He first came to the music industry's attention with his collaboration with, and arrangements for, Keren Ann and his sister Coralie Clément. Finally earning a solo contract after many years of struggle, Biolay released his debut album, Rose Kennedy, in 2002. A concept album, Rose Kennedy looks at early 1960s America through the cataractic eyes of the late matriarch, who went from attending dinner parties to suffering the assassination of two of her sons.
Next up was Négatif, a double CD full of sometimes violent imagery surrounding a group of drifters, which included a disaffected, oddly sympathetic, american named Billy Bob. Biolay released two albums in 2005, A L'origine (translated: In The Beginning) is a darker, denser work than his previous outings, while Home is a light, sunny duet album with his wife, started when they noticed that they needed good road trip CD to listen to while on vacation. He has also written film scores, songs and arrangements for such beloved french stars as Francoise Hardy, Juliette Greco and Henri Salvador.
He worked with Elodie Frégé on her second album Le Jeu des 7 erreurs
(including lead single "La Ceinture") which was released in autumn 2006.
Tout ça me tourmente
Benjamin Biolay Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Que t'étais rien
Que t'étais morte de chagrin
Que t'étais seule comme un vieux chien
Qu'tu faisais la gueule dans ton coin
J'ai même pas vu
Que t'étais mal
Que ta peau était pire que pâle
Qu't'étais que dalle
Que tu flottais dans le canal
J'ai même pas vu
Qu't'étais diaphane
Que t'étais comme une fleur qui fane
Les yeux rivés dans les embruns
Que tu serrais trop fort ma main
J'avais pas vu
Qu't'avais des tresses
Je sentais même plus tes caresses
Toi dans la baignoire, tu te touchais dés la nuit noire
Tout ça me tourmente
Tout ça me tourmente
Tout ça me tourmente un peu
La douleur m'éventre
La douleur m'éventre
Mais je ris dès que je peux
Tout ça me tourmente
Tout ça me tourmente
Tout ça me tourmente un peu
Mais dès 20h30, oui dès 20h30
J'ai pas le cœur, j'n'ai que ma queue
J'ai même pas vu
Que j'étais nul
Que j'étais plus que ridicule
Que j'étais tout seul dans ma bulle
Crétin, crâneur, cassant, crédule
J'ai même pas vu
Que t'étais brac
Que t'étais comme une porte qui claque
Que ce soir là, sur le tarmac, tu voulais tant vider ton sac
Tout ça me tourmente
Tout ça me tourmente
Tout ça me tourmente un peu
La douleur m'éventre
La douleur m'éventre
Mais je ris dès que je peux
Tout ça me tourmente
Tout ça me tourmente
Tout ça me tourmente un peu
Mais dès 20h30, oui dès 20h30
J'ai pas le cœur, j'n'ai que ma queue
J'ai même pas vu
Qu't'étais partie par le dernier des vols de nuit
Avec mes rires et les lambris
Le ciel, ton cul et nos amis
Ça me tourmente aussi
Oui, tout ça me tourmente
Tout ça me tourmente
Tout ça me tourmente un peu
La douleur m'éventre
La douleur m'éventre
Mais je ris dès que je peux
Tout ça me tourmente
Tout ça me tourmente
Tout ça me tourmente un peu
Oui la mort me tente
Oui la mort me tente
Mais je vis faute de mieux
Tout ça me tourmente
Tout ça me tourmente
Tout ça me tourmente
Mais dès 20h30, oui dès 20h30
J'ai pas le cœur, j'n'ai que ma queue
Tout ça me tourmente
Tout ça me tourmente
In "Tout ça me tourmente," Benjamin Biolay sings about the pain and turmoil he feels after a failed relationship. The song is a poignant exploration of the aftermath of a breakup, with Biolay expressing his regret for failing to see the signs of his partner's unhappiness and his own shortcomings in the relationship. The lyrics are poignant, with each verse painting a vivid picture of his partner's emotional and physical decline, while the chorus offers a melancholic refrain that serves as a reminder of his own pain.
In the first verse, Biolay sings about his partner's distress, which he failed to notice. He describes how she was "nothing" and "dead with sorrow," but he was oblivious, even as she sat alone and sulked in a corner. In the second verse, he laments her physical decline, noting that her skin was "worse than pale" because she wasn't eating and looked gaunt. She was "floating in the canal" metaphorically, which implies that she was consumed by sadness, and he did not see it.
The third verse speaks directly to the singer's own obliviousness in the relationship. He admits that he did not pay attention to the details of her appearance or the way she touched him. Moreover, he overlooked her attention in self-exploration at night while he slept. The chorus of the song serves as a stark reminder of the misery and heartbreak that both parties experience in a failed relationship. The final verse speaks to the singer's regret for not seeing the signs that his partner needed to leave the relationship. She left on the last night flight with all his memories, and he was left alone with his pain.
Overall, "Tout ça me tourmente" is a profound emotional song that takes an introspective look at relationships and the aftermath of love gone wrong. The lyrics capture the pain of heartbreak, regret for missed opportunities, and the struggle to move on.
Line by Line Meaning
J'ai même pas vu
I didn't even notice
Que t'étais rien
That you were nothing
Que t'étais morte de chagrin
That you were dead with sorrow
Que t'étais seule comme un vieux chien
That you were alone like an old dog
Qu'tu faisais la gueule dans ton coin
That you were sulking in your corner
Que t'étais mal
That you were in pain
Que ta peau était pire que pâle
That your skin was worse than pale
Qu't'avais plus faim
That you were no longer hungry
Qu't'étais que dalle
That you were nothing
Que tu flottais dans le canal
That you were floating in the canal
Qu't'étais diaphane
That you were transparent
Que t'étais comme une fleur qui fane
That you were like a wilting flower
Les yeux rivés dans les embruns
Your eyes fixed on the spray
Que tu serrais trop fort ma main
That you were holding my hand too tightly
J'avais pas vu
I didn't see
Qu't'avais des tresses
That you had braids
Je sentais même plus tes caresses
I couldn't even feel your caresses
Toi dans la baignoire, tu te touchais dès la nuit noire
You were touching yourself in the bathtub since dark
Tout ça me tourmente
All of this torments me
La douleur m'éventre
The pain guts me
Mais je ris dès que je peux
But I laugh whenever I can
Mais dès 20h30, oui dès 20h30
But from 8:30 pm, yes from 8:30 pm
J'ai pas le cœur, j'n'ai que ma queue
I don't have the heart, I only have my dick
Que j'étais nul
That I was nothing
Que j'étais plus que ridicule
That I was more than ridiculous
Que j'étais tout seul dans ma bulle
That I was all alone in my bubble
Crétin, crâneur, cassant, crédule
Idiot, boastful, harsh, gullible
Que t'étais brac
That you were broken
Que t'étais comme une porte qui claque
That you were like a slamming door
Que ce soir là, sur le tarmac, tu voulais tant vider ton sac
That that night, on the tarmac, you wanted so much to let it all out
Qu't'étais partie par le dernier des vols de nuit
That you had left on the last night flight
Avec mes rires et les lambris
With my laughter and the paneling
Le ciel, ton cul et nos amis
The sky, your ass, and our friends
Ça me tourmente aussi
That torments me too
Oui la mort me tente
Yes, death tempts me
Mais je vis faute de mieux
But I live for lack of a better option
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Benjamin Biolay
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Elvire Bashung
Je sais que t’es une belle personne !!!
Leelou Lg
Oui la Mort me tente ......
Mais je vis, faute de mieux....
Leelou Lg
Ouais toi, t'as même pas vu que .......