Francis Cabrel (born 23 November 1953 in Agen, France) is a French singer-s… Read Full Bio ↴Francis Cabrel (born 23 November 1953 in Agen, France) is a French singer-songwriter and guitarist. Inspired heavily by Bob Dylan, he produced a significant number of albums falling mostly within the realm of folk, with occasional forays into blues or country. Several of his songs, such as "L'encre de tes yeux" and "Petite Marie" have become enduring favourites in French music. His first hit was called "Je l'aime a mourir. Others, such as "C'etait l'hiver", about the suicide of a young girl, have since been covered by other artists such as Canadian Isabelle Boulay.

Ami
Francis Cabrel Lyrics

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Ami cherche un autre ami perdu
Dans l'immensité des nus
Visages et corps inconnus
Rêveur cherche à retrouver son ciel
Du fond de la nuit appelle
Son étoile maternelle

Car il y a vingt ans un orage

M'a fait tomber de mon nuage
Et m'a laissé seul dans ce monde abandonné
Au matin d'un lointain voyage
Je suis tombé de mon nuage
Je n'ai jamais senti la terre sous mes pieds

Reviens, étoile aux plaines d'argent
Reviens chercher ton enfant
Avant qu'il ne soit géant
Avant qu'il ne se brûle à un feu
Qu'il ne se blesse à un jeu
Avant qu'il ne soit trop vieux

Car il y a vingt ans un orage
M'a fait tomber de mon nuage
Et m'a laissé seul dans ce monde abandonné
Au matin d'un lointain voyage
Je suis tombé de mon nuage
Je n'ai jamais senti la terre sous mes pieds

Car il y a vingt ans un orage
M'a fait tomber de mon nuage
Et m'a laissé seul dans ce monde abandonné
Au matin d'un lointain voyage

Je suis tombé de mon nuage
Je n'ai jamais senti la terre sous mes pieds

Overall Meaning

The song titled "Ami" by Francis Cabrel portrays a story of a man who is trying to find a lost friend in the vastness of the world. He is searching for someone he knows but whose faces and bodies are now unknown to him. He describes himself as a dreamer who is trying to find his way back to his sky, and he calls out to his maternal star from the depths of the night. He is looking for someone that he has not seen in a long time and feels like he is lost in life.

The lyrics talk about a storm that happened twenty years ago and how it made him fall from his cloud. He is left all alone in a world that seems to have abandoned him, and he has never felt the earth under his feet ever since the morning of a distant journey when he fell from his cloud. The man sings about how he wants his star back, the same star he relied on to guide him through life before the storm took it away. He asks his star to come back before he becomes an adult, before he gets burnt by the flames, before he gets hurt by various things in life, and before he gets too old to enjoy life’s experiences.

The song teaches its listeners to appreciate the people in their lives, especially those who have stuck with them through all the ups and downs of life. The song is a reminder to always keep looking up and to keep dreaming, no matter how rough life may seem at times.

Line by Line Meaning

Ami cherche un autre ami perdu
A friend is searching for another lost friend.

Dans l'immensité des nus
In the vastness of the skies.

Visages et corps inconnus
Unknown faces and bodies.

Rêveur cherche à retrouver son ciel
A dreamer seeks to find his sky again.

Du fond de la nuit appelle
Calling from the depths of the night.

Son étoile maternelle
His mother star.

Car il y a vingt ans un orage
Because twenty years ago there was a storm.

M'a fait tomber de mon nuage
That threw me off my cloud.

Et m'a laissé seul dans ce monde abandonné
And left me alone in this abandoned world.

Au matin d'un lointain voyage
On the morning of a distant journey.

Je suis tombé de mon nuage
I fell off my cloud.