Flapper Girl
Whispers of Love and Loss in The Lumineers' Flapper Girl
Lyrics
Cut off all of your hair
Cutting off all of your hair, possibly symbolizing a significant change or transformation.
Did you flinch did you care
Questioning whether the person reacted or cared about the action of cutting hair.
Did he look, did he stop and stare
Asking if someone noticed, paused, or admired the new hairstyle.
At your brand new hair?
Asking specifically if a particular individual observed the new hair.
Local boy, local news
Reference to local events or individuals in the area.
Power lines, hangin' boots
Imagery of mundane or ordinary scenes like power lines and hanging boots.
Firemen in their trucks cut loose
Firemen in action, potentially symbolizing excitement or chaos in the local area.
A local boy's shoes
Specifically referring to a local boy's footwear.
Cadillac, Cadillac
Reference to a Cadillac, symbolizing luxury or success.
Businessmen dressed in slacks
Describing businessmen dressed formally.
I'ma buy one for us when I get back
Expressing a desire to purchase a Cadillac for both the singer and someone else.
A big Cadillac
Reiterating the desire for a grand Cadillac.
And you can wave to all of your friends
Promising not to leave the listener and maintain the relationship.
And I'll never leave you again
A commitment to stay with the listener.
Would you write, would you call back, baby
Asking if the listener would respond or acknowledge communication.
If I wrote you a song?
Hypothetical scenario about writing a song to the listener.
I been gone but you're still my lady
Acknowledging absence but affirming the relationship.
And I need you at home
Expressing a need for the listener to be at home.
Romeo, Juliet
Reference to the famous literary characters Romeo and Juliet.
Balcony silhouette
Imagery of a silhouette on a balcony, reminiscent of Romeo and Juliet.
Makin' o's with her cigarette
Describing Juliet making circles or 'o's with her cigarette smoke.
It's Juliet
Identifying the character as Juliet from the previous lines.
Flapper girl, flapper girl
Reference to a 'flapper girl,' a term from the 1920s for a fashionable, unconventional young woman.
Prohibition in curls
Connecting the 'flapper girl' with the Prohibition era, symbolizing rebellion or non-conformity.
Hair of gold and a neck of pearls
Describing physical attributes of the 'flapper girl.'
It's flapper girl
Reiterating the identity of the 'flapper girl.'
And you can wave to all of your friends
Repeating the promise of not leaving and maintaining connections.
And I'll never leave you again
Committing to staying with the listener.
Would you write, would you call back, baby
Similar to lines 18-21, questioning a response from the listener through communication.
If I wrote you a song?
Reiterating the hypothetical scenario of writing a song to the listener.
I been gone but you're still my lady
Stressing absence but reaffirming commitment to the relationship.
And I need you at home
Expressing a need for the listener to be at home.
'Cause If you ain't behind my door
Highlighting the importance of the listener's presence for the singer's feeling of having a home.
Then I ain't got a home anymore
Emphasizing the dependency on the listener for a sense of home.
Would you write, would you call back, baby
Repeating the query about acknowledgment through communication.
If I wrote you a song?
Reiterating the hypothetical scenario of writing a song to the listener.
I been gone but you're still my lady
Reaffirming absence but confirming the significance of the relationship.
And I need you at home
Expressing a need for the listener to be at home.
Lovers come, lovers go
Noting the transitory nature of romantic partners in the singer's life.
Lovers leave me alone
Expressing a feeling of being abandoned or left alone by lovers.
She'll come back to me
Belief or hope that a particular person will return to the singer.
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