Après Moi

Album: Begin To Hope (2006)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The Russian lyrics in this song are from a poem written by Boris Pasternak, who also wrote Dr. Zhivago. While translations differ slightly, the most common is as follows:
    February. Get ink, shed tears.
    Write of it, sob your heart out, sing,
    While torrential slush that roars
    Burns in the blackness of the spring. >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Kimmie - Dallas, GA
  • "Après Moi" is French for "After Me."

Comments: 1

  • Stephen from Beloit, WiThe full phrase, "Apres moi le deluge," is translated (by Regina in the song) as "after me comes the flood." The history of this phrase is a bit muddled, but it usually means "I won't worry about the consequences, because after me, everything will be destroyed." Mostly-irrelevant history to follow:

    The saying is frequently misattributed to Louis XV of France, the second-to-last ruler of France before the aristocracy-destroying French Revolution. Louis XV and his father, Louis XIV (the "Sun King"), were fond of great extravagance at court and fighting expensive wars which eventually bankrupted France, providing one of many catalysts for the French Revolution. Thus, "after me (Louis XV), the flood (the Revolution)." Louis XVI, his son, was executed at the guillotine.

    The more probable and slightly-less-romanticized story is that the words were uttered by Madame de Pompadour, Louis XV's chief mistress. She supposedly said this after a particularly crushing military defeat at Rossbach - during one of those expensive wars, noted above - to console the king (i.e. "It's all right, after us, nothing matters").
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World

Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat WorldSongwriter Interviews

Jim talks about the impact of "The Middle" and uses a tree metaphor to describe his songwriting philosophy.

Song Titles That Inspired Movies

Song Titles That Inspired MoviesSong Writing

Famous songs that lent their titles - and in some cases storylines - to movies.

Jim McCarty of The Yardbirds

Jim McCarty of The YardbirdsSongwriter Interviews

The Yardbirds drummer explains how they created their sound and talks about working with their famous guitarists.

Ian Gillan of Deep Purple

Ian Gillan of Deep PurpleSongwriter Interviews

Deep Purple frontman Ian Gillan explains the "few red lights" in "Smoke On The Water" and talks about songs from their 2020 album Whoosh!

Superman in Song

Superman in SongSong Writing

Not everyone can be a superhero, but that hasn't stopped generations of musicians from trying to be Superman.

Rick Astley

Rick AstleySongwriter Interviews

Rick Astley on "Never Gonna Give You Up," "Cry For Help," and his remarkable resurgence that gave him another #1 UK album.