This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Sur la boite cartonnee un trompe-l'oeil
Avoue volontiers qu'il est trompe-l'oeil.
Sur la boite cartonnee un trompe-l'oeil
Avoue volontiers qu'il est trompe-l'oeil,
Donne l'idee do jeu et do mystere,
Un spectacle intime donne l'idee do jeu et de l'humour,
Spectacle qui rime, qui suscite dans les yeux un eclair,
Une decouverte, une idee qui peut jouer des tours,
Une muse, certes, donne l'idee do jeu et do mystere,
Un spectacle intime.
Sur la boite cartonnee un trompe-l'oeil
Avoue volontiers qu'il est trompe-l'oeil.
Sur la boite cartonnee un trompe-l'oeil
Avoue volontiers qu'il est trompe-l'oeil.
Miss Modular
On the cased box a trompe l'oeil
Confesses willingly that it is trompe l'oeil.
On the cased box a trompe l'oeil
Confesses willingly that it is trompe l'oeil,
Gives the idea of the game and the mystery,
An intimate spectacle gives the idea of the game and the humor,
Spectacle that rhymes, that arouses on the eyes a flash,
A discovery, an idea that can play tricks,
A muse, admittedly, gives the idea of the game and the mystery,
An intimate spectacle.
On the cased box a trompe l'oeil
Confesses willingly that it is trompe l'oeil.
On the cased box a trompe l'oeil
Confesses willingly that it is trompe l'oeil.
Avoue volontiers qu'il est trompe-l'oeil.
Sur la boite cartonnee un trompe-l'oeil
Avoue volontiers qu'il est trompe-l'oeil,
Donne l'idee do jeu et do mystere,
Un spectacle intime donne l'idee do jeu et de l'humour,
Spectacle qui rime, qui suscite dans les yeux un eclair,
Une decouverte, une idee qui peut jouer des tours,
Une muse, certes, donne l'idee do jeu et do mystere,
Un spectacle intime.
Sur la boite cartonnee un trompe-l'oeil
Avoue volontiers qu'il est trompe-l'oeil.
Sur la boite cartonnee un trompe-l'oeil
Avoue volontiers qu'il est trompe-l'oeil.
Miss Modular
On the cased box a trompe l'oeil
Confesses willingly that it is trompe l'oeil.
On the cased box a trompe l'oeil
Confesses willingly that it is trompe l'oeil,
Gives the idea of the game and the mystery,
An intimate spectacle gives the idea of the game and the humor,
Spectacle that rhymes, that arouses on the eyes a flash,
A discovery, an idea that can play tricks,
A muse, admittedly, gives the idea of the game and the mystery,
An intimate spectacle.
On the cased box a trompe l'oeil
Confesses willingly that it is trompe l'oeil.
On the cased box a trompe l'oeil
Confesses willingly that it is trompe l'oeil.
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Holiday
Bee Gees
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
Here's a not very good half self-translation in English:
On the cardboard box a trompe loeil Readily confesses that it is trompe loeil. On the cardboard box a trompe loeil Readily confesses that it is trompe loeil, It gives off the notion of a game and a mystery, A quiet spectacle gives off the notion of a game and humour, A Spectacle that rhymes, that arouses on the eyes a flash, A discovery, an idea that may play tricks, A muse, certainly, that gives off the notion of a game and a mystery, An intimate spectacle.
On the cardboard box a trompe loeil Readily confesses that it is trompe loeil.
On the cardboard box a trompe loeil Confesses willingly that it is trompe loeil
One thing I know is that "trompe l'oeil" literally means "trick the eye", in other words a trick/fool of the eye (later fooling the eye) or something deceptive. Although many of their songs do have socialistic meanings, I don't think this one is really. Having said that, I don't really know what it's talking about...
Dear Donny (and anyone else who thinks like Donny),
Art is not obligated to make any sense to you in particular or the audience at large. It’s the abstract (re:”vague”) nature of art that makes it beautiful. If you want something literal, read a newspaper or take a photograph. Art serves a completely different purpose. And Stereolab certainly were not doing it for the money — anyone who knows the first thing about them know they did not like money and capitalism. Stereolab was / is a masterful band and I would not change a single thing about their work to fit some banal expectation of accessibility to the lowest common denominator.
That being said, I do not know exactly what the song is about (and that’s okay), but “trompe loeil” means “optical illusion”. Combined with the other translation, the song is about someone pretending to be something it’s not. It’s plain to everyone that the person or thing is not genuine, as it’s plainly written on the box, yet everyone is dazzled by the show regardless and like to pretend it’s real.
Knowing Stereolab seems to put their extremely socialistic songs in french, I kind of suspect this is a song about socialism.
Kudos to them if it is.
it is simply about the music product --
Guy Debord
I hate it when artists try to be vauge and arty with their song lyrics. Now a trend is to put ... for left out on purpose lyrics. And the fact that the words aren't universal sucks to me. But if you want to stay poor, break-up and then not get remembered when you show a lot of potential otherwise be my guest. Also in the case of Stereolab I suspect that the French woman in SL couldn't sing and play the keyboards at the same time. And since they are keyboard driven songs- that killed live performances. But when the lyrics make sense they are GREAT to me like the Milkyway song about Andy. I fall in the category of HATING artists burying vocals way in the background although on a sidetone "Brown Sugar" by the Stones is SO racist that they had to do it. How did they get away with that one? But so I love and hate SL at the same time. The New Pornographers are the same range of this live performance problem plus lyrics made so they can't be understood by us. I just think that's like constantly sticking the finger super hard at the fans. Artists reading this- don't be an A-hole like that. Be universal, clear in singing your vocals and artistic as you want to be all the same time. While Barnet Newman can get 45 million + for his Blue with white stripe painting, music doesn't seem to work that way.
I hate it when artists try to be vauge and arty with their song lyrics. Now a trend is to put ... for left out on purpose lyrics. And the fact that the words aren't universal sucks to me. But if you want to stay poor, break-up and then not get remembered when you show a lot of potential otherwise be my guest. Also in the case of Stereolab I suspect that the French woman in SL couldn't sing and play the keyboards at the same time. And since they are keyboard driven songs- that killed live performances. But when the lyrics make sense they are GREAT to me like the Milkyway song about Andy. I fall in the category of HATING artists burying vocals way in the background although on a sidetone "Brown Sugar" by the Stones is SO racist that they had to do it. How did they get away with that one? But so I love and hate SL at the same time. The New Pornographers are the same range of this live performance problem plus lyrics made so they can't be understood by us. I just think that's like constantly sticking the finger super hard at the fans. Artists reading this- don't be an A-hole like that. Be universal, clear in singing your vocals and artistic as you want to be all the same time. While Barnet Newman can get 45 million + for his Blue with white stripe painting, music doesn't seem to work that way.
I hate it when artists try to be vauge and arty with their song lyrics. Now a trend is to put ... for left out on purpose lyrics. And the fact that the words aren't universal sucks to me. But if you want to stay poor, break-up and then not get remembered when you show a lot of potential otherwise be my guest. Also in the case of Stereolab I suspect that the French woman in SL couldn't sing and play the keyboards at the same time. And since they are keyboard driven songs- that killed live performances. But when the lyrics make sense they are GREAT to me like the Milkyway song about Andy. I fall in the category of HATING artists burying vocals way in the background although on a sidetone "Brown Sugar" by the Stones is SO racist that they had to do it. How did they get away with that one? But so I love and hate SL at the same time. The New Pornographers are the same range of this live performance problem plus lyrics made so they can't be understood by us. I just think that's like constantly sticking the finger super hard at the fans. Artists reading this- don't be an A-hole like that. Be universal, clear in singing your vocals and artistic as you want to be all the same time. While Barnet Newman can get 45 million + for his Blue with white stripe painting, music doesn't seem to work that way.