The end of the day
I'd bicycle down to
A little café
On the ???
I'd look for my June
Fitzgerald or Zelda
With whom I could talk
About our work from that day
The special kind of animal
So heady
Human encyclopedias
So petty
Expatriate in L.A.
Hanging out in a café
Looking for someone who knows
Why am I still this way
I exiled myself
From a homeland that hurt me
And didn't believe
In the things that I made
I came to a place
Where I could be a hero
And my soul could be saved
In a loving embrace
The special kind of animal
So heady
Human encyclopedias
So petty
Expatriate in L.A.
Hanging out in a café (hanging out!)
Looking for someone who knows
Why am I still this way
Justin et Adam sont en train de disparaître
Expatriate in L.A.
Hanging out in a café (hanging out!)
Looking for someone who knows
Why am I still this way
Why am I still this way
Expatriates in Paris
| "Expatriates in Paris" | ||
|---|---|---|
|
||
| Demo by Weezer | ||
| Album | Weezma: Daniel, Ryen & Rivers | |
| Writer(s) | Rivers Cuomo, Daniel Brummel, Ryen Slegr | |
| Status | Released | |
"Expatriates in Paris" (also demoed under the title "Expatriates in L.A.") is a song written by Rivers Cuomo in collaboration with musicians Daniel Brummel and Ryen Slegr (of the band Ozma).
Appearances
- Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years (2020)
- Weezma: Daniel, Ryen & Rivers (2020)
Background
"Expatriates in Paris" was co-written by Rivers Cuomo with Ozma musicians Daniel Brummel and Ryen Slegr around 2012. The song was previewed to fans at focus groups in the years leading up to the release of Weezer's 2014 album, Everything Will Be Alright in the End. Though the song remained otherwise unheard, fans who attended re-created the memory from memory. Cuomo confirmed on May 1, 2020 that the song was co-written with Brummel and Slegr. Piano sketches of the song's melody, recorded by Cuomo, were released in November of that year as part of the digital compilation Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years, and several full demos of the song were released on December 11 as part of the compilation Weezma: Daniel, Ryen & Rivers.
The lyrics for "Expatriates in Paris" allude to a desire for intellectual discussion, likening the singer to Henry Miller and F. Scott Fitzgerald (and their respective wives, June Miller and Zelda Fitzgerald) meeting in a cafe in Paris, France. While both writers had taken time as expatriate writers in Paris, it is unlikely they ever met. Though unconfirmed, the "Justin" and "Adam" mentioned in the song's bridge may refer to Justin Fisher and Adam Orth, friends of Cuomo's since childhood.
Lyrics
The end of the day
They gathered together
In a little café
On the bank of the Seine
Miller had June
Fitzgerald had Zelda
And they traded their tales
Of the work from that day
A special kind of animal
So heady
Human encyclopedias
So petty
Expatriates in Paris
Hanging out in a café (hanging out!)
Talking 'bout the day's events
Why can't we be that way?
I exiled myself
From a homeland that hurt me
And didn't believe
In the things that I made
I came to a place
Where I could be a hero
And my soul could be saved
In a loving embrace
A special kind of animal
So heady
Human encyclopedias
So petty
Expatriates in Paris
Hanging out in a café (hanging out!)
Talking 'bout the day's events
Why can't we be that way?
Justin et Adam sont en train de disparaître
Expatriates in Paris
Hanging out in a café (hanging out!)
Talking 'bout the day's events
Why can't we be that way?
Why can't we be that way?
Known recordings
| Performer(s) | Title | Filename | Date of recording | Recording location | Length | Appeared on | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rivers Cuomo | sappy piano 8-27-2012 9h47m25s.mp3 | August 27, 2012 | 7:10 | Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years | |||
| Ryen Slegr | I'm Getting Fat | I'M GETTING FAT - ROUGH 1 - SEPT 8.mp3 | September 8, ? | 4:24 | Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years | ||
| Ryen Slegr | I'm Getting Fat | I'M GETTING FAT(scratchvcl) - ROUGH.mp3 | September 8, ? | 4:24 | Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years | ||
| Rivers Cuomo | Work 9-12-2012 9h18m11s.mp3 | September 12, 2012 | 3:44 | Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years | |||
| Rivers Cuomo | Work 9-12-2012 9h22m13s.mp3 | September 12, 2012 | 0:53 | Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years | |||
| Rivers Cuomo | Work 9-12-2012 9h24m31s.mp3 | September 12, 2012 | 0:45 | Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years | |||
| Rivers Cuomo, Ryen Slegr | Expatriates in Paris | Expatriates In Paris 1.mp3 | 2012—2014 | 4:20 | Weezma: Daniel, Ryen & Rivers | ||
| Rivers Cuomo, Ryen Slegr | Expatriates in Paris | Expatriates In Paris 2 we be.mp3 | 2012—2014 | 4:17 | Weezma: Daniel, Ryen & Rivers | ||
| Rivers Cuomo, Ryen Slegr | Expatriates in Paris | Expatriates In Paris 4.mp3 | 2012—2014 | 4:17 | Weezma: Daniel, Ryen & Rivers | ||
| Rivers Cuomo, Ryen Slegr | Expatriates in Paris | Expatriates In Paris 5.mp3 | 2012—2014 | 3:49 | Weezma: Daniel, Ryen & Rivers | ||
| Rivers Cuomo, Ryen Slegr | Expatriates in Paris | Expatriates In Paris 6.mp3 | 2012—2014 | 3:49 | Weezma: Daniel, Ryen & Rivers | ||
| Rivers Cuomo, Ryen Slegr | Expatriates in L.A. | Expatriate In LA 7.mp3 | 2012—2014 | 3:47 | Weezma: Daniel, Ryen & Rivers | ||
| Rivers Cuomo, Ryen Slegr | Expatriates in L.A. | Expatriate In LA 8.mp3 | 2012—2014 | 3:47 | Weezma: Daniel, Ryen & Rivers | ||
| Rivers Cuomo, Ryen Slegr | Expatriates in Paris | Expatriates In Paris 9.mp3 | 2012—2014 | 3:45 | Weezma: Daniel, Ryen & Rivers | ||
| Rivers Cuomo, Ryen Slegr | Expatriates in Paris | Expatriates In Paris 10.mp3 | 2012—2014 | 4:28 | Weezma: Daniel, Ryen & Rivers | ||
| Rivers Cuomo, Ryen Slegr | Expatriates in Paris | Expatriates In Paris 10 1.mp3 | 2012—2014 | 4:28 | Weezma: Daniel, Ryen & Rivers | ||
| Rivers Cuomo, Ryen Slegr | Expatriates in Paris | Expatriates In Paris 11.mp3 | 2012—2014 | 3:45 | Weezma: Daniel, Ryen & Rivers |