Late Goodbye Lyrics
on the asphalt underneath, our crushed plans and my lies
lonely street signs, powerlines, they keep on flashing, flashing by
it's a late goodbye, such a late goodbye
and we keep driving into the night
it's a late goodbye
you made me strong when I was feeling weak, and we crossed, that one time
screaming stop signs, staring wild eyes, keep on flashing, flashing by
it's a late goodbye, such a late goodbye
and we keep driving into the night
it's a late goodbye
points at your flaming hair, and then we're playing hide and seek
I can't breathe easy here, less our trail's gone cold behind us
till' in the john mirror you stare at yourself grown old and weak
it's a late goodbye, such a late goodbye...
Actually one of the mobsters says that it's because "he's in the John and he's looking at himself in the mirror" if you listen to his conversation before springing out into their view.
Now moving away from the game for just a moment to focus on the song...yes, the game was well written but we have to see them as two separate pieces of art...
The speaker has obviously made some mistakes in his life from the first stanza, partially due to his lies, but at the same time, time progresses on and the couple continues to move on. Perhaps also the other may have broken it off along the way, giving him not chance to say goodbye, so any farewell or closier for him is nonexistent, of which he is now lamenting.
Which leads into the second verse, describing just that. The speaker now realizes what the other actually had done for them. By crossing "that line" (the boundary or wall that we all seem to hold in the modern world) and allowing themselves to love, they have been given strength of some kind.
The third verse stands out to me (and also hits the closest to home for me personally). The devil's hand is basically all the problems he's gone through throughout the past, who also delights in seeing one run while he is hiding from his problems. But despite these uneasy feelings, one must allow themselves to love and to cherish that love; if you allow the troubles of your past to make you grow cold, you're going to see yourself one day in a bathroom mirror somewhere and stair at what you've actually become, an old, cold, bitter misanthropist, beyond the joys you could have had in your younger days.
Even if that love is lost, you can still feel a kind of strength from it. Going back to the game, towards the end, Max even talks about what Mona had done for him. And I think there's something in the last line, "Last night, I had a dream about my wife. She was dead, but it was alright."
I always thought that John Mirra was Max Panye's psyche. Max would look in the mirror and see something evil and despicable. Likewise, many people would not notice themselves growing old until one day "all the changes become apparent" all at once.
I always thought that John Mirra was Max Panye's psyche. Max would look in the mirror and see something evil and despicable. Likewise, many people would not notice themselves growing old until one day "all the changes become apparent" all at once.
It's cool that you guys put a lot of thought into this, but Sam Lake is the guy who wrote these lyrics. They are from a poem that he wrote about a dream/nightmare he had. He worked on Max Payne 2, and they got Poets of the Fall to change the lyrics just a bit, and this is the final version you see here.
Now anyone who had played the game obviously knows it fits extremely well with the game, and that the song itself is possibly an allusion or metaphor for something in the game. But the song rules nonetheless and it's open to intrepretation.
I like the acustics in this song. They are really rich.
OST Max Payne 2! Cool Song for Cool Game!!!
OST Max Payne 2! Cool Song for a cool Game!!!
This song got me into their music. Great song, fits the mood of Max Payne 2 perfectly. A treat to hear it as the end credit music.
A couple runs away from their failed dreams old and depressed.
The first two verses are pretty straight forward, a couple, drives, either in a real car, or a metaphor car (like something that keeps going -- time), and they solve their problems together - "your breath hot upon my cheeck, and we crossed, that line you made me strong when I was feeling weak, and we crossed, that one time"
"(the) devil grins from ear to ear when he sees the hand he's dealt us, points at your flaming hair, and then we're playing hide and seek" (the real lyrics has no "the" before "devil") This part is when the couple begins to relinquish on their relationship. Another hint (1st verse): "our crushed plans and my lies"
"I can't breathe easy here, less our trail's gone cold behind us" This in my opinion is the most difficult to interpret, I believe "trail" resembles their past here, it has gone cold, i.e far, forgettable, etc...
"till' in the john mirror you stare at yourself grown old and weak" Their relationship was probably long making them older than what they used to be when they first met. Also note, the "John" before "mirror" is something from Max Payne 2, if you played it and noticed the TV shows, it's a character that is hunted by his evil brother, I have no idea why they put it there.
"And we keep driving into the night, it's a late goodbye, such a late goodbye" They leave each other after a long time.
Guess, the john mirror is just a mirror in a toilet, isn't it? To me, the song is a symbol of flight, at attempt to escape, an eternal flight until one gets old and weak.
On the subject of the 'John mirror' line, I've heard in a few places that this song was written FOR Max Payne 2.
Anyway, anyone who's played the game and listened to the various tvs will probably remember Address Unknown, in which the villan is called 'John Mirra'.
I'm sure it IS refering to a toilet mirror, but still, I doubt it's a full coincidence.