A rough translation of the song's title is the sadness will last. It was taken from a book about Vincent van Gogh. Van Gogh was found injured in bed on July 27, 1890 after he had attempted suicide. His brother Theo tried to persuade him that everything would be all right and Vincent answered "La tristesse durera toujours" (The sadness will always last). He died the following day. The song tells of how society in general treats war veterans with little concern on a day to day basis and how they're lauded once a year for one day.
The b-side, "Patrick Bateman", is a 'tribute' to the American Psycho character. Six months before the release of the Gold Against The Soul, Nicky Wire had even said that the song would be the first single from the album.[citation needed] "La Tristesse Durera" reached number twenty-two in UK charts on July 31 1993.
It also made an appearance as track number four on Forever Delayed (October 28, 2002), the Manics' greatest hits album.
This song is one of two that contain guitar work from Richey Edwards the other being "No Surface All Feeling" on Everything Must Go.
Track listing
[edit] CD
1. "La Tristesse Durera (Scream To A Sigh) (7" Version)"
2. "Patrick Bateman"
3. "What's My Name (live The Clash cover At Cambridge Junction, 20 October 1992)"
4. "Slash 'n' Burn (Live At Norwich UEA, 21 October 1992)"
[edit] 12"
1. "La Tristesse Durera (Scream To A Sigh) (Album Version)"
2. "Patrick Bateman"
3. "Repeat" (Live in Norwich October 21 1992)
4. "Tennessee (I Get Low)"
[edit] Cassette
1. "La Tristesse Durera (Scream To A Sigh)"
2. "Patrick Bateman".
[hide]
v • d • e
Manic Street Preachers
James Dean Bradfield • Nicky Wire • Sean Moore • Richey James Edwards
Studio albums
Generation Terrorists (1992) • Gold Against the Soul (1993) • The Holy Bible (1994) • Everything Must Go (1996) • This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours (1998) • Know Your Enemy (2001) • Lifeblood (2004) • Send Away the Tigers (2007) • Journal for Plague Lovers (2009)
Compilation albums
Forever Delayed (2002) • Lipstick Traces (2003)
EPs
"New Art Riot" (1990) • "Life Becoming a Landslide EP" (1994) • "Know Our B-Sides" (2001) • "God Save The Manics EP" (2005) • "Journal for Plague Lovers Remixes E.P." (2009)
Singles
"Suicide Alley" (1988) • "UK Channel Boredom" (1990) • "Motown Junk" (1991) • "You Love Us (Heavenly Version)" (1991) • "Feminine Is Beautiful" (1991) • "Stay Beautiful" (1991) • "Love's Sweet Exile/Repeat" (1991) • "You Love Us" (1991) • "Slash 'N' Burn" (1992) • "Motorcycle Emptiness" (1992) • "Suicide Is Painless (Theme From M*A*S*H)" (1992) • "Little Baby Nothing" (1992) • "From Despair to Where" (1993) • "La Tristesse Durera (Scream to a Sigh)" (1993) • "Roses in the Hospital" (1993) • "Faster/P.C.P." (1994) • "Revol" (1994) • "She Is Suffering" (1994) • "A Design for Life" (1996) • "Everything Must Go" (1996) • "Kevin Carter" (1996) • "Australia" (1996) • "If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next" (1998) • "The Everlasting" (1998) • "You Stole the Sun from My Heart" (1999) • "Tsunami" (1999) • "The Masses Against the Classes" (2000) • "Found That Soul" (2001) • "So Why So Sad" (2001) • "Ocean Spray" (2001) • "Let Robeson Sing" (2001) • "There by the Grace of God" (2002) • "The Love of Richard Nixon" (2004) • "Empty Souls" (2005) • "Underdogs" (2007) • "Your Love Alone Is Not Enough" (2007) • "Autumnsong" (2007) • "Indian Summer" (2007) • "Ghost of Christmas" (2007)
Box sets
"Six Singles from Generation Terrorists" (1997)
Video Albums
Everything Live (1997) • Leaving the 20th Century (2000) • Louder Than War (2001) • Forever Delayed (2002)
Other appearances
"Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" (1995) • "Leviathan" (2005) • "The Instrumental" (2006) • "Umbrella" (2008)
Related articles
Discography • B-sides
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Tristesse_Durera_(Scream_to_a_Sigh)"
Categories: 1993 singles | Manic Street Preachers songs | 1993 songs
La Tristesse Durera
Manic Street Preachers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And it all promised so so much
I am a relic
I am just a petrified cry
Wheeled out once a year, a cenotaph souvenir
The applause nails down my silence
La Tristesse Durera
La Tristesse Durera
Scream to a sigh, to a sigh
I see liberals
I am just a fashion accessory
People send postcards
And they all hope I'm feeling well
I retreat into self-pity, it's so easy
Where they patronise my misery
La Tristesse Durera
Scream to a sigh, to a sigh
La Tristesse Durera
Scream to a sigh, to a sigh
I sold my medal
It paid a bill
It sells at market stalls
Parades Milan catwalks
The sadness will never go
Will never go away
Baby it's here to stay
La Tristesse Durera
Scream to a sigh, to a sigh
La Tristesse Durera
Scream to a sigh, to a sigh
In Manic Street Preachers' song "La Tristesse Durera," the lyrics explore themes of disillusionment, disappointment, and the commodification of fame. The singer is feeling forgotten and obsolete after having once been a popular figure. The line "life has been unfaithful" speaks to the idea that the singer had high hopes, but reality did not live up to those expectations. The image of being a "relic" and a "petrified cry" emphasizes the singer's feelings of being frozen in time, unable to move forward or change.
The chorus of "La Tristesse Durera" translates to "the sadness will last forever." This line captures the overall mood and tone of the song, as the singer seems resigned to his fate. The verse "I see liberals, I am just a fashion accessory" speaks to the idea that the singer was once a symbol of something, but now that symbol has lost its meaning, and the singer is simply an object to be used and discarded by those around him. The final verse, where he sold his medal to pay a bill, highlights the idea that fame is fleeting and often unreliable.
Line by Line Meaning
Life has been unfaithful
Life has not lived up to its promises and expectations
And it all promised so so much
There was a lot of potential for greatness, but it was never fulfilled
I am a relic
I am something of the past, outdated and forgotten
I am just a petrified cry
My pain and sorrow have become frozen and unchanging, no longer able to be heard or felt
Wheeled out once a year, a cenotaph souvenir
I am only brought out on special occasions like a monument to the past, kept as a reminder of something that is no longer there
The applause nails down my silence
Even when rewarded, the pain that caused my silence is still present and unchangeable
La Tristesse Durera
The sadness will last forever
Scream to a sigh, to a sigh
The pain is still there, but it has been hidden and there is only a faint echo left
I see liberals
Those who claim to care for me and my struggle
I am just a fashion accessory
But to them, I am only a symbol of their own beliefs and values
People send postcards
Others, who may not even know me, send their well-wishes in a way that feels insincere and superficial
And they all hope I'm feeling well
But in reality, they are only concerned with how my well-being affects them and their image
I retreat into self-pity, it's so easy
It's easy to wallow in my own misery, to give in to the sadness and let it consume me
Where they patronise my misery
Others may sympathize but ultimately are only making my pain about them and their own image
I sold my medal
Even something of value to me was sold out of necessity
It paid a bill
But in the end, it didn't really make a difference
It sells at market stalls
What was once something of great value is now being sold cheaply, losing its worth
Parades Milan catwalks
Even fashion, something so fleeting and temporary, is using my pain as a way to seem more trendy and relevant
The sadness will never go
The pain and sorrow will always be a part of me, an inherent aspect of my being
Will never go away
But even though it's always present, I must learn to live with it and not let it define me
Baby it's here to stay
And that's just the way it is, something that cannot be changed
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JAMES BRADFIELD, NICHOLAS JONES, RICHARD EDWARDS, SEAN MOORE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@michaelrichardroberts579
Life has been unfaithful
And it all promised so so much
I am a relic
I am just a petrified cry
Wheeled out once a year, a cenotaph souvenir
The applause nails down my silence
La Tristesse Durera
Scream to a sigh, to a sigh
La Tristesse Durera
Scream to a sigh, to a sigh
I see liberals
I am just a fashion accessory
People send postcards
And they all hope I'm feeling well
I retreat into self-pity, it's so easy
Where they patronise my misery
La Tristesse Durera
Scream to a sigh, to a sigh
La Tristesse Durera
Scream to a sigh, to a sigh
I sold my medal
It paid a bill
It sells at market stalls
Parades Milan catwalks
The sadness will never go
Will never go away
Baby it's here to stay
La Tristesse Durera
Scream to a sigh, to a sigh
La Tristesse Durera
Scream to a sigh, to a sigh
@philipdavies5195
Life has been unfaithful
And it all promised so so much
I am a relic
I am just a petrified cry
Wheeled out once a year, a cenotaph souvenir
The applause nails down my silence
La tristesse durera
Scream to a sigh, to a sigh
I see liberals
I am just a fashion accessory
People send postcards
And they all hope Im feeling well
I retreat into self-pity, its so easy
Where they patronise my misery
La tristesse durera
Scream to a sigh, to a sigh
I sold my medal
It paid a bill
It sells at market stalls
Parades Milan catwalks
The sadness will never go
Will never go away
Baby it's here to stay
La tristesse durera
Scream to a sigh, to a sigh
@peepingtom20101
I sold my medal
It paid a bill
It sells at market stalls
Parades Milan catwalks
Oh, the sadness will never go
Will never go away
Baby it's here to stay
La tristesse durera
Scream to a sigh, to a sigh
Dont think you can ever forget words like that, can you?
@maddog8621
This is one of THE GREATEST tunes ever penned. It cannot be lost in time. It deserves to be preserved in amber for generations to learn and grow from
@nunomachado2110
One of the most criminally underrated albums ever.
@Ham958
It’s impossible to play this song “too loudly”… Absolutely banging tune!!!
@retromuel
I genuinely think this is one of the greatest rock/pop songs ever recorded.
@alternatereality85
This song is like a planetary alignment, everything comes together perfectly. Beautiful piece of songwriting.
@michealtoyne7059
That's so well said, beautiful man,🥰
@PBL187
Best review of a song ever 😄
@JameysVideos
Well, apart from the pronunciation of “durera” 🙂
@mgthestrange9098
Such an underrated song, album, band and lyricist. There’s something of a modern day Vincent Van Gogh in Richey Edwards. Under appreciated in his lifetime and tortured by the unseen demon of depression and alcoholism in a society that didn’t understand it at the time. Both will be remembered by the art they left behind. 💞🌻🌹
@mariehelena2364
...oof, so true 😭🥰