Montparnasse Lyrics

Lyric discussion by alf1053044 

Cover art for Montparnasse lyrics by Elbow

So many great lines in this song:\n\n"I\'m squeezing my words like I\'m icing a bump" (NOT "bomb")\n\n"We\'re all the hero when directing the scene\nBut therapy for liars is a giant ice cream"\n\nAnd the repeat of the phrase "swatting at memories of you"\n\nTo my mind this song is about a failed relationship, possibly long-distance, or possibly the two traveled together and so the locations mentioned bring up memories. I love the way Garvey\'s lyrics are impressionistic, he adds little details that give things a specificity.\n\nThe phrase "your heart could easily power three of me" (not "easy") is basically saying that this lost lover had "a big heart", it could also be referring to them being strong. But the kicker in the whole song is "therapy for liars is a giant ice cream". Wow. That is a genius lyric, and if you\'ve ever been in a relationship with a narcissist or compulsive liar, then that line should resonate with you powerfully.\n\nI love this song. It\'s got such melancholy and is bittersweet, mourning a loss but also recognizing the bad with the good.

@alf1053044 \r\n\r\nI forgot to add, I also love the line "Don\'t talk like we\'re stuck in a lift" - meaning, awkward, stilted, disconnected small talk, or no talk at all. Meaning he can feel the distance between them.

@alf1053044 I agree with you that the song is about a failed relationship, a messy break where his partner would rather blame him than face reality, and is reframing the relationship as negative to process it. But I'm confused by your confident corrections which all seem wrong to me. Why would it be "icing a bump"? The lyric "could easy power three of me" is a very typical British slang/contraction that we use, it may be regional, but it's not a mistake. And the lyric is "Don't talk like we were stuck in a lift", which to me is referring...