There are clear historical and literary references in the song which sends it to another level of dissection. The line “après moi, le déluge” comes from Madame de Pompadour, an important mistress of King Louis XV of France in the mid 1700s. Pompadour has been accused of being the reason France went into talks to ally with Austria and Russia before the Seven Years War. When the war was nearing a close and it was apparent that France was to lose she uttered the famous line “après nous, le déluge”. She was right, after all. (Not forty years later did the French Revolution occur.) Now, in terms of the song, why on Earth would Spektor decide to use this quote? Let’s have a look at the lyrics:
I must go on standing
You can’t break that which isn’t yours
I must go on standing
I’m not my own, it’s not my choice
Be afraid of the lame
They’ll inherit your legs
Be afraid of the old
They’ll inherit your souls
Be afraid of the cold
They’ll inherit your blood
Après moi, le déluge
After me comes the flood
[That’s the English part of the song, we’ll deal with the Russian in a bit.]
Well, there is a good amount of talk of “inheritance” (i.e. taking) of human necessities throughout the song. I do not think she’s writing songs for centuries-old French aristocracy, I think it’s more of a scathing social commentary about American ideals and society. She says “I must go on standing” presenting herself as the heroine against the misguided ways of our materialistic society. She tells people to be afraid of the weak not because they will “inherit” their iPhones or their SUV’s but of things that are important for existence (legs, blood, and souls). She has become Pompadour saying. “Après moi, le déluge.” Kind of the, I’m warning you. Its a prophecy, in the Biblical sense. Like all the prophets of the Old Testament who bring the word of God, urging peoples to change their ways before imminent destruction.
I know, you’re thinking. “Hold on- Regina Spektor is a prophet? HUH?!”
No, she’s playing with the idea of revealing prophesy. The most evidence of this is in the line “I’m not my own, it’s not my choice.” She, as the prophet, “must go on standing” because she must impart the truth, warn the peoples of imminent doom, et cetera. [I don’t know what Spektor’s religious views are and I’m not placing any on her. I do know, however, she grew up Jewish. That must have informed this.]
Her internal struggle as the prophet is shown when she sings a part of the Russian poem “Feburary” by Boris Pasternak ( the Nobel prize winner of Dr. Zhivago fame).
февраль
достать чернил и
плакатьписать о
феврале навзрыд
пока
грохочущая
слякоть
весною чёрною горит
(translation:)
February. Get ink, shed tears.
Write of it, sob your heart out, sing,
While torrential slush that roars
Burns in the blackness of the spring.
This verse of the poem chronicles the intensity of what she feels she must do. In a time of roaring fire (seemingly volcanic) [fire and brimstone, anyone?] she must”write of it, sob [her] heart out, [and] sing.”
This is why the sound of the song is so important. It gets the message across. It starts with dark, commanding piano along with her bare voice. Throughout the song instruments keep building ‘till its climax, creating a beautiful yet epic sound (see: the use of horns and bells) that is all the while mournful. 
[That’s why it’s my favorite song.]
It’s a really interesting piece.
I found results like this on a number of websites, but this breakdown was the most fluid and consistant. I’m so glad that this song has such an interesting background. I loved it anyway, but now I love it more. And now I want to go watch my favorite documentary on the Revolution or get back to reading my biography of Marie Antoinette.
Regina Spektor is one of the greatest songwriters/artists of our time, and I wouldn’t doubt for a second that this is exactly what this song is about. When listening to this song, take note of the segment in Russian. It’s desperate and heartfelt and the closest a voice could come to perfect.
