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:
Where Have You Been
Cécile Corbel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mes pensées sont en voyage
Elles s'enroulent comme un ruban
Oh, my love, I've been searching
But I don't know how
To find my way in the world without you
J'ai emprunté des chemins
J'ai même perdu le nord quelquefois
J'ai prié les dieux
Les centaures
Jetée des sorts
Pour me rapprocher de toi
My love, where have you been?
I've sailed the seas
I've climbed the mountains
No sign of you
Oh, my love, where have you been?
Oh, my love, where have you been?
Au fil des jours
J'ai confondu les langages
Et mélangé les sentiments
Oh, my love
I've been trying but I don't know how
To sing this love song again without you
J'ai ramassé en chemin
Des coquillages d'argent
Entendu la mer quelquefois
J'ai prié si fort
Les étoiles
Tordu mes mains
Pour me rapprocher de toi
My love, where have you been?
I've sailed the seas
I've climbed the mountains
No sign of you
Oh, my love, where have you been?
Oh, my love, where have you been?
My love, where have you been?
I've sailed the seas
I've climbed the mountains
No sign of you
Oh, my love, where have you been?
Oh, my love, where have you been?
Cécile Corbel's "Where Have You Been" is a heartfelt and poignant ballad about love, separation, and the pain of longing. The French lyrics express the singer's desperation to find their lost love and the struggles they face as they search for them. The opening lines of the song, "Oh, mon amour / Mes pensées sont en voyage / Elles s'enroulent comme un ruban" ("Oh, my love, my thoughts are on a journey / They wrap around like a ribbon"), reveal the singer's wandering mind and their inability to find peace or closure without their loved one.
The second verse of the song, "J'ai emprunté des chemins / Et des sentiers sans retour / J'ai même perdu le nord quelquefois / J'ai prié les dieux / Les centaures / Jetée des sorts / Pour me rapprocher de toi" ("I've taken paths / And trails of no return / I've even lost my way at times / I've prayed to the gods / The centaurs / Cast spells / To get closer to you"), describes the singer's desperate attempts to reconnect with their loved one, even resorting to magical means.
The chorus, "My love, where have you been? / I've sailed the seas / I've climbed the mountains / No sign of you / Oh, my love, where have you been?" is repeated three times and emphasizes the overwhelming feeling of loss and the vastness of the world compared to the smallness of one person's search for another.
Overall, the song portrays the universal human experience of longing for someone who is lost or far away, and the pain and struggle that come with that longing.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, mon amour
The singer is addressing their love interest
Mes pensées sont en voyage
The singer's mind is wandering
Elles s'enroulent comme un ruban
Their thoughts swirl like a ribbon
Oh, my love, I've been searching
The artist has been searching for their love
But I don't know how
The artist does not know how to find them
To find my way in the world without you
The singer feels lost without their love and does not know how to navigate the world alone
J'ai emprunté des chemins
The singer has taken different paths
Et des sentiers sans retour
Some of those paths were one-way
J'ai même perdu le nord quelquefois
The artist has lost their way at times
J'ai prié les dieux
The artist has prayed to the gods
Les centaures
And the centaurs
Jetée des sorts
And cast spells
Pour me rapprocher de toi
In an attempt to get closer to their love
Au fil des jours
As time passed
J'ai confondu les langages
The singer has mixed up languages
Et mélangé les sentiments
And mixed up their feelings
I've been trying but I don't know how
The artist has been attempting to do something, but does not know how to do it
To sing this love song again without you
The singer cannot sing their love song without their love
J'ai ramassé en chemin
The singer has picked up things along the way
Des coquillages d'argent
Silver seashells
Entendu la mer quelquefois
They've heard the sound of the sea at times
J'ai prié si fort
The artist has prayed so hard
Les étoiles
To the stars
Tordu mes mains
They've twisted their hands
For me rapprocher de toi
In order to get closer to their love
My love, where have you been?
The singer is questioning their love's whereabouts
I've sailed the seas
The singer has traveled far and wide searching for their love
I've climbed the mountains
The artist has also climbed mountains on their search
No sign of you
They have yet to find any trace of their love
Oh, my love, where have you been?
The singer is still questioning their love's location
My love, where have you been?
Repeating the question again
Contributed by Xavier R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.