Cécile Corbel (born 1980, Pont-Croix, Finistère) is a French singer and har… Read Full Bio ↴Cécile Corbel (born 1980, Pont-Croix, Finistère) is a French singer and harpist. She has released a number of albums of original music and worked for Studio Ghibli as a composer for its 2010 film, The Secret World of Arrietty. Corbel sings in many languages including French, Italian, Breton, and English and has done songs in Irish, Turkish, and Japanese.

Corbel now lives in Paris and performs in France and abroad. Her music blends ancient poems and compositions, celtic tunes and Mediterranean influences. She was noticed during her concerts and had the opportunity to play with the greatest “world music” artists:

My First Borrowing
Cécile Corbel Lyrics

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Candles glowing gently in the dark
A clock is ticking softly in the night
And I swiftly walk  in my father's steps
On my tiptoes, quiet as a mouse

Father, dear father
Will you be proud of me?
I wish I could be

Just like you

The house is sleeping and we must be still
A forbidden world on the other side
And my heart's beating, my heart's beating wild
I can do it all with you by my side

Father, dear father
Will you be proud of me?

I wish I could be
Just like you

Overall Meaning

The opening of Cécile Corbel's "My First Borrowing" sets the scene with candles gently glowing in the dark and the sound of a ticking clock breaking the silence. The singer, who we assume is a child, tiptoes quietly as she follows in her father's footsteps. The song is a story of a child who sneaks into her father's study and borrows a book, with her father's guidance. The forbidden world on the other side of the study door represents the unknown and uncharted territory that the singer is eager to explore, and her father's presence represents safety and support in her endeavour.

The singer's admiration for her father is evident throughout the song, as she yearns to be just like him. She asks if he will be proud of her, indicating the strong desire to make him proud and to prove herself to him. The child's eagerness is palpable in the line "my heart's beating, my heart's beating wild," as she embarks on this adventure with excitement and trepidation.

Overall, "My First Borrowing" is a charming and sentimental song about the power of a parent's influence and guidance. The child's admiration for her father, along with the sense of adventure and exploration, makes this song relatable to anyone who has ever looked up to a parent or embarked on a journey of discovery.

Line by Line Meaning

Candles glowing gently in the dark
The candles are softly burning in the dark room

A clock is ticking softly in the night
I can hear the soft ticking of the clock amidst the silence of the night

And I swiftly walk  in my father's steps
I am quick on my feet as I follow in my father's footsteps

On my tiptoes, quiet as a mouse
I am quietly tip-toeing like a mouse

Father, dear father
I address my father with love and respect

Will you be proud of me?
I wonder if my actions will make my father proud of me

I wish I could be
I desire to be like my father

Just like you
I aspire to be just like my father

The house is sleeping and we must be still
The house is quiet and still and we must move quietly

A forbidden world on the other side
There is another world on the other side that we are not supposed to enter

And my heart's beating, my heart's beating wild
My heart is beating with excitement and anticipation