Here in Cologne
I know I said it wrong
I walked you to the train
And back across alone
To my hotel room
And ordered me some food
And now I'm wondering why the floor has suddenly become a moving target

Four, three, two, one,
I'm letting you go
I will let go
If you will let go

(Four, three, two)

Says here an astronaut
Put on a pair of diapers
Drove eighteen hours
To kill her boyfriend
And in my hotel room, I'm wondering
If you read that story too?
And if we both might
Be having the same imaginary conversation

Four, three, two, one,
I'm letting you go
I will let go
If you will let go

(Four, three, two)

Weightless as I close my eyes
The ceiling opens in disguise

Such a painful trip
To find out this is it
And when I go to sleep
You'll be waking up

Four, three, two, one,
I'm letting you go
I will let go
If you will let go

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Lyrics submitted by OhNo789

Cologne Lyrics as written by Ben Folds

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19 Comments

+7
General Comment
This is spectacular song-writing, and laced with a subtle power that creeps out of Folds' near-whisper, as well as the laugh-out-loud second verse.

The first thing Folds' gets here is a laugh, as an American somewhat hyper-conscious about his (mis)pronunciation of the German Koln. On a German tongue, it's not quite as simple as an aftershave. But then this becomes a tragic love-song involving an American whom I believe has come to visit his girlfriend who has been living temporarily in Europe, and ostensibly just told him that she will be staying there, ending their affair.

I love the four, three, two, one countdown, as it reads and sounds a little like those self-help mantras. 4,3,2,1 I'm letting you go!

Folks who are not Ben Folds fans may be startled or annoyed by the reference to the zaniest news story of the last decade appearing in the next verse. But, really, when you are in heartbreak mode, even a story like that of the NASA astronaut who drove from Houston to Florida wearing a diaper, so determined to kill her lover that nothing, not even potty breaks, was going to stop her -- even this can make you somehow think of your lost love.

And finally, my favorite line of the entire song, because it is so very authentic:

"When I go to sleep, you'll be waking up."

For the singer here, soon to suffer from transatlantic heartbreak, the emotional distance and the physical distance would be overwhelming, but this is exactly the sort of thought that would make the drastically divergent lifes they are about to enter feel so utterly incompatible -- "when I go to sleep, you'll be waking up......"

Absolutely fantastic stuff.

This is spectacular song-writing, and laced with a subtle power that creeps out of Folds' near-whisper, as well as the laugh-out-loud second verse. The first thing Folds' gets here is a laugh, as an American somewhat hyper-conscious about his (mis)pronunciation of the German Koln. On a German tongue, it's not quite as simple as an aftershave. But then this becomes a tragic love-song involving an American whom I believe has come to visit his girlfriend who has been living temporarily in Europe, and ostensibly just told him that she will be staying there, ending their affair. I love the four, three, two, one countdown, as it reads and sounds a little like those self-help mantras. 4,3,2,1 I'm letting you go! Folks who are not Ben Folds fans may be startled or annoyed by the reference to the zaniest news story of the last decade appearing in the next verse. But, really, when you are in heartbreak mode, even a story like that of the NASA astronaut who drove from Houston to Florida wearing a diaper, so determined to kill her lover that nothing, not even potty breaks, was going to stop her -- even this can make you somehow think of your lost love. And finally, my favorite line of the entire song, because it is so very authentic: "When I go to sleep, you'll be waking up." For the singer here, soon to suffer from transatlantic heartbreak, the emotional distance and the physical distance would be overwhelming, but this is exactly the sort of thought that would make the drastically divergent lifes they are about to enter feel so utterly incompatible -- "when I go to sleep, you'll be waking up......" Absolutely fantastic stuff.

Reason:

zemblaon August 26, 2008 Link
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@zembla

I agree with this interpretation, albeit fairly straightforward. Although, as one other commenter wrote, the 4 3 2... and no 1 might mean that he never reaches 1, never able to let go. That's all I got to add to your otherwise fine, fine post :)

LidoTRKon June 08, 2016