☝️ Key Points
- The song is about a painful breakup and the difficulty of saying goodbye to a loved one.
- The singer expresses her fear of having negative reactions under any circumstances in order to not act impulsively or unhappily.
- The repeated chorus emphasizes her insecurity with the question 'how do you say goodbye'.
- She feels the need to understand why the relationship failed and is searching for answers.
- She blames her partner for simply giving up on the times they shared and shows that she is hurt and disappointed.
Interpretation
The song 'Comment te dire adieu' by
Francoise Hardy is an emotional narrative about the end of a relationship and the pain associated with saying goodbye to a loved one.
The lines 'Sous aucun prétexte, je ne veux, avoir de réflexes malheureux' mean that the singer does not want to have negative reactions under any circumstances. She does not want to act impulsively or unhappily when she has to say goodbye.
The chorus 'Comment te dire adieu' expresses the difficulty and uncertainty of how to say 'goodbye'. She is confused and unsure of how to handle the situation, and this is emphasized by the repetition of the question 'Comment te dire adieu'.
The lines 'Je sais bien qu'un ex amour n'a pas de chance, ou si peu, mais pour moi un explication voudrait mieux' express that she knows that a past love has little chance, but for her an explanation would be better. She wants to understand why the relationship failed and is searching for answers.
In the lines 'Tu as mis à l'index nos nuits blanches, nos matins gris-bleu' the singer accuses her partner of giving up their sleepless nights and gray-blue mornings. She feels hurt and disappointed that her partner would so easily abandon those shared times.
The song is a poignant expression of heartbreak and loss, and shows the difficulty of letting go of someone you have loved.