embedded question: The question is embedded, so the word order stays statement-like after 'what bus'.
Okay. You know what bus you're taking to the airport, right?Before Sunrise · 1995 — Chapter 20 of 20 · 2'15" · B1
Two Lovers Say Goodbye at Track Nine, Explained: have a great life
They check the airport bus, then the train that is about to leave, and keep the goodbye on small details. A departure bell rings, and someone finally says, "I hate this." What started as a farewell turns into a plan to meet again at track nine.
What happens
Two people are saying goodbye at a train station. They check which bus goes to the airport and mention a train that is about to leave. After the departure bell, one says, "I hate this." Then someone brings up all the talk about never seeing each other again, and the conversation reopens.
Listen for
I was waiting for you tohave a great lifesix months from nowI was afraid maybe
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Now
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Phrase of the scene
have a great life
wish someone a good life
The train is leaving, and one line turns the goodbye into a wish: have a great life, then Have fun with everything you're gonna do.
I hope you have a great life in Toronto.
Also in this scene
- I was waiting for you to
I was waiting for you to say it first
- six months from now
six months counted from now (or another starting point)
- I was afraid maybe
I was afraid that maybe...
- seeing each other
meeting or dating each other
- all the way
the whole distance
Everything marked in this scene
25 notes across 42 lines
In fast speech, let 'what bus you're' run together and keep the t light.
Okay. You know what bus you're taking to the airport, right?board a vehicle
- Yeah, no problem. - I should get on this one.want to — Informal speech for 'want to'; avoid in writing.
- Right here? You wanna get on that one? - Yeah.enjoy doing something
Have a great life. Have fun with everything you're gonna do.wish success in something
All right, all right. Good luck with school and all that.and similar things
All right, all right. Good luck with school and all that.on the point of doing
- Me too. The train is about to leave. - Yeah.Keep 'about to' almost fused, with a very light t.
- Me too. The train is about to leave. - Yeah.discuss something
Listen. All this bullshit we were talkin' about — about not seeing each other again?meeting or dating each other
In 'about not seeing each other again,' seeing each other simply means meeting or keeping in touch.
Listen. All this bullshit we were talkin' about — about not seeing each other again?omitted relative pronoun: The relative pronoun is left out after 'bullshit'; 'we were talking about' modifies it.
Listen. All this bullshit we were talkin' about — about not seeing each other again?nonsense — Blunt and informal; avoid it in formal settings.
Listen. All this bullshit we were talkin' about — about not seeing each other again?expect you to do something
- You don't either? - I was waiting for you tofor-infinitive: 'For you to' marks who is expected to do the action after 'wait'.
- You don't either? - I was waiting for you toLet 'for' shrink to a soft f-sound; stress 'waiting' and 'you'.
- You don't either? - I was waiting for you toor something like that
Maybe — Maybe we should meet here in five years or something.how about
- How 'bout one year? - One year. All right. All — - One — How 'bout six months? - Six months?be extremely cold
- Yeah. - It's gonna be freezing.another place
Who cares? We come here, we go somewhere else.non-restrictive relative clause: 'Which' refers back to last night and adds the date as extra information.
which was, uh, June 16.Put the stress on 'way' and hurry through 'all the' to show distance.
It's a train ride for you. I gotta fly all the way over here and shit like that.stuff like that — Casual and vulgar; not for polite company.
It's a train ride for you. I gotta fly all the way over here and shit like that.say farewell
All right. Your train's gonna leave. Say good-bye.see you later — Very casual goodbye; too offhand for formal partings.
Later.Two Lovers Say Goodbye at Track Nine, explained
What's really going on
The practical talk keeps the goodbye moving: the airport bus, the train about to leave, track nine. A departure bell interrupts, and "I hate this" is the first line that says what the schedule cannot; the reply, "Me too," makes the feeling shared. When someone calls the earlier no-contact talk "all this bullshit," the plan is reopened, and both say, "I don't wanna do that." Then the meeting gets negotiated like a schedule — five years is "a long time," one year, then six months, and the cold is waved off with "Who cares?" The careful part is in "I was afraid maybe you didn't want to see me."
Theme
RomanceA goodbye at a train station turns into a plan to meet six months later at track nine; talk of calling or writing is brushed aside.
HeartbreakThe farewell hurts because "I hate this" and "Me too" say what the travel plans leave out.
Listen for
- what bus you're — In fast speech, let 'what bus you're' run together and keep the t light.
- about to — Keep 'about to' almost fused, with a very light t.
- waiting for you — Let 'for' shrink to a soft f-sound; stress 'waiting' and 'you'.
- all the way — Put the stress on 'way' and hurry through 'all the' to show distance.
Have a great life. Have fun with everything you're gonna do.A farewell blessing that sounds casual but covers everything ahead: be happy and enjoy whatever you do. It avoids saying the harder thing directly.
Well, I hate this.The polite goodbye breaks: one person admits the parting itself is unbearable, not the travel plan.
Maybe — Maybe we should meet here in five years or something.A tentative proposal to turn a final goodbye into a future appointment, softened by 'maybe' and 'or something.'
Yes, it's awful. It's like a sociological experiment.The five-year gap is called awful and compared to a test run on them, a half-joking way of saying the wait is absurd.
Who cares? We come here, we go somewhere else.A dismissal of the cold weather: the meeting matters more than comfort, and the rest can be decided later.
But I'm gonna be here.A plain promise of presence. After all the logistics and hesitation, this is the commitment that answers them.
Questions about this scene
What does "How 'bout" mean in this scene?
It is the spoken form of "how about," used to suggest an option. Here it introduces a shorter wait: "How 'bout one year?" and then "How 'bout six months?"
Why do they agree not to call or write?
One line suggests no calling or writing, and the reply is "Nah, it's depressing." The dialogue gives that feeling as the reason.
Why does one of them point out the train ride versus the flight?
The line "It's a train ride for you. I gotta fly all the way over here" lays out the travel gap, and it is followed by "But I'm gonna be here."
What does "I was afraid maybe" add to the reply?
It softens the reason for not speaking. The reply is "I was afraid maybe you didn't want to see me": the fear, not indifference, kept the person quiet.
Before Sunrise · 20 chapters
All chapters →
Chapter 1weeks on endStrangers Trade Stories on a Train
Chapter 2the poetry of day-to-day lifePitching a Year-Long TV Show
Chapter 3passive-aggressiveTwo Passengers Talk Childhood and Death
Chapter 4a bad liarTwo Travelers Claim a Honeymoon
Chapter 5scare the hell out of someoneTwo People Play a Q&A Game
Chapter 6piss someone offStrangers Trade Pet Peeves on a Train
Chapter 7romantic projectionsTwo People Talk About Parents and Love
Chapter 8resign yourself toPalm Reading in Vienna
Chapter 9dress rehearsalChurch Talk on Death and Quakers
Chapter 10blank canvasWhat Would Drive You Mad
Chapter 11make a deal withPoet Writes a Poem for a Word
Chapter 12a real prizewinnerAsking About an Ex-Boyfriend
Chapter 13let it sink inA Man Recounts His Madrid Heartbreak
Chapter 14fool aroundTwo People Debate Men, Women and Monkeys
Chapter 15fear of commitmentBirth Dance Talk Turns to Love
Chapter 16fall for someoneThe Fake Phone Call in Vienna
Chapter 17be a ghostMan Pretends to Call a Friend
Chapter 18fizzle outTwo People Agree to One Night Only
Chapter 19sleep togetherThey Agree Not to Sleep Together
Watching · Chapter 20have a great lifeTwo Lovers Say Goodbye at Track NineThat's all 20 chapters of this film