☝️ Key Points
- The song lyrics are about strangers, foreigners who come to the city and how they are perceived by people.
- Metaphors of boats and women are used to describe the relationship between the strangers and Paris.
- The lyrics mention events in April 1968 that demonstrate unity and solidarity among people.
- It talks about the need to navigate in life and compares the heart of the stranger to rocks washed by a storm surge.
- The lyrics end with a reference to the year 10000 and the galaxies, which evokes a silence and the nights when one cries and leaves.
Interpretation
The lyrics of the song 'Les étrangers' by
Léo Ferré are about foreigners, the strangers who come to the city and how they are perceived by people. The text combines the metaphor of boats and women to describe the relationship between foreigners and Paris.
The song begins with the description of a scene of sailboats, where the boats are treated like women, but in Paris they don't go fishing. The singer then compares the eyes of the stranger to the sea and his appearance to a boat. It is mentioned that the stranger's mother gave him two diamonds that he wears when facing his destiny.
The text also refers to events in April 1968, when the singer and his friends experienced a tragedy and rescued a lost dog. There is a story of a moment of solidarity when the sea came with the strangers and people watched them. In the streets of Lorient or Brest, there was always a sailor who revived his sailboat.
The text also plays with the metaphor of the sea and navigation. It talks about navigation and the need to navigate in the water. The singer compares the stranger's heart to rocks washed by a high tide and mentions that his mother gave him two anchors that can be read in the lines of his hand.
Memories of the April 1968 riots are also evoked, when the singer and his friends were 'at the end of thousands of nights' and the day dawned with nothing to lose.
The text ends with a reference to the year 10000, when the singer and his friends came with their galaxies, which brought about a desired silence and the nights when one cried and left.
In summary, the lyrics of the song 'Les étrangers' by Léo Ferré are about the relationship between foreigners and Paris, about solidarity in difficult times, and about the importance of navigating in life. It uses the metaphor of the sea and boats to illustrate these themes.