In "Romeo and Juliet", Juliet was supposed to marry a man named Paris. She chose to kill herself rather than marry anyone other than the one she truly loved. "Paris" is often used as a reference to second place.
I think Morrissey is using "Paris" here that way as well. He can't have what he really wants and he's come to accept that to some degree. After a lifetime of fighting with himself trying to figure out what he wanted and being terribly conflicted about how to get it (or if he even could get it), he's made a decision- he's embracing Plan B.
Of course, talking about "stone and steel" works for both the unemotional second choice as well as seamlessly ties into Paris the city. And Morrissey, being a musician, travels to cities all over the world to perform. So... maybe that IS his Plan B, the love and affection he gets from the world for his music, as opposed to a personal love that he has repeatedly failed to find or keep.
In "Romeo and Juliet", Juliet was supposed to marry a man named Paris. She chose to kill herself rather than marry anyone other than the one she truly loved. "Paris" is often used as a reference to second place.
I think Morrissey is using "Paris" here that way as well. He can't have what he really wants and he's come to accept that to some degree. After a lifetime of fighting with himself trying to figure out what he wanted and being terribly conflicted about how to get it (or if he even could get it), he's made a decision- he's embracing Plan B.
Of course, talking about "stone and steel" works for both the unemotional second choice as well as seamlessly ties into Paris the city. And Morrissey, being a musician, travels to cities all over the world to perform. So... maybe that IS his Plan B, the love and affection he gets from the world for his music, as opposed to a personal love that he has repeatedly failed to find or keep.