Letissier has used numerous personal and stage names, and remarked that he "just ha many names for all the layers". He began his career as Christine and the Queens. For his second studio album, he shortened it to Chris, which was accompanied by a shift to a persona described as "a woman playing with masculine tropes". In October 2021, he was using the name Rahim. This sparked a debate around cultural appropriation due to the name's Arabic origin. He eventually began using a succession of different names such as Sam le pompier (the French title of Fireman Sam) and a full stop before settling on Redcar, sometimes shortened as Red. In August 2022, he updated his pronouns to he/him across social media platforms. In 2023, with the release of fourth album Paranoïa, Angels, True Love, he seemed to have reverted to simply Chris. However, he still occasionally uses his birth name, about which he said: "Héloïse Letissier is my parents' provenance and I love my parents. I sometimes use Héloïse to reconnect me to my childhood, but my inner child name is Manamané."
Les yeux mouillés
Christine and the Queens Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Même si personne ne se laisse aimer
Je désire ce qui tremble
Qu'aucune journée ne se ressemble
Je dis ça pour que tu comprennes
J'attendrai pas que la tendresse vienne
Je l'ai mouchée jusqu'au sang
Ma timidité d'adolescent
Nan, nan, nan
Make some sense out of it all
Tous ses bras
Dont je me fous
Choose which side you are on
Ces endroits où je te vois partout
Oh, now you tell me
Ma dignité dans ma salive
Je suis ici, tu vois tout arrive
Je ne cesse de réclamer
Plus forte d'être dévisagée
Quand j'aurai enfin désobéi
Je serais menaçante moi aussi
Encore fraîchement marquée
Machine de guerre aux yeux mouillés
Oh, oh, j'ai jamais abandonné
Nan, nan, nan
Make some sense out of it all
Tous ses bras
Dont je me fous
Choose which side you are on
Ces endroits où je te vois partout
Oh, now you tell me
Make some sense out of it all
Tous ses bras
Dont je me fous
Oh, now you tell me
Choose which side you are on
Ces endroits où je te vois partout
Je te jure, je te vois partout
Oh oui, je te vois partout
Je te jure, je te vois partout
The lyrics to Christine and the Queens's song Les yeux mouillés speak of a desire for things that are unpredictable and exciting, even if they come with pain and rejection. The opening lines "Je veux des odeurs d'artificiers" (I want fireworks smell) set the tone for this longing, with the singer acknowledging that even if no one will love them, they still crave that which makes them feel alive. They want something to shake up their routine, something that will prevent every day from feeling the same. The singer asserts that they won't wait around for tenderness to come to them - they've already crushed their adolescent shyness and won't back down from a challenge.
The chorus of the song poses a question to the listener: "Make some sense out of it all / Choose which side you are on." The tone of the words implies that there is something to be understood or decided, but it's not entirely clear what that is. The singer seems to be grappling with their own identity and trying to reconcile different parts of themselves. They mention "tous ses bras" (all these arms), which suggests some kind of confusion or ambivalence about physical intimacy. The singer also sees their ex-lover "partout" (everywhere), indicating that they can't escape the memory of this relationship and the emotions it evokes.
Overall, the lyrics to Les yeux mouillés are somewhat cryptic and open to interpretation, but they convey a sense of restlessness and a search for meaning and intense experiences.
Line by Line Meaning
Je veux des odeurs d'artificiers
I want the smells of fireworks
Même si personne ne se laisse aimer
Even if nobody lets themselves be loved
Je désire ce qui tremble
I desire what trembles
Qu'aucune journée ne se ressemble
So that no day is the same
Je dis ça pour que tu comprennes
I say this so that you understand
J'attendrai pas que la tendresse vienne
I won't wait for tenderness to come
Je l'ai mouchée jusqu'au sang
I've snubbed it until it bled
Ma timidité d'adolescent
My teenage shyness
Oh, tu te moquais tellement
Oh, you mocked me so much
Nan, nan, nan
No, no, no
Tous ses bras
All of their arms
Dont je me fous
That I don't care about
Choose which side you are on
Decide which side you're on
Ces endroits où je te vois partout
These places where I see you everywhere
Oh, now you tell me
Oh, now you tell me
Ma dignité dans ma salive
My dignity in my saliva
Je suis ici, tu vois tout arrive
I'm here, you see everything happening
Je ne cesse de réclamer
I keep asking for
Plus forte d'être dévisagée
To be stronger when scrutinized
Quand j'aurai enfin désobéi
When I finally disobey
Je serais menaçante moi aussi
I too will be threatening
Encore fraîchement marquée
Still freshly marked
Machine de guerre aux yeux mouillés
War machine with wet eyes
Oh, oh, j'ai jamais abandonné
Oh, oh, I've never given up
Make some sense out of it all
Make some sense out of it all
Je te jure, je te vois partout
I swear, I see you everywhere
Oh oui, je te vois partout
Oh yes, I see you everywhere
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Heloise Letissier
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind