Le dégoût
Alain Souchon Lyrics

The lyrics of Alain Souchon's "Le dégoût" speak about the internal struggles of a young boy who finds solace in the darkness of night. The opening lines set the tone of the song with the use of the metaphor "Comme la veilleuse laissait tout voir," which means "As the nightlight showed everything." Here, the nightlight could either represent the comforting darkness or the suffocating brightness of reality. The young boy prefers the former and finds himself wandering in the darkness, feeling scared and alone. The phrase "S'en allait tout seul dans le noir/ Avoir peur" ("He went off alone into the dark/To be scared"), emphasizes how he likes to feel the fear but alludes that he could be looking for something in the dark.

The song's protagonist is introverted, and the lyrics reflect his society's rejection of his introversion. He "N'aimait pas les gugusses qui faisaient rire les imbéciles" ("Didn't like the show-offs who made fools laugh"), highlighting society's marginalization of the boy because of his difference. He is characterized by his disgust, vomiting bile on buses, and finding solace in the quiet of empty churches. These lines can be interpreted as a commentary on society's push for individuals to fit into a particular mold, and the rejection that comes with not doing so.

The chorus, which repeats twice in the song, emphasizes the importance of music as a source of emotional expression. The lyrics seem to suggest that opening oneself up and letting emotions out can be cathartic, and can even turn one's pain (chagrin) into something beautiful and valuable (bloc d'or). The lines, "Allez chante fort/ Mets l'dedans dehors/ Chante encore jusqu'à ce que t'es mort," is a call to the boy to keep singing until he can no longer breathe, which is indicative of how the act of singing can be therapeutic, regardless of the quality of the singing.