Ça mouille les yeux
Les soeurs Boulay Lyrics

The lyrics of "Ça mouille les yeux" by Les sœurs Boulay depict the emotions and reactions to a loss or separation. The song tells the story of a woman who describes her sadness and tears as being caused by an escaped bird and the empty cage it left behind. She believes that it is the absence of the bird that makes her cry, and she likens the wind passing through the cage to the tears that wet her eyes.

The song then shifts to the perspective of a man who has left, symbolized by him taking his coat, his belongings, and his happiness with him. He slams the door shut to avoid crying. He sends her fragments of landscapes, perhaps as a way of reminding her of their shared memories. The feeling of boredom and emptiness is compared to a burning fire, suggesting that it is something that consumes and hurts.

In the following verse, the woman gathers photographs and creates collages, cutting out shapes and pasting together her own face. These actions signify her attempt to hold onto the memories and the person she has lost. Even when words fail, images and visuals can still evoke powerful emotions. The act of forgetting is mentioned, and it is described as something that also brings tears to the eyes. This exploration of loss, longing, and the ways we try to hold onto memories make up the emotional core of the song.