Beirut – Cliquot

A plague in the workhouse, a plague on the poor
Now I'll beat on my drum 'til I'm dead
Yesterday, a fever, tomorrow, St. Peter
I'll beat on my drum until then.

But what melody will lead my lover from his bed?
What melody will see him in my arms again?

Set fire to foundation and burn out the station
You'll never get nothing of mine
The pane of my window will flicker and billow
I won't leave a stitching behind

But what melody will lead my lover from his bed?
What melody will see him in my arms again?

I'll sing of the walls of the well and the house at the top of the hill
I'll sing of the bottles of wine that we left on our old windowsill
I'll sing of the years you will spend getting sadder and older
Oh love, and the cold, the oncoming cold


Lyrics submitted by cleverername

"Cliquot" as written by Zach Condon Owen Pallett

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

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Cliquot song meanings
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35 Comments

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  • +4
    General Commentflyingclubcup.com/…

    "I’ve taken "Cliquot" to be about the desperate sorrow of the young widow Clicquot, who lost her beloved Francois to sudden fever in 1805. It is a profound sort of grief that no one should have to experience, losing one’s love, but the band manages to turn this tale away from the path toward funereal dirge and instead tranforms "Cliquot" into a hauntingly beautiful hymn."
    tgkekeon October 31, 2007   Link
    • 2 Replies
  • +2
    General Comment"The song is about a Black Plague victim trying to convince his lover to come out and die with him. " says Owen
    pipipipipion October 12, 2007   Link
  • +2
    General Commentinteresting, I was thinking the song may have been about the Russian army retreating from the Germans in WW2 but that was a total shot in the dark.
    whiggleson October 15, 2007   Link
  • +2
    General CommentI took this song to be about someone's lover dying of the Plague (not necessarily a man; this song could be from the perspective of a woman, too, you know!) and that person setting fire to the house in which their body is, like a funeral pyre, or perhaps as a way to hide their lover's body (which especially fits if the song is from the perspective of a man).

    I was convinced of this especially by the line "You'll never get nothing of mine." By burning the body, no one can take him away from the narrator. Both his physical body is gone, and his memory is preserved in the mind of the lover.

    Nevertheless, it's one of my favorite songs on The Flying Club Cup. Beautiful lyrics and music that fits perfectly.
    thejlaron October 16, 2007   Link
    • 1 Reply
  • +1
    Song MeaningWhy is everyone here so offended by the thought of a song being about two homosexual lovers? My favorites are the ones that claim they have no problem with gays, but get angry at the idea of it.
    Yes, the song can be in different perspectives. But the song is most likely about two male lovers. Owen himself is gay and he wrote the song. It's silly to think that he wrote it from the girls perspective, and not just about two male lovers.
    riversdollon December 10, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Commentit's awesome that his lover's a man but the song doesn't get too caught up in the fact. You get the feeling from the old-timey and working-class-uprising feeling of the rest of the song that such a relationship might have been quite a big deal, but it's not the focus of the song.
    bg1on September 24, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General CommentWhy is Owen Pallett so sick!This song was co-written with him.Owen wrote the lyrics and melody while Beirut wrote the music.It's very clear this is'nt Beirut lyrics.Owen even sings in the album version.
    pencilandpaperon September 28, 2007   Link
    • 1 Reply
  • 0
    General CommentI hear
    "I'll sing of the years you will spend getting sadder and older, oh love"
    Owen Pallett is amazing.
    The fact that his lover is a man doesn't change the song at all. Just because it says His and not Her doesn't change the meaning of the song.
    DiePolizeion September 30, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Commentoh wow. just amazing. ed droste, of grizzly bear, does a tremendous rendition of this song.
    jterranceon October 01, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General CommentHere are the complete lyrics, according to Mr. Pallett from Final Fantasy (yoinked from the Beirut forums at beirutband,com, and it was originally taken from the FF forums but I had no luck finding the lyrics there):

    A plague in the workhouse, a plague on the poor
    Now I'll beat on my drum 'til I'm dead
    Yesterday, a fever, tomorrow, St. Peter
    I'll beat on my drum until then.

    But what melody will lead my lover from his bed?
    What melody will see him in my arms again?

    Set fire to foundation and burn out the station
    You'll never get nothing of mine
    The pane of my window will flicker and billow
    I won't leave a stitching behind

    But what melody will lead my lover from his bed?
    What melody will see him in my arms again?

    I'll sing of the walls of the well and the house at the top of the hill
    I'll sing of the bottles of wine that we left on our old windowsill
    I'll sing of the years you will spend getting sadder and older
    Oh love, and the cold, the oncoming cold
    aminkradaron October 08, 2007   Link

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