Le France
Michel Sardou Lyrics

The song "Le France" by Michel Sardou is a mournful reflection on the decline of France’s standing in the world. The song is dedicated to the French ocean liner "France", a symbol of French technical and creative expertise in the 1970s, which was retired prematurely due to financial losses. Sardou uses the ocean liner as a metaphor to express his disillusionment with modern-day France. He compares the "Queen Mary", an English ocean liner, to the "France", highlighting the contrast between the illustrious past of France and the current state of decline.

Sardou starts by describing the stranded "Queen Mary" so far from home, abandoned on a Californian dock. He identifies with the ship, empathizing with the other vessels lost to time and circumstance, unable to find their way back home. Then, he laments his own loss of pride in his country, declaring that he no longer wishes to be called "France". Sardou explains that “France” no longer means what it used to; it has abandoned him and left him bereft of any sense of identity.

The chorus echoes the verse, stating “Don't ever call me France again; it's my dying wish", which is reflective of the theme of loss, not just of the ship, but of the cultural and artistic details that made French society unique. Sardou’s hopelessness is manifest in his demand that the "France" be sunk with its back turned towards St. Nazaire, the birthplace of the ship. It is a powerful metaphor for his belief that the glory days of France are gone and that he only wishes to be remembered as a nation of the past.