Babylon Circus is a ten piece ska and reggae group founded in 1995 in Lyon,… Read Full Bio ↴Babylon Circus is a ten piece ska and reggae group founded in 1995 in Lyon, France. Since forming, they have released four full - length albums and one EP. They have played over 1000 shows throughout Europe, and have toured as far as Syria and Australia.

The band began as a ska group but quickly transcended the genre, mixing punk, reggae, rock, swing and jazz influences. They sing in both French and English, sometimes mixing the two in songs. Their third album, Dances of Resistance, was recorded in 2003 and largely has an anti-war theme. In 2009 they launched their latest album La Belle Étoile. Since then they are still on tour all over the world, from their own country France to other countries in Europe, but also to foreign places like Abu Dhabi and New Zealand.

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La cigarette
Babylon Circus Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

La cigarette après l'amour
Ne s'écrase qu'au petit jour
Les mégots plein le cendrier
Voulaient p't-être dire qu'on s'est aimé

Dadadadadadadadaiii
Dadadadadadadadaiii

Tu m'as écris une belle histoire
Sans un début, sans une fin
Une parenthèse dans mon hazard
Un aparté dans mon destin

Dadadadadadadadaiii
Dadadadadadadadaiii

Mais les jours s'écoulent trop vite
Sans même le temps de rattraper
Comme une plaisanterie sans suite
Sans un début sans une fin

Mais p't être qu'un jour
Mais p't être qu'un soir
On s'retrouvera dans l'même train
Histoire de r'commencer l'histoire
Sans un début sans une fin

Dadadadadadadadaiii
Dadadadadadadadaiii

La cigarette après l'amour ...

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Babylon Circus's song "La cigarette" describe the aftermath of a passionate moment between two people. The cigarette after making love is a symbol of this intimacy and the lingering feelings that remain after the act is done. The cigarette is portrayed as something that only gets extinguished at daybreak, and the ashtray full of cigarette butts could be seen as a physical testament to the love that was shared.

The song then shifts to describing the relationship between the two people. The singer mentions that the other person has written a beautiful story for them, but it's a story without a beginning or an end. It's a fleeting moment in their lives, but it has left a lasting impact. The singer sees this moment as a parenthesis in their fate and a reprieve from the randomness of life.

However, time passes too quickly, and before they know it, their story is over. It's like a joke without a punchline, a story without a conclusion. But the singer remains hopeful that perhaps one day, they will meet again, and they will have the chance to start their story anew, without a beginning or end, just like the cigarette after making love.

Overall, the song is a beautiful yet melancholic reflection on the fleeting nature of love and intimacy. It's a reminder that sometimes the most significant moments in our lives are the ones that are over too quickly, and we can only hope to capture that feeling again.

Line by Line Meaning

La cigarette après l'amour
Smoking a cigarette after sex

Ne s'écrase qu'au petit jour
Cigarette is smoked until daybreak

Les mégots plein le cendrier
Ashtray full of cigarette butts

Voulaient p't-être dire qu'on s'est aimé
Maybe they signify that we loved each other

Tu m'as écris une belle histoire
You wrote me a beautiful story

Sans un début, sans une fin
Without a beginning, without an end

Une parenthèse dans mon hazard
A parenthesis in my fate

Un aparté dans mon destin
A digression in my destiny

Mais les jours s'écoulent trop vite
But the days pass too quickly

Sans même le temps de rattraper
Without even time to catch up

Comme une plaisanterie sans suite
Like a joke without a punchline