When the rain stops
The boulevards are singing
With the glorious refrain
Of a thousand lovelorn starlings
Finding love again
When the rain stops
The pavements bear the patter
Of a woman’s hurried gait
For, on the corner, he is waiting
With the patience of a saint
When the rain stops
An umbrella is discarded
In the bushes of the park
A coach escapes the traffic
And the tourists disembark
When the rain stops
That first cigarette
Is a signal to all men
That life is there for living
And we will not live again
When the rain stops
In the garden of the chapel
A catalogue of roses
Bow their heads like widowed brides
A priest removes a bookmark
And a soldier steps outside
When the rain stops
The rooftops, they are subject
To the greyness of the grave
Clouds, they disentangle
And they go their separate ways
In the hotel, Saint Germain
You are sleeping like a dream
I would love to be your mirror
To see what it has seen
But instead, I cross the river
To the peals of Notre Dame
I’ve convinced you I’m a lion
When, in truth, I am a lamb
The vendors lift their hatches
And they’re shaking off the rain
And the sun it breaks its cover
And it dances on the Seine
Like a golden ballerina
To a glorious refrain
It’s all picture postcard perfect
And I cannot tell a lie
If you told me this was heaven
Then I would gladly die
If you told me this was heaven
I would just lay down and die