* Pascaline Herveet (songer-songwriter, vocals)
* Sophie Henry (piano, accordéon, harmonisation)
* Sarah Auvray (choirs, Sound effects ) (left in 2000)
* Christine Lapouze (Cello)
* Pierre Millet (Trumpet, flute) (joined in 2000)
* Stéphane Diatchenko (programmation, sampling) (joined in 2000)
Trapeze
Les Elles Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Accident de la Route
Ironique destin pour le roi du volant.
Oh mon Amour je me sens seule la-haut
Oh mon Amour seule depuis ce jour-là
Tu flottes sous la toile comme au temps du bonheur
De nos étreintes en l'air
Escalader encore ton corps mon Amour
Escalader encore ton corps
Je cherche la chaleur de tes bras
L'assurance de tes mains
Et je m'accroche au mât froid inhospitalier
Ce mât est un glacier
Il me donne la nausée.
Ma vie n'est plus qu'un sac plein de nos souvenirs.
C'est trop lourd à porter pour une fille de l'air
Oh mon Amour je me sens seule la-haut
Oh mon Amour seule depuis ce jour-là
Le pod de la douleur m'a rendu moins légère.
Je voudrais m'arrêter, je ne suis plus ce que j'étais
Tu sais. C'est lourd.
Escalader encore ton corps mon Amour
Escalader encore ton corps
Je cherche la chaleur de tes bras
L'assurance de tes mains
Et je m'accroche au mât froid inhospitalier
Ce mât est un glacier
Il me donne la nausée.
Je prends un élan laborieux mon Amour
Mon corps balance comme un adieu
Mon corps est un vieux cheval fou
Devant ton trapèze vide
Je vais crever la toile
M'envoler pour de bon, traverser la Coupole
Pour l'ultime numéro.
Arrêter tout ce cirque mon trapéziste est mort
Accident de la route
Mon plaisir mis à terre
Mon Amour mis à mort
Mon Amour mis en bière.
The lyrics of "Trapèze" by Les Elles express the emotional pain and loneliness that the singer experiences after the death of her trapeze artist partner in a tragic road accident. The irony of the skilled driver dying on the road is devastating for the singer, who is left all alone, high up on the trapeze. She recalls the moments of bliss and exhilaration that they shared while performing together in the air, where their bodies would intertwine, and their love would manifest itself in the most graceful acrobatic movements. Now, she is left with a heavy heart, clinging to a cold pole that feels like a glacier, nauseous and disoriented. Her life has become a burden of memories that she carries around, and she longs for the warmth and assurance of her partner's embrace.
The singer's mental state is truly captured in the imagery of the song, with the trapeze symbolizing the highs and lows of her life. The once thrilling and joyous swings of love and trust have turned into perilous ways to escape the pain, with her body swinging back and forth like a farewell, a goodbye to her partner, her love and her passion. She is ready to let go and fly away, even if it means dying in the process. The grief she feels is palpable, and the metaphorical weight on her shoulders of carrying their shared memories is unbearable. Les Elles beautifully crafted the song to capture the somber and tragic aftermath of losing someone you love.
Line by Line Meaning
Mon trapéziste est mort
The performer on the trapeze died
Accident de la Route
The cause of death was a traffic accident
Ironique destin pour le roi du volant.
It is ironic that a king of the air would die on the road
Oh mon Amour je me sens seule la-haut
The singer feels lonely up high without her lover
Oh mon Amour seule depuis ce jour-là
The singer has been alone since the day her lover died
Tu flottes sous la toile comme au temps du bonheur
The singer remembers how they used to be happy performing together
De nos étreintes en l'air
They shared intimate moments while performing
Des cascades d'amour jaillissaient des trapèzes
Their acts were full of love and passion
Escalader encore ton corps mon Amour
The singer wishes to climb her lover's body again
Je cherche la chaleur de tes bras
The singer yearns for the warmth of her lover's embrace
L'assurance de tes mains
The singer feels secure in her lover's hands
Et je m'accroche au mât froid inhospitalier
The singer holds onto a cold and unwelcoming pole
Ce mât est un glacier
The pole is like a freezing glacier
Il me donne la nausée.
The singer feels sick just being near it
Ma vie n'est plus qu'un sac plein de nos souvenirs.
The singer's life is now just memories of her and her lover
C'est trop lourd à porter pour une fille de l'air
It's too heavy for someone who lives in the air
Le pod de la douleur m'a rendu moins légère.
The pain has made her feel heavier
Je voudrais m'arrêter, je ne suis plus ce que j'étais
The singer wishes to stop because she's not the same person anymore
Tu sais. C'est lourd.
The singer's lover would know how heavy the burden is
Je prends un élan laborieux mon Amour
The singer takes a difficult leap
Mon corps balance comme un adieu
Her body moves as if saying goodbye
Mon corps est un vieux cheval fou
Her body is like an old wild horse
Devant ton trapèze vide
She stands in front of her lover's empty trapeze
Je vais crever la toile
She plans to puncture the fabric and fly away
M'envoler pour de bon, traverser la Coupole
She wants to fly away for good, through the dome
Pour l'ultime numéro.
It will be her final performance
Arrêter tout ce cirque mon trapéziste est mort
The singer wants to end the circus because her lover has died
Mon plaisir mis à terre
Her joy has been destroyed
Mon Amour mis à mort
Her love has been killed
Mon Amour mis en bière.
Her love has been buried
Contributed by Layla E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.