Mort J'appelle
Eiffel Lyrics

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Mort, j’appelle de ta rigueur
Qui m’a ma maîtresse ravie,
Et n’est pas encore assouvie
Si tu ne me tiens qu’en langueur

Oncques puis n’eut force vigueur
Mais que te nuisait- elle en vie ?
Mort, j’appelle de ta rigueur

Qui m’a ma maîtresse ravie.

Deux étions et n’avions qu’un cœur
S’il est mort, force est que dévie
Voire, ou que je vive sans vie
Comme les images, par cœur

Mort, j’appelle de ta rigueur
Qui m’a ma maîtresse ravie,

Et n’est pas encore assouvie
Si tu ne me tiens qu’en langueur

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Eiffel's song "Mort J'appelle" expresses a deep longing for death as a way of reuniting with a lost lover who has died. The song is written in the form of a rondeau, a medieval French form of poetry, and repeats the same lines throughout the three stanzas, giving it a mournful and reflective tone. The songwriter uses the figure of death to express his grief and the pain of separation, acknowledging the finality of his loss.

In the first stanza, the songwriter pleads with death to come and take him, as he has been ravished by the loss of his lover. He depicts death as relentless and unyielding, noting that it would only be assuaged if it took him away completely. In the second stanza, he recalls their shared love, where they were two with one heart. However, the loss of his lover has left him with the prospect of living without life, merely going through the motions like a memory.

The overall message of the song is one of profound loss and mourning. The songwriter does not attempt to hide his grief or make light of it but instead confronts it head-on through his beautiful lyrics.

Line by Line Meaning

Mort, j’appelle de ta rigueur
I call upon death's severity

Qui m’a ma maîtresse ravie,
which has taken away my mistress

Et n’est pas encore assouvie
and is not satisfied

Si tu ne me tiens qu’en langueur
until it holds me in languor

Oncques puis n’eut force vigueur
Never again did it have the strength

Mais que te nuisait- elle en vie ?
But what harm did she do to you in life?

Deux étions et n’avions qu’un cœur
We were two but had only one heart

S’il est mort, force est que dévie
If it has died, then there must be a separation

Voire, ou que je vive sans vie
Perhaps I will live without a life

Comme les images, par cœur
Like a memorized image

Contributed by Audrey K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.