In… Read Full Bio ↴Thomas Fersen is a French singer-composer born in 1963 in Paris.
In his youth, he joined a punk band, before playing the piano in cafés-théatre. His first album in 1993 brought him an immediate success.
Fersen is a poet, who enjoys playing with language -he writes his lyrics exclusively in french-, using words, rhymes, symbols and images of vegetal or animal world. He tells strange and funny stories, impressions and dreams of casual life. His smoker's deep voice gives a particular tone to his songs. His musical style varies from one album to another (rock, folk, jazz and blues..).
He is one of the first who joined the Tot Ou tard/WM France label.
Hugo
Thomas Fersen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hugo a soulevé la robe de l'île,
Hugo a soufflé les bougies
Et le toit de mon logis.
Oh mon amour que reste-t'il ?
Hugo a craché sur notre île.
Hugo a soulevé la robe de l'île,
Et d'un sale oeil Hugo a vu
Combien sur l'île il avait plu.
Oh mon amour que reste-t'il ?
Hugo a craché sur notre île.
Hugo a soufflé sur nos portes
Et tout pour lui fut feuille morte.
Oh mon amour que reste-t'il ?
Hugo a craché sur notre île
The song “Hugo” by Thomas Fersen is about the devastation and destruction that was caused by Hurricane Hugo, which hit the Caribbean in 1989. In the first verse, the singer talks about how Hugo lifted up the skirt of the island, meaning that the storm lifted the land and waters around the island, causing massive destruction. Hugo then blew out the candles and the roof of the singer’s home, symbolizing the destruction of people’s lives and homes due to the hurricane. The repeated line “Oh mon amour que reste-t'il ?” translates to “Oh my love, what is left?” and expresses the despair and hopelessness that the singer and others feel as they look at the devastation left behind by the storm. Hugo is then said to have spit on their island, indicating the sense of disrespect and violation that the people feel for having their lives and homes destroyed by a force beyond their control.
In the second verse, Hugo is described as having a “dirty eye” as he lifts up the island’s skirt again and sees how much rain had fallen. This is a reference to the amount of rain and flooding that the hurricane caused, which is another aspect of the destruction it wrought. Hugo is then said to have blown on the doors of the people’s homes, and everything then became like dead leaves for him, meaning that to the hurricane, the people’s lives and homes were nothing more than disposable objects. The final line repeats the previous despairing refrain of what is left.
Line by Line Meaning
Hugo a soulevé la robe de l'île,
Hugo has lifted the veil of the island, revealing its true nature.
Hugo a soufflé les bougies
Hugo has blown out the candles, symbolizing the end of something.
Et le toit de mon logis.
And the roof of my home, which was destroyed or damaged by the storm.
Oh mon amour que reste-t'il ?
Oh my love, what remains after the storm, both physically and emotionally?
Hugo a craché sur notre île.
Hugo has figuratively spit on our island, leaving destruction and chaos in his wake.
Et d'un sale oeil Hugo a vu
With a dirty look, Hugo surveyed the damage he had caused.
Combien sur l'île il avait plu.
Realizing the extent of his destruction, he sees how much damage had been done on the island.
Hugo a soufflé sur nos portes
Hugo has blown on our doors, possibly knocking them down and entering uninvited.
Et tout pour lui fut feuille morte.
And everything was like dead leaves to him, symbolizing the destruction and death he caused.
Contributed by Hailey F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.