Après moi le déluge

I like the song “Après moi” by Regina Spektor. I like the drama, the emotion, the darkness, the strength. When I listen to Regina I almost see the music in shapes and colors and I get the feeling that she also does. Maybee she doesn’t, maybe she experiences the music some other way that I can’t imagine. But since I am a visual artist I see most of the things I experience in shapes and colors. I like words. I like the meaning of words. I like the fact that there are words for thoughts that you thought were your own. “Après moi le déluge” isn’t one of those but the words sounds beautiful and powerful. I had no idea what they ment so I looked it up. It is obviously French and means, like Regina sings in the song, “after me comes the flood”. The Remark is attributed to Louis XV of France.

From wiki:

après nous, le déluge

literally: After us, the deluge, a remark attributed to Louis XV of France in reference to the impending end of a functioning French monarchy and predicting the French Revolution.

Louis enjoyed a favorable reputation at the beginning of his reign and earned the epithet “le Bien-Aimé” (“the Beloved”). In time, the debauchery of his court, the return of the Austrian Netherlands (which was gained following the Battle of Fontenoy) at Aix-la-Chapelle, and the cession of New France at the conclusion of the Seven Years’ War led Louis to become one of the most unpopular kings in the history of France. He was succeeded by his grandson Louis XVI.

Louis XV’s ill-advised financial policies damaged the power of France, weakened the treasury, discredited the monarchy, and arguably led to the French Revolution which broke out 15 years after his death.