Rafales
Bernard Lavilliers Lyrics
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Quand ses guerriers mongols brûlent les caravanes
Le vent sculpte les dunes et change les frontières
Déchirant les burkas des princesses nomades
{Refrain:}
Le chant profond des romantiques
Echevelé des anarchistes
Force le gris dans tes yeux verts
En chevauchant debout sur des pur-sang arabes
Rugissant dans la nuit, cauchemar des marins
Tu t'amuses à bercer les palmes du matin
Innocent tout à coup, miracle des tornades
{au Refrain}
La rage crucifiée sur la rose des vents
Toi qui ris de la pluie et te fous de l'amour
Le fauve d'Amazonie fait patte de velours
Calme plat, invisible, persécuteur du temps
{au Refrain}
In "Rafales," Bernard Lavilliers sings about the power of the wind and its ability to not only impact the physical world but also our emotions. The opening lines describe how the wind can push open the doors of the desert and how the Mongol warriors burn caravans. This suggests that the wind can bring about destruction and chaos. However, it also contributes to the natural beauty of the desert by sculpting the dunes and changing borders. Lavilliers mentions how the wind can even tear the burkas of nomadic princesses, highlighting how the wind can impact even the most protected.
In the chorus, Lavilliers argues that the wind has a profound effect on humans. It is both the deep song of romantics and the wild cry of anarchists. The wind can make people feel lonely and affect their emotions. The lyrics suggest that even the color of someone's eyes can change when exposed to the fierce wind. The second verse is about the singer riding on Arab thoroughbreds with the wind as a guide. The singer is in awe of the natural beauty that the wind can produce. Finally, Lavilliers introduces the idea that the wind can be a persecutor of time, an invisible force that can make humans feel powerless.
Overall, "Rafales" is a poetic tribute to the power of the wind and its effect on humans. Through descriptions of destruction and natural beauty, Lavilliers conveys that the wind has a profound effect on our emotional state, highlighting just how critical it is for human survival.
Line by Line Meaning
Le vent pousse d'un coup les portes du désert
The wind suddenly pushes open the doors of the desert
Quand ses guerriers mongols brûlent les caravanes
When his Mongol warriors burn caravans
Le vent sculpte les dunes et change les frontières
The wind sculpts the dunes and changes borders
Déchirant les burkas des princesses nomades
Tearing the burkas of nomadic princesses
Le chant profond des romantiques
The deep song of the romantics
Echevelé des anarchistes
Disheveled by the anarchists
Le vent qui hurle solitaire
The wind that howls alone
Force le gris dans tes yeux verts
Forces gray into your green eyes
En chevauchant debout sur des pur-sang arabes
Riding standing up on Arabian thoroughbreds
Rugissant dans la nuit, cauchemar des marins
Roaring in the night, nightmare of sailors
Tu t'amuses à bercer les palmes du matin
You amuse yourself by rocking the morning palms
Innocent tout à coup, miracle des tornades
Innocent all of a sudden, miracle of tornadoes
La rage crucifiée sur la rose des vents
The rage crucified on the compass rose
Toi qui ris de la pluie et te fous de l'amour
You who laugh at the rain and ignore love
Le fauve d'Amazonie fait patte de velours
The Amazonian predator makes a soft paw
Calme plat, invisible, persécuteur du temps
Dead calm, invisible, persecutor of time
Contributed by Mila I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.