Fairytale lyrics by Sara Bareilles

Being a married 28-year-old woman, this song is the perfect one to sing everyday and hope for my husband to listen carefully :D

I guess the two first comments come from much younger people...because to me, this song meaning goes a little deeper that what you've said, perhaps I've had to speak up in a more chauvinistic context that yours.

To me, it speaks about modern women, real ones, that go on a search for Prince Charming just to realize that there isn't such a thing because every human being has flaws. And despite all the cute fairytales we've been told since we were little, reality and relationships can go the wrong way, or simply, not be what we want at all.

This song is a statement "I don't want the next best thing". It stretches the meaning of each fairytale to show cleverly what's been hidden in the big picture of a perfect story... I think very few women are willing to settle for something that doesn't make them happy.

"I'd rather sleep my whole life away than have you keep me from dreaming" i.e. Dear, don't take me for granted and don't limit my options--don't make me give up a carreer, for example.

"Would have cut it myself if I knew men could climb hair
I'll have to find another tower somewhere and keep away from the windows", these are the funniest lines to me. If "climbing hair"--meaning any lame worthless attempt for romance--is the only thing the guy can do then, I can understand why Rapunzel would rather keep a distance.

"Once upon a time in a faraway kingdom
Man made up a story said that I should believe him" Maybe before, wherever, women settled for the promise of a fairytale love story. Not anymore. Moreover, if man made up the story, who says we have to believe him?

And finally, "Spent her whole life being graded on the sanctity of patience
And a dumb appreciation
But the story needs some mending and a better happy ending
Cause I don't want the next best thing" I wouldn't like dumb appreciation, I want full recognition.

My happy ending is a choice, one that I make, next to the person that shares my views on life, and wants to go side by side with me. We don't need a guide, we need a companion in life. The song never says we can't have a fairytale happy ending, as long as it is with someone that meets our standards--Now, people's standards concerning "the one" may vary greatly, and that's the search! Just don't settle, you can always find someone great and compromise. Getting too picky would probably lead to an unhappy ending as well.

Anyways, my Prince Charming isn't perfect, but we both made our choice and compromised with each other. I'm living my happy ending :D

Basically, the song is saying that, there's more than meets the eye. Life isn't always perfect like the cookie cutter disney flicks.

It's saying, that deep down, we all have our fair share of problems. We're not perfect like the princesses. Nobody's perfect, not even the princesses.

the means that reality is nothing like fairytale but you can compare both reality and fairytale...based on her song people want they're lives to be like those movies (cinderella,sleeping beauty,etc.)but it's never gonna be that way

koool and it rock i think its pretty much like real life