You can go out dancing
And I'll write about you, dancing without you
And I'll shed a tear between my legs

When you were here, I missed you
Now that you're away, I'm out there without you
And I shed a tear between my legs

Though we live in the same city
You live in another state far away from me and all of my unfaded charms
But when the rocket ships all fall, and the bridges - they all buckle
And everybody's packing up their station wagons
There's a number you can call, like a breast that you can suckle
And we quietly will exit as it all is happening

Again, I'm afraid of one thing
Will I walk away from love knowing nothing, wearing my heart between my legs?
But when I know you're naked, lying on the bed while I'm at the piano
All I can say is I can't fake it

When the rocket ships all fall, and the bridges - they all buckle
And everybody's packing up their station wagons
There's a number you can call, like a breast that you can suckle
And we quietly will exit as it all is happening again
'Cause there's a river running underground, underneath the town towards the sea
That only I know all about
On which from this city we can flee
('Cause there's a river running underground, underneath the town towards the sea
That only I know all about
On which from this city we can flee)
On which from this city we can flee
(We can flee)

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Between My Legs" by Rufus Wainwright speak of missing someone while also embracing the freedom to dance and have experiences without that person. It speaks of the pain that comes with separation but also accepting that it is a part of life. The line "And I shed a tear between my legs" is a metaphor for the pain and sadness that is being experienced but also feels intimate and personal as if it is a secret.

The verse about "the rocket ships all fall, and the bridges - they all buckle" seems to hint at the idea that the world is falling apart and things are changing. The line "There's a number you can call, like a breast that you can suckle" suggests that there is comfort to be found, even in the darkest of times. The final verse speaks of a secret river that only the singer knows about, which could be interpreted as a metaphor for a place of safety or escape.

Overall, the song explores themes of love, loss, and the bittersweetness of life. It acknowledges the pain of separation but also finds beauty in the moments of freedom and self-discovery that come with it.

Line by Line Meaning

You can go out dancing
You can go dance the night away without me

And I'll write about you, dancing without you
I'll write about how you're living your life without me

And I'll shed a tear between my legs
I'll cry for you even though you're not near, it's hard to get over the fact that you're gone

When you were here, I missed you
When you were present in my life, I didn't realize how much I needed you

Now that you're away, I'm out there without you
Now that you're gone, I'm living my life without you

And I shed a tear between my legs
I cry for you even though you're not here, it's hard to move on

Though we live in the same city
Even though we exist in the same location

You live in another state far away from me and all of my unfaded charms
You dwell miles away from me and away from the attractive qualities I possess

But when the rocket ships all fall, and the bridges - they all buckle
In chaotic times when everything is falling apart

And everybody's packing up their station wagons
And people are leaving their homes and moving on

There's a number you can call, like a breast that you can suckle
I'm someone you can trust and rely on when things get tough

And we quietly will exit as it all is happening
We'll quietly leave together like nothing happened

Again, I'm afraid of one thing
Once again, I'm scared of something

Will I walk away from love knowing nothing, wearing my heart between my legs?
Will I leave love without learning anything and still hurt from the experience?

But when I know you're naked, lying on the bed while I'm at the piano
But when I know you're vulnerable and exposed, laying in bed while I play music

All I can say is I can't fake it
All I can tell myself is that I can't pretend to be something I'm not

'Cause there's a river running underground, underneath the town towards the sea
There's a secret getaway route beneath the city that leads to the ocean

That only I know all about
That only I am aware of

On which from this city we can flee
We can escape this city by following the path of the river

'Cause there's a river running underground, underneath the town towards the sea
There's a secret getaway route beneath the city that leads to the ocean

That only I know all about
That only I am aware of

On which from this city we can flee
We can escape this city by following the path of the river

(We can flee)
We can escape the chaos by leaving this city

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