Dumas (born Steve Dumas, 1979) is a Québécois singer and a native of Victor… Read Full Bio ↴Dumas (born Steve Dumas, 1979) is a Québécois singer and a native of Victoriaville, Quebec.
He came out with his first album Dumas en 2001, when he was 21. His second album, Le cours des jours made him more well-known. One song on the Le cours des jours album was sung by Marie-Annick Lépine, from the group Les Cowboys Fringants. In 2004, Carl Bastien and Dumas released the soundtrack to the film Les Aimants by Yves P. Pelletier.

Linoléum
Dumas Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Possesions never meant anything to me
I'm not crazy
Well that's not true I've got a bed
And A guitar
And a dog named Bob who pisses on my floor
That's right I've got a floor
So what? So What? So What?
I've got pockets full of lint and holes

Where everything important to me
Just seems to fall right down my leg
And onto the floor
My closest friend, linoleum... linoleum
Supports my head, gives me something to believe
That's me on the beachside combing the sand
Metal meter in my hand
Sportin' a pocket full of change
That's me in the street with a violin under my chin
Playing with a grin
Singin' jibberish
Thats me on the back of the bus
Thats me in the cell

Thats me inside your head
Thats me inside your head

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Dumas's song Linoléum are a poignant and introspective reflection on the nature of possession and its place in our lives. The singer acknowledges that possessions have never truly meant anything to him, but as he enumerates the few things he does have - a bed, a guitar, a dog named Bob - he reveals that he is in fact not entirely dispossessed. He acknowledges the importance of the few things he does own, and that they serve to ground him in a world where everything else seems to fall away. His pockets are full of holes, and everything important to him seems to slip away from him, but in this bare existence, he has found a kind of freedom.

The chorus introduces another important figure in the singer's life - linoleum. This humble and unassuming floor-covering has become his closest friend, supporting his head and providing him with something to believe in. The repetition of the word 'linoleum' emphasizes its importance, and the singer revels in its simplicity. As the song progresses, he describes himself in various contexts, from the beachside with a metal detector searching for trinkets, to the back of the bus, to the inside of someone else's head. The message seems to be that possessions, and by extension the societal norms that dictate their importance, are transient and ultimately meaningless - it is our connection to the world around us and the people in it that truly matter.

Line by Line Meaning

Possesions never meant anything to me
I do not find any value in material possessions

I'm not crazy
I'm not mentally ill

Well that's not true I've got a bed
I do have a place to sleep

And A guitar
I own a guitar

And a dog named Bob who pisses on my floor
I have a dog named Bob who sometimes urinates on my floor

That's right I've got a floor
I have a floor, which is nothing special

So what? So What? So What?
I don't care about any of this

I've got pockets full of lint and holes
My pockets are empty and have holes in them

Where everything important to me
Where anything that is important to me

Just seems to fall right down my leg
Seems to slip out of my pocket and fall down my pant leg

And onto the floor
And on to the ground