Listen #
- (Highly Recommend) Youtube - Studio Session
- Artist's Bandcamp Account - Listen and Buy!
- Youtube
- Amazon Music
- Spotify
Intro #
It’s funny that in pretty much any language I will listen to a song and hear the music first without really understanding all the lyrics. I’m sure that happens to everyone no matter what they listen to, right? It’s impossible to casually listen to music in the background AND hear every word. Our brains don’t really listen until the song gets to that important part, the part that stands out like the decoration on a white dress.
No matter the language, I might hear a bit and understand it, then on a second listen I’ll actively listen and understand more. Finally, after a few, or more, repeats and challenging my brain to understand what is being said, I’ll look up the full lyrics. After I’ve built up my own interpretation it’ll meet with the full words of the composer.
Klô Pelgag has not failed to continue amazing me across her albums and this is a song that I hope sticks with me for a long time. Based on how many times I’ve played it on repeat…it will.
Truthfully, Klô Pelgag continues to amaze the entire world. That her music is becoming amazing to me just means I’m catching up to something the rest of the French speaking world already knew about.
Contemplating Forgiveness #
What drew me most to the song was how I decide to grant or not grant forgiveness. It’s mentioned in the first few lyrics of the song “What if you died before me?” That’s how I’ve sometimes tackled things. I have to imagine something dire in my mind, death, to come to a course of action.
What if they or I died? Would I be settled in my actions thus far?
Because before I forgive I must contemplate what granting it would mean. Similarly for if I’m being forgiven. To forgive or be forgiven without contemplating it is akin to saying “I love you” and not really feeling it in my skin and body.
And still, even without forgiveness, it would be nice at times to embrace those that have done us wrong and be able to walk away knowing not granting forgiveness is fine.
I’ve heard it said that forgiveness is a way for the forgiver to free themselves from the grasp of the other, that the forgiveness is a way to escape the power someone else has over you so you can move on. I’m not sure I agree with it. I think moving on is doable without forgiveness. It is a nice thought though, and I’m sure it has helped many to forgive enough to loosen the grasp of the wrong they felt weighting on them.
Favorite Lyrics #
If I died before you, would you cry?
If I died before you
What if we just talked before, before
What if we just listened for real, for real
I’ve learned that listening to one another other, for real, is difficult if not impossible even at the best of times. In fact, at the best of times I’m believe we convince ourselves that we’ve listened to one another just for the sake of moving on. This lyric reflects that to me. Not directly, but I see it the way I want to see it and interpret it that way. Maybe with some more years in me I’ll interpret it another way.
I know that this life isn’t as easy as we thought it
But you know well perfection’s not a thing
I know that happiness is when you fight to make it peaceful
And if you want, I’ll stay real close to you
Life is never as easy as we think it is despite our and others’ best efforts. In order to cordon off a small bit of enjoyment we must work hard to build walls against the chaos of the world. It’s easy to forget today that our ancestors toiled to build those walls yesterday and days long past. It’s easy to think life was always this easy and that it should stay that way. But no, it takes work and fighting to reach a place of peace.
Will we stay together and fight for our peace or not? If you want it, you know where to find me, you know where to go to fight for it.
And if we held each other in our arms, right now
I’m afraid that death might do it first
Ah! My favorite part of the song. It’s a nice calm wishful thought and resignation all at once. Wishing to hug the other despite the differences and problems and resigning oneself to the fact that the differences aren’t that important, that despite them we can still hug and remember what it was like to have been closer, if only for a little bit.
Lyrics #
I got these lyrics from the Genius (French Lyrics) site. I saw they have an English translation as well but I didn’t like it much because the rhythm of the words felt off due to it being more literal. Below is my version and you can compare with the English version if you want.
I also couldn’t help myself this time and put together Spanish lyrics as well.