Sommes-nous

Song Meaning

The lyrics for "Sommes-nous" immediately plunge into a scene of insistent, frustrated effort. The speaker describes repeatedly knocking at a metaphorical "threshold of kindness," only to be met with a cold, observing gaze. This initial rejection sets a tone of sharp aversion, as the narrator declares having "taken winter in dislike." A recurring pattern emphasizes profound abandonment. After each burst of intense action, the speaker lists what has "left them alone" – from "toys by the thousands" and "your advances" to "our favorite heroes" and "our absences." This suggests a stripping away of not just relationships, but also potential, shared memories, and even past transgressions, leaving a stark sense of isolation. The core of the piece lies in the evolving, interrogative refrain: "Sommes-nous" (Are we?). These questions juxtapose harsh imagery like "drought" and "troubled waters" with more delicate possibilities such as "the last poppy" or "romance." This constant oscillation between resilience, fragility, and uncertainty underscores a desperate search for collective identity and meaning in the face of persistent loss. Further highlighting this struggle, the speaker's actions are marked by aggressive repetition, like having "decimated decimated" armies of answering machines. Yet, a poignant shift occurs towards the end: after intensely focusing and then discarding their own vision, the narrator chooses "to keep only the blur." This final surrender to ambiguity, embracing the "flou" over clarity, offers a powerful, if resigned, commentary on finding a form of peace amidst unresolved questions.