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Intoxicated Man
Serge Gainsbourg Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Je bois
À trop forte dose
Je vois
Des éléphants roses
Des araignées sur le plastron
De mon smoking
Des chauves-souris au plafond
Du living-room

Eh toi
Dis-moi quelque chose
Tu es là
Comme un marbre rose
Aussi glacé que le plastron
De mon smoking
Aussi pâle que le plafond
Du living-room

L'amour
Ne dit plus grand chose
Toujours
Ces éléphants roses
Ces araignées sur le plastron
De mon smoking
Ces chauves-souris au plafond
Du living-room

Eh toi
Dis-moi quelque chose
Tu es là
Comme un marbre rose
Aussi glacé que le plastron
De mon smoking
Aussi pâle que le plafond
Du living-room

Overall Meaning

The song "Intoxicated man" by Serge Gainsbourg is a melancholic and introspective piece about the pitfalls of excessive drinking and the numbness that follows after. The opening line "Je bois, à trop forte dose" (I drink, in excessive amounts) sets the tone for the entire song, as Gainsbourg proceeds to describe the strange and hallucinatory experiences he has while intoxicated. He sees pink elephants and spiders crawling on his tuxedo, as well as bats flying around his living room. The lyrics convey a sense of disorientation and detachment from reality, as if the world around him is morphing into something unfamiliar and unsettling.


The chorus of the song repeats the lines "Eh toi, dis-moi quelque chose" (Hey you, say something to me) as if Gainsbourg is desperately seeking a connection with someone, anyone, to break through the haze of his drunkenness. The phrase "Comme un marbre rose" (Like a pink marble) is used to describe both the person he is addressing and the lapel of his tuxedo, suggesting a parallel between their respective emotional states. The repetition of the phrase "L'amour ne dit plus grand chose" (Love doesn't really mean anything anymore) highlights the sense of disillusionment that underlies the song, as if Gainsbourg has lost his capacity to feel deeply.


In many ways, "Intoxicated man" is a song about emotional numbness and the search for meaning in a world that feels increasingly surreal and empty. The use of vivid and surreal imagery, as well as the melancholic melody and sparse instrumentation, add to the haunting and introspective mood of the song.


Line by Line Meaning

Je bois
I drink


À trop forte dose
In excessive amounts


Je vois
I see


Des éléphants roses
Pink elephants


Des araignées sur le plastron
Spiders on the lapel


De mon smoking
Of my dinner jacket


Des chauves-souris au plafond
Bats on the ceiling


Du living-room
In the living room


Eh toi
Hey you


Dis-moi quelque chose
Tell me something


Tu es là
You are here


Comme un marbre rose
Like a pink marble


Aussi glacé que le plastron
As frozen as the lapel


Aussi pâle que le plafond
As pale as the ceiling


L'amour
Love


Ne dit plus grand chose
Doesn't mean much anymore


Toujours
Always


Ces éléphants roses
These pink elephants


Ces araignées sur le plastron
These spiders on the lapel


De mon smoking
Of my dinner jacket


Ces chauves-souris au plafond
These bats on the ceiling


Du living-room
In the living room


Eh toi
Hey you


Dis-moi quelque chose
Tell me something


Tu es là
You are here


Comme un marbre rose
Like a pink marble


Aussi glacé que le plastron
As frozen as the lapel


Aussi pâle que le plafond
As pale as the ceiling




Lyrics © MELODY NELSON PUBLISHING, Universal Music Publishing Group, WARNER CHAPPELL MUSIC FRANCE
Written by: Serge Gainsbourg

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@jackcagliostro36

Je bois
À trop forte dose
Je vois
Des éléphants roses
Des araignées sur le plastron
De mon smoking
Des chauves-souris au plafond
Du living-room
Eh toi
Dis-moi quelque chose
Tu es là
Comme un marbre rose
Aussi glacé que le plastron
De mon smoking
Aussi pâle que le plafond
Du living-room
L'amour
Ne dit plus grand chose
Toujours
Ces éléphants roses
Ces araignées sur le plastron
De mon smoking
Ces chauves-souris au plafond
Du living-room
Eh toi
Dis-moi quelque chose
Tu es là
Comme un marbre rose
Aussi glacé que le plastron
De mon smoking
Aussi pâle que le plafond
Du living-room



All comments from YouTube:

@rachrach8647

Grande classe !!! Meme s'il n'aimait pas sa voix de cette époque, ca reste une chanson d'une grande élégance... Vive Lucien ! ;)

@mewrth

Définitivement un des meilleurs enregistrements d'orgue Hammond de tous les temps.

@Charlie-fx9dp

Gainsbourg jazz... Excellent...

@francoisegille3887

Excellent...pas mal...
Des sacres textes...
Personne unique en son genre...❤

@RedSonja9965

I love this song!!

@user-ge5xs2li9k

Ces chansons des débuts étaient avant-gardistes et formidables.
Mais elles ne conqueraient qu'un petit public

@jpbskb

J' ADORE inoubliable Serge :-)

@djmusicjac

beautiful french romanticism music, the french produce best romantic music in the world, must be french accent and the beautiful music composing

@LeGabrielCantal

It's song about drinking alcool and being drunk.

@alexdesslin

superbissime !

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