'Its a dream thats getting cold'.

But when they achieve their 'dream' or escape its not all they thought it'd be. Hence 'Keep on running,Theres no place like home'

Thats my interpatation anyways probably total bullshit but there ya go

Wasn't really keen on White Lies until i heard this,It made me go out and buy the album.

It's got that real 80s New Wave Krautrock kinda feel I think? Almost like Bauhaus and Echo and the Bunnymen amalgamated...

I think it's about two people in love who have possibly run away from home to be together. This place was fun and like a fantasy land, but its appeal has run out. They are now missing their homes and want to return there and perhaps be grounded again.

Let's get one thing straight, this song is certainly not about breaking up; I'd say it's not about "moving on" either.. But it is. Not in the sense that they're moving on from each other, as a few have suggested above, but they're moving on TOGETHER.

LinguisticChick's translation I'd say is the most accurate so far, but it's limited in that it's simply a translation. There are a number of interpretations to this song and each with their own basket of meanings personal to each listener/reader.

I see the interpretation to the song being one similar to VioletHateBlue and No12Will's ideas of moving to a new place or from a current place that has become boring. The lights still in their eyes - good memories, but they have to move on, they've outgrown the fairground.. Wahey.. No one else saw that ?! It's in the name of the song for a reason. Maybe they were young when they got together or fell in love.. But alas, they're too old for that now, the act is repetitive, the dream is getting cold.. Boredom. They're growing out of it.. The rides don't do it anymore.. Once again, they're 'too old for it'.. They know they need to move on to bigger things.. This place used to gleam.. Hopeful dreams.. When they were younger they saw themselves staying in this town forever.. But the spark's gone.. Cold. They're reaching for the stars.. Bigger, brighter.. Providing the new gleam as they move on to a better place.. Keep warm til the day.. The new place providing the heat where the old place was getting cold. We'll head south.. Simple translation here.. The winter's coming down on their relationship.. The boredom of their town.. Do they head south as the birds do when winter comes.. Searching for a warmer place.. To call home. Running naked through the snow (cold), towards the sun (warm), once again.. Like the migrating birds do. The important thing here is that they're not breaking up, they love each other and they're moving on together to experience new things together. Further to No12Will's point.. BINGO ! they left home to go to the fairground in search for fun, they got it ! Then got bored, now they're going home as fast as they can, before the relationship suffers as the fun did.. Turn cold, lose the gleam.

That's my interpretation of the translation, but I have my own meaning that I take from the song, given my own experiences in life and what I'm going through right now.. But I won't bore you lot with it.

no comments?! This is such a good song! and it's not morbid for once haha

Basically I think it's about changing a dream you had and moving on with your life.

loving this at the moment

this song makes me think of prypriat in ukraine, when it was evacuated after the chernobyl accident. there's a ferris wheel there, among all the apartment blocks and now its just bleak, like a ghost town.

also, the video was shot in russia ;D.

I think it's about having to leave their hometown to chase their dream, of success in the music industry.

But if they're from Ealing, I don't see why they would have to move away to chase the dream.

Or could it possibly be about touring; leaving home for such long periods of time.