Leaving for Paris Nº 2

Song Meaning

Rufus Wainwright's "Leaving for Paris Nº 2" isn't just a geographical escape; it's a raw, exposed nerve of a breakup song disguised as a travelogue. The surface simplicity of the lyrics—repeated declarations of departure, coupled with a plea for the other person's well-being—belies a deeper emotional complexity. The repeated phrase 'No I don't think that I'll see you' acts as a mantra of self-preservation, a conscious severing of ties. Paris, in this context, is less about croissants and the Louvre and more about a psychic distance, a space to dismantle the remnants of a suffocating relationship. The verses intensify the sense of urgency and the need for separation. The lines 'I pray you won't follow / Through the crooked streets behind me' suggest a pursuit, not just physical but also emotional. It's a fear of being haunted by the past, a desperate attempt to outrun the memories and expectations that bind him. The 'crooked streets' could symbolize the disorienting and often painful path of a relationship gone wrong. He seems to anticipate, and dread, the pull of familiarity, the temptation to fall back into old patterns. The final verse delivers the most potent blow: 'And when I get there / I will lose the ring you gave me.' This isn't mere carelessness; it's a deliberate act of symbolic erasure. The ring, a token of commitment, becomes a burden to be shed in the City of Lights. The following line, 'How happy I will then be,' is delivered with a chilling ambiguity. Is it genuine anticipation, or a desperate attempt to convince himself that freedom lies on the other side of heartbreak? The repeated exhortation to 'take care of yourself' carries a weight of guilt and perhaps a hint of lingering affection, even as he engineers his escape. Ultimately, "Leaving for Paris Nº 2" is a masterclass in understated emotional turmoil, a poignant exploration of the messy, often contradictory feelings that accompany the end of a relationship.