This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
I write to give word the war is over
Send my cinders home to mother
They gave me a medal for my valor
Leaden trumpets spit the soot of power
They say, "I'm on your side
"When nobody is, 'cause nobody is
"Come sit right here and sleep
"While I slip poison in your ear"
We are waiting on a telegram
To give us news of the fall
I am sorry to report
Dear Paris is burning after all
We have taken to the streets
In open rejoice revolting
We are dancing a black waltz
Fair Paris is burning after all
Enclosed in this letter there's a picture
Black and white for your refrigerator
Sticks and stones have made me smarter
It's words that cut me under my armor
They say, "I'm on your side
"When nobody is, 'cause nobody is
"Come sit right here and sleep
"While I slip poison in your ear"
We are waiting on a telegram
To give us news of the fall
I am sorry to report
Dear Paris is burning after all
We have taken to the streets
In open rejoice revolting
We are dancing a black waltz
Fair Paris is burning after all
Dance poor people, dance and drown
Dance fair Paris to the ground
Dance poor people, dance and drown
Dance fair Paris, ashes now
Dance poor people, dance and drown
Dance fair Paris to the ground
Dance poor people, dance and drown
Dance fair Paris, ashes now
Dance poor people, dance and drown
Dance fair Paris to the ground
Dance poor people, dance and drown
Dance fair Paris, ashes now
Send my cinders home to mother
They gave me a medal for my valor
Leaden trumpets spit the soot of power
They say, "I'm on your side
"When nobody is, 'cause nobody is
"Come sit right here and sleep
"While I slip poison in your ear"
We are waiting on a telegram
To give us news of the fall
I am sorry to report
Dear Paris is burning after all
We have taken to the streets
In open rejoice revolting
We are dancing a black waltz
Fair Paris is burning after all
Enclosed in this letter there's a picture
Black and white for your refrigerator
Sticks and stones have made me smarter
It's words that cut me under my armor
They say, "I'm on your side
"When nobody is, 'cause nobody is
"Come sit right here and sleep
"While I slip poison in your ear"
We are waiting on a telegram
To give us news of the fall
I am sorry to report
Dear Paris is burning after all
We have taken to the streets
In open rejoice revolting
We are dancing a black waltz
Fair Paris is burning after all
Dance poor people, dance and drown
Dance fair Paris to the ground
Dance poor people, dance and drown
Dance fair Paris, ashes now
Dance poor people, dance and drown
Dance fair Paris to the ground
Dance poor people, dance and drown
Dance fair Paris, ashes now
Dance poor people, dance and drown
Dance fair Paris to the ground
Dance poor people, dance and drown
Dance fair Paris, ashes now
Lyrics submitted by mistercrinkles
Paris Is Burning Lyrics as written by Anne Erin Clark
Lyrics © Takwene LLC, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Iricom US Ltd, Songtrust Ave
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
I've heard the phrase "Paris is Burning" so many times, it's a reference to something. There's a film about the African American and Latino gay and transgendered community in NYC...maybe that is the origin of the term.
Personally, I see the "war" as a metaphorical war. The "poison in the ear" bit does seem like a reference to Hamlet to me, so I thought, perhaps, a close relationship that has gone wrong? Friends or lovers fighting with each other until they basically just end the friendship. Hence the "war" is "over".
could the line about slipping poison in someone's ear while they sleep be an allusion to hamlet or am i just making that up? love this song
Yes. It indicates some kind of betrayal.
This song is based on the "Paris is Burning", a gay documentary that shows the life of NY drag queens in the 80's (or 70's). There are balls to determine which house is the best. And drag mothers, the medals are seen in the documentary. Yep def about "Paris is Burning"
I agree that St. Vincent's lyrics tend to work on multiple levels, and there were a couple bits that jumped out at me: "poison in your ear" is likely an allusion to Hamlet (Act I, scene 5) where the ghost of Hamlet's father tells him he was murdered by the current king. Possibly also to Act I, scene 5, where words are equated to a poison in the ear.
Paris was certainly bombed to pieces in WWII, but the multiple uses of "black" and the "open rejoice revolting" made me think of the riots, mainly by black Africans in Paris in the summer of 2005,
I thought of WWII as well. Paris was burned in WWII. I know a lot of her songs have that sort of "old" feel (the old style of music from that time), but I think it is even more pronounced in this song and it sort of sounds like it is over a radio in the part where it is like "give us news of the fall/Paris is burning after all/open rejoice revolting/is burning after all"--radio, as you may know, was the most important communication technology. The trumpets at the beginning also give it that feel of the WWII era. There were revolts and a lot of secrets. The secrets would be by telegram occasionally--the French Resistance. And no one really knew who was on who's side with all of the secret agents, and people turned against each other--poison. That could be the WWII take on it. But I definitly think there is probably much more to it than that, and I am not even too sure that this is the meaning. It is objective, but since it was brought up I thought I would give some support to it. I agree that everything that has been posted is valid though. Beautiful song, St. Vincent sure does have her ways.
One other thing.. the poison could be false information that would lead someone to their death.
I'm pretty sure this song is actually referencing to the French Revolution in the late 1700s, when the working class revolted against the monarchy. Phrases like "we have taken to the streets in open rejoice revolting" and such gives me that sense. There was lots of chaos, so I'm sure there were fires. There was also a lot of gunfire and many revolutionaries died, but were praised as martyrs for the revolution. Also, things like "telegram" and things would indicate a time prior to WWII.
Oh, in addition to my previous comment, the last lyrics make me feel even more like it has to do with the revolution because after the revolution, France fell apart. There were many executions and the time after is known as the "reign of terror."
Oh and one more thing - revolutionaries were described as dancing in the streets during/after the revolution