Papillon
Patrick Norman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Et malgré tout ce bleu tout ce vert tu es triste a mourir
Mais quand tu fermes le yeux un refrain qui te parles en argot
Fait valser tes souvenirs avec l'odeur du métro
Chacun s'évade a sa façon chacun son rêve papillon
Toi qui regardes la mer tu ne vois même plus l'horizon
Tu regardes vingt ans en arrière et c'est loin et c'est bon
Les voyous flâner autour des marronniers des boulevards
Les yeux fixes sur un jupon tu te souviens papillon
Toi qui regarde le ciel tu n'es plus qu'un pauvre homme exile
Accable par le poids du soleil par le poids du passe
Mais quand le soir tu t'endors en pensée tu retournes chez toi
Te voila dans ton décor ton p'tit hôtel ton tabac
C'était tout ça ton univers toi qui regardes la mer
The lyrics of Patrick Norman's song "Papillon" tell the story of a man who is standing by the sea, feeling lonely and overwhelmed by his memories. Despite the beauty of his surroundings, he cannot help but feel sad. However, when he closes his eyes, a song that speaks to him in a slang language starts playing in his mind, causing his memories to dance along with the scent of the subway. The man realizes that everyone has their own way of escaping their problems, and for him, it's through dreams and memories, like a butterfly fluttering away.
As the song progresses, the man continues to reminisce about the past. Looking back twenty years, he remembers Paris, where the city still exists and the spring season brings with it the sight of petty criminals loitering around the chestnut trees that line the boulevards. The man is fixated on a woman's skirt, reminding himself of his youthful days when he was carefree, like a butterfly.
Finally, the song ends with the man looking up at the sky, feeling like a lonely exile, weighed down by the burdens of his past and the intensity of the sun. However, he takes solace in the fact that when he falls asleep at night, his mind transports him back to his little world, to his hotel, and his tobacco shop. In this way, the man is comforted by his memories and the knowledge that wherever he goes, he will always be drawn back to the sea, just like a butterfly.
Overall, "Papillon" is a soulful song that speaks to the power of memories and the human ability to escape reality through dreams and recollection.
Line by Line Meaning
Toi qui regarde la mer tu es seul avec tes souvenirs
As you stare at the sea, you are alone with your memories.
Et malgré tout ce bleu tout ce vert tu es triste a mourir
Despite the blue and green surroundings, you feel extremely sad.
Mais quand tu fermes le yeux un refrain qui te parles en argot
But when you close your eyes, a song speaks to you in slang.
Fait valser tes souvenirs avec l'odeur du métro
It makes your memories dance with the smell of the metro.
Chacun s'évade a sa façon chacun son rêve papillon
Everyone escapes in their own way, with their own butterfly dream.
Toi qui regardes la mer tu ne vois même plus l'horizon
As you stare at the sea, you can't even see the horizon anymore.
Tu regardes vingt ans en arrière et c'est loin et c'est bon
You look back twenty years, and it feels both far away and wonderful.
Paris existe toujours et quand vient le printemps on peut voir
Paris still exists, and in the springtime, you can see.
Les voyous flâner autour des marronniers des boulevards
Hooligans lounging around chestnut trees on the streets.
Les yeux fixes sur un jupon tu te souviens papillon
Your eyes fixed on a woman's skirt, you remember being a butterfly.
Toi qui regarde le ciel tu n'es plus qu'un pauvre homme exilé
As you gaze up at the sky, you feel like a poor exile.
Accablé par le poids du soleil par le poids du passé
Overwhelmed by the weight of the sun, and the weight of the past.
Mais quand le soir tu t'endors en pensée tu retournes chez toi
But when you fall asleep at night, you go back to your home in thought.
Te voila dans ton décor ton p'tit hôtel ton tabac
There you are, in your setting, your little hotel, your tobacco.
C'était tout ça ton univers toi qui regardes la mer
That was your entire world, as you stare out at the sea.
Writer(s): j. goldsmith, j. plante
Contributed by Hunter Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.