Les Hurlements d'Léo are an alternative rock band from Bordeaux in France. … Read Full Bio ↴Les Hurlements d'Léo are an alternative rock band from Bordeaux in France. Currently an eight-piece, they have been influenced by the likes of Les Négresses Vertes and combine traditional French sounds (complete with accordion) with sounds of gypsy, Latin, ska, punk and energetic rock. Their energy is particularly evident in their frequent live performances. Formed in 1995 they recorded their first album "Le Café des Jours Heureux" in 1998. So fare they have released five regular albums in France, including a live album. They have also collaborated with a number of other bands such as Les Ogres de Barback, Zombie Eaters, 17 Hippies and L'Enfance Rouge. Les Hurlements d'Léo are currently (May 2009) on hiatus.

Au temps suspendu
Les Hurlements d'Léo Lyrics

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Je suis navré mais je me suis perdu
Seul, dans ton sourire
Les yeux mi-clos au temps suspendu
J'attend l'averse

Un dernier verre de rhum
Pour une peine perdue
Une dame de coeur

Une compagnie de luxe
Pour rêveur alcoolique
Ton as de pique

J'ai abattu toutes mes cartes
Belote et rebelote
Las au comptoir
Je t'ai attendue
Seul, dans mon ivresse

J'ai attendu des verres
Fait basculer des heures
Là, au temps suspendu
J'y ai tricoté des vestes
J'y ai fait valser des pestes
Et leurs sous entendus... bien entendu

Etais tu brune blonde ou rousse
Le patron s'en souviens sûrement

Le coeur en crève, au temps suspendu
Je... t'attendrai

Je suis navré mais je me suis pendu
Seul, à ton silence

Les yeux fermés au teùs suspendu
J'attend l'averse

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Les Hurlements d'Léo's song Au temps suspendu describe a man who has lost himself in a woman's smile. He waits for the rain to come, at a standstill in time with his eyes half-closed. He indulges in a last glass of rum, for a lost cause, and is surrounded by luxurious company, but still feels like a drunken dreamer. The man has played all his cards, but is still waiting for her at the bar, alone in his drunkenness. He reflects on the time suspended, where he knit jackets and danced with troublemakers with their hidden meanings. He asks himself if the woman he's waiting for was a brunette, blonde, or a redhead, but the bartender may remember. The man's heart is breaking, hanging on to the suspended time. In the end, he hangs himself, alone in her silence, eyes closed in that suspended time, still waiting for the rain to come.

The song is a tale of lost love, told through vivid and poignant metaphors. The time suspended in the lyrics represents the moments they had together, the happiness shared, and the sadness now experienced alone. The references to alcohol and luxury suggest that the man is trying to numb his pain with false pleasures. The lyrics also suggest a desperation and hopelessness that is palpable. The man knows that his love is gone, but he still hangs on to the memory of it.

Line by Line Meaning

Je suis navré mais je me suis perdu
I'm sorry but I am lost

Seul, dans ton sourire
Alone, in your smile

Les yeux mi-clos au temps suspendu
Half-closed eyes in suspended time

J'attend l'averse
I await the downpour

Un dernier verre de rhum
One last glass of rum

Pour une peine perdue
For a lost sorrow

Une dame de coeur
A queen of hearts

Une compagnie de luxe
A luxury company

Pour rêveur alcoolique
For alcoholic dreamers

Ton as de pique
Your ace of spades

J'ai abattu toutes mes cartes
I've played all my cards