Etyl is above all Eglantine's project. From a classical background, she fir… Read Full Bio ↴Etyl is above all Eglantine's project. From a classical background, she first learned piano before taking an interest in singing. She soon decided to create her own musical universe composed of unusual instruments. Influenced by minimalistic electronica and ethereal trip-hop, Etyl took form with her voice and warm bass that smoothly led her to more jazzy ambiances.

Her first solo presentation at the Voutes des Frigo in December 2002 as well as the creation of a six title demo with Antoine Gaillet in 2003 allowed her to meet Christelle Lassort who soon joined the band. Christelle's violin and her voice brought a new harmonic impulse and strengthened the project. She also introduced Christophe Beaudriard (Bass / Double Bass) and Bertrand Perrin (Drums) to the band. They joined as well and smoothly adapted their sound to the rhythms imposed by the machines. Then, with the arrival of Antoine & Nicolas, from fellow band Narrow Terence, Etyl is finally complete.

Somewhere between organic acoustic and hypnotic machines, Etyl lays her doubts and hopes down in words and sounds. Like a question mark, Etyl's name ("Is it?"/"Is he?" in French) stands up to the questions raised in her lyrics.

For independence's sake, the album "La Tortue" was co-produced at the Microbe Studio by Julien Trimoreau and Eglantine herself for Lady Blue (her own label). However, Etyl recently signed with Recall Group and re-released her first album.

Tombée
Etyl Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Je suis tombée, tombée, tombée
Sur les genoux, je/nous
Mais j'ai raté le creux
Le creux de ton cou

Ma tête à l'envers
Supplie les beaux jours
D'atteindre la fenêtre

Ouverte sur la cour

J'attends, j'attends les beaux jours

Je suis tombée,
Sur les je/nous
J'y ai trouvé
Une raison à tout

J'attendrai, j'attendrai

J'oublie le temps
J'oublie le vent
J'oublie les champs
Je m'demande encore
Ce qui vaut de l'or

Même si tu veux
Reprendre ta place
Je n'ai plus l'âme
J'n'ai plus l'espace

Même si je sens
Toujours ta bouche
J'avoue pourtant
Rien ne me touche

Et même si tu m'aimes...

J'oublie le temps
J'oublie le vent
J'oublie les champs

Je m'demande encore
Ce qui vaut de l'or

Overall Meaning

The song "Tombée" by Etyl is a hauntingly beautiful ballad that explores the pain of heartbreak and the struggle to move on. The lyrics describe the singer's fall to her knees, but her inability to find solace in the embrace of her lost loved one. She yearns for better days and a way to escape her despair, but finds herself stuck in a limbo of waiting and forgetting.

The lines "Ma tête à l'envers / Supplie les beaux jours / D'atteindre la fenêtre / Ouverte sur la cour" (My head upside down / Begs for the beautiful days / To reach the window / Open to the courtyard) suggest a longing for a brighter future, but also a sense of being trapped or confined, unable to move forward. The repetition of "J'attends, j'attends les beaux jours" (I wait, I wait for the beautiful days) reinforces this feeling of waiting for something that may never come.

The final stanza captures a sense of numbness or detachment from the world, with the phrase "Je m'demande encore / Ce qui vaut de l'or" (I still wonder / What is worth gold) implying a sense of searching for meaning or value in life. The singer seems resigned to the fact that even if her lost love were to return, she would no longer have the capacity to feel anything. The repetition of "J'oublie le temps / J'oublie le vent / J'oublie les champs" (I forget the time / I forget the wind / I forget the fields) suggests a deliberate effort to disconnect from her surroundings and live in a state of numbness.

Overall, "Tombée" is a poignant and powerful reflection on the pain of heartbreak and the long road to healing.

Line by Line Meaning

Je suis tombée, tombée, tombée
I fell, fell, fell

Sur les genoux, je/nous
Onto my/our knees

Mais j'ai raté le creux
But I missed the hollow

Le creux de ton cou
The hollow of your neck

Ma tête à l'envers
My head upside down

Supplie les beaux jours
Begs for the beautiful days

D'atteindre la fenêtre
To reach the window

Ouverte sur la cour
Open to the courtyard

J'attends, j'attends les beaux jours
I wait, I wait for the beautiful days

Je suis tombée,
I fell,