☝️ Key Points
- The song is about a relationship that is coming to an end and has changed over time.
- It portrays the irony that lovers only realize what truly matters to them when they are saying goodbye.
- The lyrics mention that they play their roles and boast a little, but always forget something.
- It emphasizes that saying goodbye is not easy and that they are too old to still believe in it.
- The song ends by saying that they leave their memories behind and go together, if they want to.
Interpretation
"Salut les amoureux" by
Joe Dassin is about a relationship coming to an end. The lyrics describe how the mood between two lovers has changed over time. They were happy at first, but as time went on, the relationship lost its passion and turned into routine. They were not meant to be together forever, and it's not enough to simply love each other superficially.
The lyrics portray the irony that now, when they have to part ways, suddenly they have so many things to say to each other that matter to them, but time is not enough. They loved each other the way they are saying goodbye now, without thinking about tomorrow. Farewells sometimes go too well, showing that they are aware that their relationship no longer works.
The lyrics also mention that they play their roles, look at each other, laugh, and boast a little. However, they always forget something, indicating that saying goodbye is not easy. They know that maybe tomorrow or even tonight they will realize that not everything is lost. But they are too old to believe in that.
At the end of the lyrics, the story is presented as a simple story that will never be written. They have to leave and leave their memories here. They will go together if they want to. And when the café owner sees us passing by, she will say to us again "Salut les amoureux".
Overall, the song lyrics are about the difficulty of saying goodbye to a relationship that no longer works and the irony of realizing what truly matters only at the moment of farewell.