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Louise Lyrics
When he saw her getting of the bus
It seemed to wipe away the years
Her face was older, just a little rough
But her eyes were still so clear
He drank his coffee and he hurried out
Across before she walked away
Then he approached her like a little child
Too scared for what he had to say
Hello, Louise,
Remember me?
Now should we part
Or stay awhile?
As if we were still lovers
She took a moment just to recognise
the man shed known so well before
And as he started to apologize
Lose any bitterness she bore
She gently put her finger on his lips
To let him know she understood
And with her suitcase standing on the floor
Embraced him like a lover would
He told Louise
You look so good
It's just you see
You make me feel
As if we were still lovers
It's not always true that time heals all wounds
There are wounds that you don't wanna heal
The memories of something really good
Something truly real, that you never found again
And though they talked for just a little time
Before she said she had to go
He saw the meeting as a tiny sign
That told him all he had to know
And so Louise
Waved from the bus
And as she left
She gave that smile
As if they were still lovers
It seemed to wipe away the years
Her face was older, just a little rough
But her eyes were still so clear
He drank his coffee and he hurried out
Across before she walked away
Then he approached her like a little child
Too scared for what he had to say
Remember me?
Now should we part
Or stay awhile?
the man shed known so well before
And as he started to apologize
Lose any bitterness she bore
She gently put her finger on his lips
To let him know she understood
And with her suitcase standing on the floor
Embraced him like a lover would
You look so good
It's just you see
You make me feel
There are wounds that you don't wanna heal
The memories of something really good
Something truly real, that you never found again
Before she said she had to go
He saw the meeting as a tiny sign
That told him all he had to know
Waved from the bus
And as she left
She gave that smile
Song Info
Submitted by
prometeo On Apr 17, 2008
More The Human League
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Human
Together in Electric Dreams
Circus of Death
(Keep Feeling) Fascination
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I'm amazed that nobody has commented on this song. It is a great piece of song writing - so simple yet so poignant.
The song is about someone who bumps into an old flame. Initially worried how she would react, he is happy that she has forgiven him for anything he might have done in the past to hurt her. After talking for a while, they part on good terms and he feels relief that there is no bitterness on her part. Classic.
A beautiful song and one of my favourites of theirs. Yes, there is definitely denial in this. This is a man holding onto a fantasy that he doesn’t want to let go.
The talking bit near the end always had me perplexed. What sort of wounds would you never want healed? The answer was revealed to me a few years back when a new relationship I was in fell apart. I wanted to keep holding on to the hope that maybe we’d get back together. To actually let it go, allow the wounds to heal and move on, meant that I would have to give up that dream of us being together again and I didn’t want to do that.
I think for Phil in this song though, that smile he gets at the end suggests a happy ending on this occasion. Or at the very least closure.
Actually, to me it feels as if he is lying to himself, and she is just acting friendly to close the book. The fact that she almost did not recognize him says to me that there had been no forgiveness, just "phasing out" of the relationship, refusing to deal with the past. He does not perceive this and leaves thinking the flame could be rekindled.
It's not always true that time heals all wounds. There are wounds that you don't wanna heal. The memories of something really good, Something truly real, that you never found again.
I had an experience a little bit like this song. My first serious relationship was decades ago and we haven't kept in touch. Then one day I saw a recent video of her. She seemed very much the same person, but decades older (of course). It's hard to put into words, but I felt myself letting go of something that I didn't even know I was holding onto. Memory? Regret? What-if? Or, to borrow a line from the Thompson Twins, perhaps it was just "An image of you and of me and we're laughing with love at it all."
I'd like to think that if we ran into each other again, we would remember the good feelings and wish each other well. That's how I see the story in this song.