Le saumon
Richard Desjardins Lyrics

The lyrics of Richard Desjardins's song "Le saumon" depict a longing for fulfillment, a desire so strong that the singer would give up everything just to quench it. This desire is compared to a wild hunger that needs to be satisfied. The singer is waiting for his lover to join him in a dangerous pass, where they can consummate their love on a bed of stone. He speaks of removing his "armor of silk and light," suggesting that he is shedding his outer layers and revealing his true, vulnerable self to his love.

The second verse of the song takes on a dreamlike quality, as the singer imagines a banquet of geese and the voices of the Innus, a Native American people. The imagery of the feast and the chanting of the tribe evoke a sense of celebration and unity. The singer then mentions a fire in the fjord, which perhaps symbolizes both passion and danger. The phrase "Il est à nous" ("It is ours") suggests that this fire is something he shares with his lover, and perhaps symbolizes their love.

The final verse of the song is particularly powerful, as the singer declares that he is willing to give himself entirely to his lover. He uses the metaphor of his body being "banded" (tightly coiled, ready to spring) from the farthest reaches of the Azores (a group of Portuguese islands in the Atlantic Ocean) to emphasize the intensity of his desire. He then addresses his lover directly, saying that he will burst out of his skin to satisfy her hunger. The song ends with the repetition of the words "oh mon amour, oh le monde, oh ma vie," suggesting that the singer's love is all-consuming and that nothing exists outside of it.