Even before reaching public attention by appearing on Norah Jones' breakthr… Read Full Bio ↴Even before reaching public attention by appearing on Norah Jones' breakthrough debut album, Jesse Harris was a well regarded singer-songwriter in his own right, particularly with well received regular appearances at New York's The Living Room (the acoustic night of choice for the uber-hip alt.country folk set). The release of The Secret Sun album cemented his reputation as an artist of note.

Luxembourg
Jesse Harris Lyrics

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In Luxembourg on the grass
Did you know all that this would pass
All that this would pass?

In the shade and in the sun
There you lay till the day was done
All the day was done

Later on, by a rollin' train
You were goin' home

Never to be seen again
By the eyes of the lonely men
All the lonely men

Walkin' down through streets so old
To get a glass of wine

Rememberin' other days
When the girls in the park would play
Oh, when they still played

From Luxembourg long ago
Where they went only God would know

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Jesse Harris's song, Luxembourg, are nostalgic and melancholic, as they recount a past memory of a brief encounter in the titular city. The song starts in a wistful tone, as the singer reflects on the transience of time and how everything eventually passes. The mention of grass and shade in the lyrics paints a picture of a lazy summer day spent lying on the grass, perhaps with someone else. The imagery of the rolling train builds on this atmosphere of fleetingness - the person the singer was with is getting on the train and going home. The use of repetition of the phrase "all that this would pass" emphasizes the theme of transience and hints at a tinge of regret.

The middle section of the song changes the setting to a city and shifts the tone to a more somber one. The singer is walking through old streets, reminiscing about days gone by when things were perhaps simpler, and the girls in the park played. The nostalgia is palpable as the singer looks back at the past fondly.

The last part of the song ties everything together, bringing the listener back to Luxembourg, where the encounter happened. The person who the singer was with is long gone, and the location has become a distant memory - "where they went only God would know". The concluding lines of the song bring the theme of transience and time's passing full circle, closing it off on a reflective note.

Line by Line Meaning

In Luxembourg on the grass
In that country's lush fields

Did you know all that this would pass
Were you aware of the passing of time?

All that this would pass?
Did you fathom that all things are fleeting?

In the shade and in the sun
You basked in the sun and the shade

There you lay till the day was done
You lay there until the very end of daylight

All the day was done
All the day's light faded into black

Later on, by a rollin' train
Subsequent to this, aboard a moving train

You were goin' home
You were heading back to your dwelling

Never to be seen again
Disappearing for good

By the eyes of the lonely men
Out of sight of the solitary ones'

All the lonely men
Those lonely individuals