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Reflections After Jane
The Clientele Lyrics


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Butterflies with gilded wings this morning
Touched the red sun and the rain
On the bridge, the workers pass in threes and fours and fives
To my sleeplessness, reflections after Jane

How I long to live inside a window
By the sighing motorway
Feel the city searching for my loneliness
In all the dust and glass, reflections after Jane

And I see her all on a golden Sunday
With her hair so dark in the rain

Who is in the newspapers this month or week or year?
My silent friend
I can starve my life into a deeper sleep
Remembering reflections after Jane

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to The Clientele's song "Reflections After Jane" are dripping with melancholy and longing. The opening verse describes butterflies with gilded wings touching the red sun and the rain, setting a dreamlike and surreal tone. The image is juxtaposed with the mundane passing of workers on a bridge in groups of three, four, and five. The singer, suffering from sleeplessness, laments on his reflections after Jane.


The second verse reveals the singer's yearning to live inside a window by the motorway, where he can feel the city searching for his loneliness amidst the dust and glass. He then reminisces a golden Sunday with Jane, where her hair contrasted beautifully with the rain. However, he then questions who is in the newspapers this month or year and refers to someone as a silent friend. The last verse implies that he may be starving himself of experiences and memories as he goes deeper into sleep just to remember the reflections after Jane.


Line by Line Meaning

Butterflies with gilded wings this morning
Beautiful butterflies with golden wings fluttered around this morning.


Touched the red sun and the rain
They flew in the direction of the red morning sun while the rain was pouring down.


On the bridge, the workers pass in threes and fours and fives
From the bridge, I saw workers passing by in groups of three, four, or five.


To my sleeplessness, reflections after Jane
Their passing reminded me of my restlessness, thinking about Jane.


How I long to live inside a window
I wish to live in a window, looking out onto the world.


By the sighing motorway
Next to the busy motorway that hums and sighs.


Feel the city searching for my loneliness
I feel like the city is exploring my loneliness.


In all the dust and glass, reflections after Jane
All the dust and windows are reflecting my contemplation of Jane.


And I see her all on a golden Sunday
I recall seeing her on a beautiful Sunday, surrounded by a shimmering light.


With her hair so dark in the rain
She had dark hair, drenched by the rain.


Who is in the newspapers this month or week or year?
I wonder who appears in the news articles of this month, week or year.


My silent friend
My thoughts are my only companion.


I can starve my life into a deeper sleep
I can neglect my life to the point of deep sleep.


Remembering reflections after Jane
Recalling my thoughts about Jane.




Contributed by Alaina A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@vaniachristianty8755

Butterflies with gilded wings this morning
Touched the red sun and the rain
On the bridge the workers pass in threes and fours and
fives
To my sleeplessness
Reflections after Jane

How I long to live inside a window
By the sighing motorway
Feel the city searching for my loneliness
In all the dust and glass
Reflections after Jane

And I see her all on a golden Sunday
With her hair so dark in the rain

Who is in the newspapers this month or week or year
My silent friend
I can starve my life into a deeper sleep
Remembering
Reflections after Jane



All comments from YouTube:

@whomakesdabeats

I had an ex-girlfriend who found the clientele. we always tried to outdo eachother to find better music that the other hadn't heard before... well she found the clientele and she used this song to turn me onto them. Needless to say, she won. The clientele was the best band either of us managed to discover and share during our time together. We have since gone our separate ways in life, but I always wonder about her when I listen to the clientele. Especially this song. I hope you are happy and that you have found what you are looking for Sunny.

@anasnadaf6609

🤲

@CarolNance

Awesome!

@patricksmith4424

In around 2000 I went to the Garage venue in North London to watch Galaxy 500. I saw that this band were in support so I asked a t shirt seller what they were like. He said, "well their songs all sound the same really" when I saw them I was totally blown away, I think they were the best small band I'd ever seen. Compared to the usual indie racket there lovely melodies seemed like heaven. I was oblivious to galaxy 500 when they came on as I had fallen totally love this band. Fortunately they were selling CDs so got one of them, this song is on there. No, there songs are all different and all out of this world in a slightly English 60s psychedelic way.
Why can't more people appreciate beautiful music like this. I knew at the time they would never get really big because they go well above your average Ed sheeran fan for example! Thanks for posting this and thank you Clientele.

@GuyTunes

I`m right with you, the person who said the songs sound alike doesn`t have an ear for music. There`s a beauty in this one and many others by them, that I struggle to define in words.

@sukose56

I will never forget the day my boyfriend introduced this song to me, I still get the same vibe and gut feeling whenever I listen to this. Rest in peace Denis

@neilspaceman

Feel the same I remember the moments my friends put it on

@moctezumaduh8915

Odb as yo prof pic noice

@09ledm

:(

@lc0597

<3

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