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Down in Bowery
They lose their ballads and their lipped-mouths in the night
And stumbling through the street they say:
"Sir, do you got a light?
And if you do, then you're my friend
And if you don't, then you're my foe
And if you are a deity of any sort
Then please don't go!"
Ne me quitte pas, mon chere
Down on Lexington they walk
In new shoes stuck to aging feet
And close their eyes and open
And not recognize the aging street
And think about how things were right
When they were young and veins were tight
And if you are the ghost of Christmas past
Then won't you stay the night?
Ne me quitte pas, mon chere
Down in Bronxy Bronx
The kids go sledding down snow-covered slopes
And frozen noses, frozen toes
The frozen city starts to glow
And yes, they know that it will pass
And, yes, they know New York will thaw
But if you are a friend of any sort
Then play along and catch a cold
Ne me quitte pas, mon chere
I love Paris in the rain...
Down in Paris they walk fast
That is, unless they're walking slow
And in cafes they look away
That is, unless they look right in
And in the gardens I get lost
That is, unless I'm getting found
And if you are the ghost of New York city
Won't you stick around?
Ne me quitte pas, mon chere
I love Paris in the rain...
Ne me quitte pas!
They lose their ballads and their lipped-mouths in the night
And stumbling through the street they say:
"Sir, do you got a light?
And if you do, then you're my friend
And if you don't, then you're my foe
And if you are a deity of any sort
Then please don't go!"
Ne me quitte pas, mon chere
Down on Lexington they walk
In new shoes stuck to aging feet
And close their eyes and open
And not recognize the aging street
And think about how things were right
When they were young and veins were tight
And if you are the ghost of Christmas past
Then won't you stay the night?
Ne me quitte pas, mon chere
Down in Bronxy Bronx
The kids go sledding down snow-covered slopes
And frozen noses, frozen toes
The frozen city starts to glow
And yes, they know that it will pass
And, yes, they know New York will thaw
But if you are a friend of any sort
Then play along and catch a cold
Ne me quitte pas, mon chere
I love Paris in the rain...
Down in Paris they walk fast
That is, unless they're walking slow
And in cafes they look away
That is, unless they look right in
And in the gardens I get lost
That is, unless I'm getting found
And if you are the ghost of New York city
Won't you stick around?
Ne me quitte pas, mon chere
I love Paris in the rain...
Ne me quitte pas!
Lyrics submitted by medicine
Track duration: 03:37
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Down on Bowery
They lose their ball eyes and their lipped mouths in
the night
And stumbling through the street
They say “Sir do you got a light?
And if you do then you’re my friend
And if you don’t then you’re my foe
And if you are a deity of any sort
Then please don’t go…”
Ne me quitte pas mon cher
Ne me quitte pas…
And down on Lexington
They’re wearing new shoes stuck to aging feet
And close their eyes and open and not recognize
the aging street
And think about how things were right
When they were young and veins were tight
And if you are the ghost of Christmas past
Then won’t you stay the night
Ne me quitte mon cher
Ne me quitte pas…
Down in Bronx-y Bronx
The kids go sledding down snow covered slopes
And frozen noses, frozen toes,
The frozen city starts to glow
And yes they know that it’ll melt
And yes they know New York will thaw
But if you are a friend of any sort then play along
and catch a cold!
Ne me quitte mon cher
Ne me quitte pas…
I love Paris in the rain
I love Paris in the rain
I love, I love in the rain…
I have, however, grown too accustomed to the original version to warm to this new updated version..
I simply think that the song is about everyone deserving to be loved, and how there's a good person inside of every mean one and they deserve a hug too. When she sings "And if you are a deity of any sort, then please don't go" and "if you are the ghost of Christmas past, then won't you stay the night?" it seems to me like she's accepting all people. Even the Ghost of Christmas Past who's made up to be a creepy figure, our narrator can see past that and into the person's heart.
Come as you are, basically, and you'll be accepted by the narrator.
And if you do, then you're my friend
And if you don't, then you're my foe
And if you are a deity of any sort
Then please don't go!"
Reminds me of the beginning of Romeo and Juliet with the "do you bite your thumb at me, sir?" bit.
Ne me quitte paaaaaaaas!
The song presents a picture of people from four places. Each place gets a verse. The people from each place all seem to want one thing, which is illustrated by the "if you are..." line.
The first verse is about the Bowery. I believe that she is making a statement about the pretension and shallow nature of people there; an act that they drop after the light goes away. The "artsy" people here are all searching for meaning, and "If you are a deity of any sort" is in reference to that.
The second verse is about Lexington, and how the aging district, like the people, seem to wish to be young again. "If you are the ghost of Christmas past" seems to be in reference to this.
The third verse is about the Bronx. It is about how children are filled with warmth about Christmas so much that they aren't bothered at all by the cold weather. The line "if you are a friend of any sort..." seems to be about childish innocence and how they just want a friend.
(So far people seem to have picked up on these things, but here is what I'm contributing to the discussion.)
The fourth verse is about a place outside of NYC. I don't know if she is referring to Paris, New York or Paris, France. Either way, she is very contradictory about what people in this place are like. Unlike the previous places, there isn't a clear sense of identity. I don't know if this identity is lacking in the place itself or in her perception of it (she doesn't know who they are).
I believe the final lines "If you are the ghost of New York City, won't you stick around" has a more personal meaning to Regina herself. Instead of saying that this is what the people of Paris want, this is what Regina wants. She doesn't know who these people are, and she seems confused about who she is when she is here. Keeping with the Ironic sentiment, even though she loves this place, she wants to be back in dark New York City because it's hers and she knows it and loves it despite its flaws.
The theme of Christmas appears in a few places in the song, and suspect that this has to do with Christmas being a time of warmth despite being the coldest time of year. I think it is this ironic sentiment that Regina is trying to express; despite the darkness and coldness of New York City, she feels a bright warmth about it.
What do you think?
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