paris 1919
Cale John Lyrics
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Standing there but never talking sense
Just a visitor you see
So much wanting to be seen
She'd open up the door and vaguely carry us away
It's the customary thing to say or do
To a disappointed proud man in his grief
And on Wednesday not at all
Just casually appearing from the clock across the hall
You're a ghost la la la
You're a ghost
I'm in the church and I've come
To claim you with my iron drum
La la la
The Continent's just fallen in disgrace
William William William Rogers put it in its place
Blood and tears from old Japan
Caravans and lots of jam and maids of honor
Singing crying singing tediously
Efficiency efficiency they say
Get to know the date and tell the time of day
As the crowds begin complaining
How the Beaujolais is raining
Down on darkened meetings on Champs Elysee
The song "Paris 1919" by Cale John is a hauntingly beautiful piece that speaks on themes of nostalgia and loss. In the opening lines, John speaks about a woman who he finds hard to approach and how she manages to make him feel unsure of himself. He describes her as a visitor who wants to be noticed yet does not speak sense. Her presence is enchanting, and she seems to be offering an escape from the current setting, taking them away from reality.
The verse "You're a ghost la la la, You're a ghost" alludes to someone who is no longer there and has perhaps moved on, but their memory still lives on. As he enters the church, he wants to lay claim to it with his "iron drum," perhaps symbolizing the need to assert his presence in this place where she once was, wanting to take control of the space and hold on to her memory.
The subsequent verses speak of the aftermath of the World War that shook the continent, causing it to fall in disgrace. The name William Rogers is perhaps an allusion to a politician from Britain who played a role in the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, which marked the end of the war. The lines "Efficiency efficiency they say, Get to know the date and tell the time of day" could be a reference to the post-war obsession with being productive and efficient amidst the chaos that followed. The song ends with imagery of wine raining down on darkened meetings on Champs Elysees, perhaps signifying the light within the darkness.
Line by Line Meaning
She makes me so unsure of myself
Her presence makes me feel insecure about myself.
Standing there but never talking sense
Although she is present, she seldom speaks or when she speaks, it lacks sense.
Just a visitor you see
She's only a visitor; she's not here to stay.
So much wanting to be seen
She craves attention and seeks to be noticed by others.
She'd open up the door and vaguely carry us away
She tends to open the door to distraction or imagination, and then she gets lost in it without any clear direction of where she is heading.
It's the customary thing to say or do
It's a norm or socially accepted practice to say or do something in particular situations.
To a disappointed proud man in his grief
It's expected to offer consolations to a man who is saddened by disappointment, even if he puts up a proud front.
And on Fridays she'd be there
She only appears every Friday.
And on Wednesday not at all
She's absent on Wednesdays.
Just casually appearing from the clock across the hall
She appears nonchalantly from the other side of the clock.
You're a ghost la la la
You're not entirely present or alive, la la la.
You're a ghost
You're a shadow or a mere reflection of something I used to know.
I'm in the church, and I've come to claim you with my iron drum
I'm in the church and come here drumming my iron drum to claim what thought used to be a part of me back.
La la la
A sound to fill a void, it's melodious yet meaningless.
The Continent's just fallen in disgrace
Europe's image/ reputation is tarnished, and everyone looks down on it.
William William William Rogers put it in its place
William, three times, put Europe in its rightful place.
Blood and tears from old Japan, Caravans and lots of jam and maids of honor
This is just a jumbled list of things that indicate that there's a cultural mishmash or various things happening simultaneously.
Singing crying singing tediously
People sing and cry repetitively/ annoyingly.
Efficiency efficiency they say
People keep talking about the importance of being efficient and productive.
Get to know the date and tell the time of day
They want people to be aware of the date and the time of the day, further emphasizing being efficient.
As the crowds begin complaining, how the Beaujolais is raining
People start complaining about the rain, which falls on the table where they are drinking Beaujolais.
Down on darkened meetings on Champs Elysee
It's raining outside while people are having meetings in the dark in Champs Elysee.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JOHN DAVIES CALE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@marcot7216
She makes me so unsure of myself
Standing there but never ever talking sense
Just a visitor you see
So much wanting to be seen
She'd open up the doors and vaguely carry us away
It's the customary thing to say or do
To a disappointed proud man in his grief
And on Fridays she'd be there
But on Mondays not at all
Just casually appearing from the clock across the hall
You're a ghost, la la la la la la la la la
You're a ghost, la la la la la la la la la
I'm the church and I've come
To claim you with my iron drum
La la la la la la
The Continent's just fallen in disgrace
William, William, William Rogers put it in its place
Blood and tears from old Japan
Caravans and lots of jam
And maids of honor singing, crying, singing tediously
You're a ghost, la la la la la la la la la
Yes, you're a ghost, la la la la la la la la la
I'm the bishop and I've come
To claim you with my iron drum
La la la la la la
Efficiency, efficiency, they say
Get to know the date and tell the time of day
As the crowds begin complaining
How the Beaujolais is raining
Down on darkened meetings on the Champs-Élysées
You're a ghost, la la la la la la la la la
You're a ghost, la la la la la la la la la
And I'm the church and I've come
To claim you with my iron drum
La la la la la la
You're a ghost, la la la la la la la la la
You're a ghost, la la la la la la la la la
I'm the church and I've come
To claim you with my iron drum
La la la la la la
You're a ghost, la la la la la la la la la
You're a ghost, la la la la la la la la la
I'm the church and I've come
To claim you with my iron drum
La la la la la la
@SergioQ-S-80
She makes me so unsure of myself
Standing there but never talking sense
Just a visitor you see
So much wanting to be seen
She'd open up the door and vaguely carry us away
It's the customary thing to say or do
To a disappointed proud man in his grief
And on Fridays she'd be there
And on Wednesday not at all
Just casually appearing from the clock across the hall
You're a ghost la la la
You're a ghost
I'm in the church and I've come
To claim you with my iron drum
La la la
The Continent's just fallen in disgrace
William William William Rogers put it in its place
Blood and tears from old Japan
Caravans and lots of jam and maids of honor
Singing crying singing tediously
Efficiency efficiency they say
Get to know the date and tell the time of day
As the crowds begin complaining
How the Beaujolais is raining
Down on darkened meetings on Champs Elysee
@PolishedMonocle
I've got a history degree and while I won't consider myself an "expert," my favorite period to study is around 1880-1930 which includes the period he's writing about here. I heard this song on the radio about a year ago and it became one of my favorites. I'll go line by line to say what my personal interpretation is.
"She makes me so unsure of myself
Standing there but never ever talking sense
Just a visitor you see
So much wanting to be seen
She'd open up the doors and vaguely carry us away."
-I'm not really sure what this is supposed to mean
"It's the customary thing to say or do
To a disappointed proud man in his grief"
-I interpret the "disappointed proud man" to be Europe itself, the nations of Europe directly before WWI considered themselves to be the most civilized nations in the world, but the extreme barbarism and cruelty of the war shook that belief within the European conscience. The most disappointed proud man would be Germany I suppose, who lost their overseas empire and had to pay reparations as a result of the war.
"And on Fridays she'd be there
But on Mondays not at all
Just casually appearing from the clock across the hall"
-Not sure what he's meaning here.
[Chorus]
You're a ghost la la la la la la la la la
You're a ghost la la la la la la la la la
I'm the church/bishop and I've come
To claim you with my iron drum
La la la la la la la la la la
-To me this is referencing how a lost or dead "ghost" of European identity was "claimed" in many nations by extremist political ideologies such as fascism. The references to "church" and "bishop" give a sense of something being dogmatic and authoritarian, and the "iron drum" is to me a reference to war, or militant philosophy. I.e. "drums of war," "iron" tools of war. Europe's identity and pride was shattered after WWI, and in many nations fascism arose to "claim" a sense of identity and history in those nations. For instance, Mussolini's Italy had the idea that they would reclaim the glory of ancient Rome, and Nazi Germany claimed itself as the successor of the Holy Roman Empire and the German Empire (Third Reich). A "bishop" claimed Europe's identity and pride with his "iron drum."
"The Continent's just fallen in disgrace
William William William Rogers put it in its place"
-"The Continent" obviously refers to Europe, which fell into disgrace during the war. "William(x3) Rogers" I think refers to both Captain William Wendell Rogers, a Canadian flying ace during WWI, and perhaps Buck Rogers, an American science fiction character who was an American veteran of WWI. Both refer to men from overseas who came to Europe to "put it in it's place." Many of the current and former colonies of European countries believed Europe to be the most civilized place in the world, but had that belief shaken or shattered when they came to Europe to fight and saw the sheer brutality of the war that Europeans had created and waged against each-other. People from French and British colonies in Africa and India were shipped to Europe to fight, and saw the nations they had been told all their lives were a superior civilization engaged in horrific bloodshed. This revelation was the cause of many anti-colonial sentiments back in European colonies, as colonial soldiers who came back from Europe no longer believed Europeans were as civilized as they had been told.
"Blood and tears from old Japan"
-Dignitaries from Japan were present at the 1919 treaty meeting, an "old" nation whose role in the war was very remote to Europeans. It was perhaps a sign of how small the world was becoming.
"Caravans and lots of jam
and maids of honor
Singing crying singing tediously"
-I know jam was a prized commodity among British soldiers during the war, and being able to have lots of it and go on vacations in caravans after the war was a sign of the prosperity to come. Maids of honor crying could represent women who lost sons and husbands in the war?
(Musical Break)
-Represents the peace and tranquility after the war has ended
"Efficiency efficiency they say
Get to know the date and tell the time of day"
-Could represent how efficient and industrial the world had become by this point in time, and how past ways of life were rapidly transitioning.
"As the crowds begin complaining
How the Beaujolais is raining
Down on darkened meetings on the Champs Elysées"
-Might reference how the average person complains about trivial matters such as wine, while "darkened meetings" (of radical political activists) are taking place that will change Europe's fate.
Anyway that's my personal take on it. It's a great song no matter how you interpret the lyrics!
@wongnaichungrd
I heard this song for the first time yesterday and cannot stop playing it. Brilliant!
@eruption257
I'm in the exact same situation today. I can't get over it.
@lyonslaforet
Ditto for me except that I've been listening to John Cale for several years but I discovered this gem again only recently.
@claremccarron3058
And I heard it for the first time today. I also think .... brilliant!
@mickandelisa
It's on my personal shortlist of truly perfect songs.
@majabl
Snap - I heard it on BBC Radio 6 yesterday and I'm hooked! CD album looks to be out of print though :-(
@captikus78
I always get a shiver down my spine when he sings the lines "As the crowds begin complaining / how the Beaujolais is raining / down on darkened meetings on the Champs-Élysées..."
@dreamtransmissions
I want to live in this song for a month or so
@marivg8948
sounds good to me
@eriktorres7895
Rian johnsson brought me here