They released their first demo, "Renaissances Noires" in 1996. It didn't take long to this aristocratic/dandy-like group to become cult as soon as they gave birth to their first real album "Sturm und Drang", in 1997. Their last album, "Astralgeist" was released in 1999.
The music they play is kind of hard to describe, because they borrow elements from black metal and gothic metal in order to create a very personal sound.
Marianne
Forbidden Site Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Aeternum somnum
Do tuae pacem
Aeterna
Do tuae mortem
Aeternum somnum
Do tuae mortem
Les cris déchirant
Des engoulevents
Ne te font rien
Et toi tu penses et tu pleures
Et les prières que tu caresses
Se précipitent au loin
Où as-tu trouvé l'ivresse nécessaire
Pour oublier de mourir
Tes hanches blanches font pâlir
Les vieux satans de Notre-Dame
Et toi tu danses entre les tombes
En récitant des épitaphes
Et toi tu danses entre les tombes
En récitant des épitaphes
Les oiseaux s'élancent
Crevant le silence
Tu ne dis rien
D'autre qu'un vague au-revoir
A tes amants de promesse
Où as-tu trouvé l'vresse nécessaire
Pour oublier de vieillir
Ton charme blême fait rougir
Les souverains du Pont-Royal
Le long des quais tu vas narguant
Le reflet craché des étoiles
Le long des quais tu vas narguant
Le reflet craché des étoiles
Sinistre Marianne
Elle est loin ta flamme
Tu n'y peux rien
Et toi tu penses et tu pleures
Aux souvenirs qui te délaissent
La Seine te persécute enfin
Où vas-tu trouver l'ivresse nécessaire
Pour oublier de mourir
Où vas-tu trouver l'ivresse nécessaire
Pour oublier de mourir
Et toi tu penses
Et tu plonges...
The lyrics of the song "Marianne" by Forbidden Site are quite cryptic, but can be interpreted as a lament for a woman named Marianne who is trapped in a cycle of death, peace, and forgetfulness. The first stanza describes giving Marianne eternal sleep and peace, as well as eternal death. The second stanza portrays her dancing among the graves of her lovers, reciting their epitaphs, while the birds fly overhead and the nights grow darker. She is depicted as a sinewy and powerful figure, who inspires awe and admiration in some and fear and jealousy in others. The final stanza is a depiction of her downfall, as she succumbs to old age and fading memories, while the Seine river persecutes her.
The lyrics present Marianne as a tragic and enigmatic figure, who is both a source of fascination and revulsion for those around her. The use of vivid and haunting metaphors paints a dark and somber picture of her existence, which is marked by death, despair, and isolation. The repeated references to "ivresse" (intoxication) suggest that she is seeking escape from her reality through various means, whether it be through dance, reminiscence, or other forms of escapism.
Overall, "Marianne" is a haunting and thought-provoking song that explores the theme of mortality and the human desire for transcendence and release from the confines of time and space.
Line by Line Meaning
Do tuae somnum
Granting you eternal sleep
Aeternum somnum
Eternal sleep
Do tuae pacem
Granting you eternal peace
Aeterna
Eternal
Do tuae mortem
Granting you eternal death
Aeternum somnum
Eternal sleep
Do tuae mortem
Granting you eternal death
Aeternam
Eternal
Les cris déchirant
The piercing cries
Des engoulevents
Of the nightjars
Ne te font rien
Do not affect you
Et toi tu penses et tu pleures
And you think and you cry
Et les prières que tu caresses
And the prayers you caress
Se précipitent au loin
Rush off into the distance
Où as-tu trouvé l'ivresse nécessaire
Where did you find the necessary ecstasy
Pour oublier de mourir
To forget about dying
Tes hanches blanches font pâlir
Your white hips make the old devils of Notre-Dame pale
Les vieux satans de Notre-Dame
The old devils of Notre-Dame
Et toi tu danses entre les tombes
And you dance among the graves
En récitant des épitaphes
Reciting epitaphs
Les oiseaux s'élancent
The birds soar
Crevant le silence
Breaking the silence
Tu ne dis rien
You say nothing
D'autre qu'un vague au-revoir
Other than a vague farewell
A tes amants de promesse
To your promised lovers
Ton charme blême fait rougir
Your pale charm makes the Pont-Royal sovereigns blush
Les souverains du Pont-Royal
The sovereigns of Pont-Royal
Le long des quais tu vas narguant
Along the quays you go taunting
Le reflet craché des étoiles
The spitting reflection of the stars
Sinistre Marianne
Sinister Marianne
Elle est loin ta flamme
Your flame is far away
Tu n'y peux rien
You can't do anything about it
Aux souvenirs qui te délaissent
To the memories that abandon you
La Seine te persécute enfin
The Seine finally persecutes you
Où vas-tu trouver l'ivresse nécessaire
Where will you find the necessary ecstasy
Pour oublier de mourir
To forget about dying
Et toi tu penses
And you think
Et tu plonges...
And you dive...
Contributed by Claire E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Benjamin Belot
Mon album de l'automne chaque année
Ma R
<3