old queens monet and me
Sylvie Lewis Lyrics


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You fell in love with a one man band
He played you sang along
You give you love away baby, and he took it for a song
At the time, you thought it was fair trade
The tune you got now, he can't even play

Me and the old queens drink our ginger and dubonnet
Through my tears, the whole world looks like a Monet
Painted by a master touch
Beautiful but it don't mean much
You should write a song about that
You should write a song about that

All movies now are remakes
We prefer the originals
We're the fans of analogue
In a world that's gone digital
Not much is new
In anything we do or say
And as for music
All the good songs are covers anyway

A table by the window to watch the passing storm
The street is a painting melting, our Sunday in the borne

Me and the old queens drink our ginger and dubonnet
Through my tears, the whole world looks like a Monet
Painted by a master touch
Beautiful but it don't mean much
You should write a song about that
You should write a song about that

Bullet hole stars sprayed across the dawning sky
Light bleeds through so slowly, as we talk of saying goodbye

Me and the old queens drink our ginger and dubonnet
Through my tears, the whole world looks like a Monet
Painted by a master touch
It's beautiful but it don't mean much




You should write a song about that
You should write a song about that

Overall Meaning

The opening verse of Sylvie Lewis's "Old Queens Monet and Me" discusses a past relationship where the singer fell in love with a musician in a one-man band. She "gave her love away," and he took it "for a song." At the time, she thought it was a fair trade, but realizes that the man she gave her love to can't even play the same tune now. This verse alludes to the idea that sometimes, in the moment, we think certain choices are fair, but looking back, we realize that we sacrificed more than we thought we did.


The chorus of the song introduces the listener to "the old queens," who drink ginger and Dubonnet while viewing the world through tears. The singer mentions that the world at this moment looks like a Monet painting. This reference to Monet establishes the idea of viewing the world as beautiful art, but the emotions that come with it often overpower appreciation for the beauty itself. The chorus repeats the statement that the world looks like a Monet painting, and the singer suggests that someone should write a song about the complex emotions associated with beauty.


The second verse touches on the idea of remakes and keeping things original. The singer mentions that they prefer analog to digital and that many good songs are just covers of previous works. The verse establishes the idea of preserving the authentic and the appreciation for the originality of art. The bridge of the song discusses the singer sharing a table with the old queens as they watch the passing storm. They observe the street, "a painting melting," and they view it in a similar way to how they see the world, revealed in the previous choruses. Finally, the last verse alludes to saying goodbye and the melancholic beauty that the separation brings, described as "bullet hole stars sprayed across the dawning sky."


Line by Line Meaning

You fell in love with a one man band
You fell in love with a musician who didn't need anyone else to play with.


He played you sang along
You enjoyed singing along to his music while he played.


You give you love away baby, and he took it for a song
You freely gave your love to him, but he didn't value it much.


At the time, you thought it was fair trade
You felt like it was an even exchange at the moment.


The tune you got now, he can't even play
Now, the love you have from him is not worth much, just like a tune he can't even play anymore.


Me and the old queens drink our ginger and dubonnet
I and my group of friends, who are also getting older, drink ginger ale with a French aperitif called Dubonnet.


Through my tears, the whole world looks like a Monet
Everything around me appears blurry and lovely, like a painting by the French artist Claude Monet, as I shed tears.


Painted by a master touch
The world looks like a masterpiece painted by a highly skilled artist.


Beautiful but it don't mean much
The world may be beautiful, but it's not enough to make me feel content or satisfied.


You should write a song about that
You have a unique perspective and should turn it into a song.


All movies now are remakes
Most movies nowadays are simply rehashes of earlier films.


We prefer the originals
My group and I prefer the original versions of movies, music, etc.


We're the fans of analogue
We appreciate analogue technology, which is usually considered outdated.


In a world that's gone digital
In today's world, most things have gone digital, making analogue seem out of fashion.


Not much is new
There isn't much novelty or innovation in what we see or hear.


In anything we do or say
This lack of newness applies to anything we do or say.


And as for music
Regarding music specifically,


All the good songs are covers anyway
There aren't many original good songs anymore, and many songs that are considered good are actually covers of earlier works.


A table by the window to watch the passing storm
We sit by a window to watch the storm outside.


The street is a painting melting, our Sunday in the borne
The street looks like a painting while it's being washed away by the rain on a lazy Sunday morning in our neighborhood.


Bullet hole stars sprayed across the dawning sky
The morning sky looks like it's filled with bullet holes as the stars fade away.


Light bleeds through so slowly, as we talk of saying goodbye
Light slowly creeps into the sky, creating a somber atmosphere as we discuss the possibility of leaving each other.


It's beautiful but it don't mean much
The morning sky is beautiful, but it's not enough to make me forget the unpleasant discussion we're having.


You should write a song about that
Once again, I suggest that you write a song about the scene we're seeing.




Contributed by Skyler C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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