☝️ Key Points
- The song lyrics are about an encounter with a spirit who introduces themselves as a lost little ghost.
- The spirit has all the characteristics of a typical ghost and moves in a mysterious way.
- The narrator is touched by the spirit's distress and falls in love with them.
- The song lyrics address transience, longing for human love, and contain many references and wordplay.
- At the end of the song, it is hinted that the narrator has dreamed about their nocturnal encounter with the spirit.
Interpretation
In the song lyrics "Le fantôme" by
Georges Brassens, it is about an encounter with a ghost. The ghost is wrapped in a white sheet and has all the characteristics of a ghost. The narrator describes the way the ghost moves and how it swings its hips. It turns out that the ghost is female and introduces herself as a lost little ghost. She tells how her fire lights and bone games have been lost and how she now lives in a world where people no longer truly believe in ghosts.
The narrator is touched by the ghost's plight and offers to accompany her home. On the way, the wind exposes the ghost and the narrator sees that despite the lack of bone games, she has a unique grace. The narrator falls in love with the ghost and invites her to see his collection of icons and prints.
At the end of the song, the narrator is awakened by his father calling him to mass. It is implied that the narrator has dreamt of his nocturnal encounter with the ghost.
The song lyrics are about the encounter with a ghost and also touch on the transience and longing for human love. They are written in a poetic and humorous manner and contain many references and wordplay.