White Town is a techno-pop act (actually only one man, Jyoti Mishra, born i… Read Full Bio ↴White Town is a techno-pop act (actually only one man, Jyoti Mishra, born in Rourkela, India, on July 30, 1966; Mishra has lived in the United Kingdom since the age of three), often regarded as a one-hit wonder for its 1997 song "Your Woman", which sampled a 1930s song called "My Woman" by Al Bowlly, which was featured in the Dennis Potter drama Pennies From Heaven. This single was often known not by its name, but by the title of the EP it originally appeared on - ">Abort, Retry, Fail?_".

Mishra, a straight edger and ex-Marxist, often incorporates political concerns in his songs veiled in terms of personal relationships (as in his only hit). After a troubled working relationship with EMI Records, Mishra was dropped from the label in 1997 and since then has gone back to working with indie labels like Parasol Records. His last album, 2000's Peek & Poke, received moderately enthusiastic reviews but sold pitifully compared to his major label work.

In 2005 White Town contributed the song "The PNAC Cabal" to the charity album "Voyces United for UNHCR" (Voyces United for UNHCR (disc 1)).

In October 2006 White Town released a new album, Don't Mention The War on Mishra's own label, Bzangy Records.

She Left For Paris
White Town Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I was only searching for you
We didn't have much time
Then I saw you blind to everything
But the beautiful grime
You showed me landmarks famous statues
And all the time I could see
With every café and tiny bookshop
You were further from me

It's all my fault
I should have known
I should hove seen
She'd fall in love
But with the city
Not with me

I'm in the station
The train is waiting
Will you leave with me
There's a commotion
A woman running
But you're nowhere to be seen
So don't take your
Love to paris
Unless you're sure of her heart
It's all a question
Of understanding
The city may rip you apart

It's all my fault
I should have known
I should have seen
She'd fall in love

But with the city
Not with me

Overall Meaning

The song "She Left for Paris" by White Town is a heart-wrenching tale of a man who risks everything for a woman, only to be left alone in the end. The song is about a man who goes to Paris with his lover hoping to have a romantic getaway. As they explore the city together, he realizes that she is becoming more and more distant from him. She becomes so infatuated with the city that she forgets all about him.

The man described in the song is deeply in love with the woman, but she doesn't seem to reciprocate his feelings. He realizes that his mistake was not understanding her priorities and not being able to keep up with her enthusiasm for Paris. It's a common theme in relationships, where one partner becomes too invested in the other, leading to a rift.

The song is a mix of melancholy and regret, and it's easy to relate to. It's a poignant reminder that love can be complicated, and sometimes we just can't keep up with the ones we love. The lyrics tell us that love is not always enough, and it's not always possible to make things work.

Line by Line Meaning

I was only searching for you
I was looking for you alone

We didn't have much time
We had very little time together

Then I saw you blind to everything
I noticed that you were unaware of everything else

But the beautiful grime
Except for the wonderful dirt

You showed me landmarks famous statues
You took me to see celebrated monuments

And all the time I could see
Throughout, I could tell

With every café and tiny bookshop
Between every small cafe and bookstore

You were further from me
You seemed to grow more distant from me

It's all my fault
The responsibility is mine alone

I should have known
I should have been aware

I should have seen
I should have perceived