As someone who hasn’t yet watched all of Eurovision’s entries, I would say wager that “La Source” by Isabelle Aubret is perhaps one of the most macabre entries to have entered the competition. The subject matter is pretty clear (A girl gets attacked by a three “wolf-men”), yet the way the song approaches it is anything but. I was a bit surprised that no one has done an analysis on the lyrics, beside the blunt “It’s about rape” comment. I think referring to it as such detracts from the beauty of the song and does the song no favor.
So, of course, I took it upon myself to analyze the lyrics with my very amateur literary analysis skills. Expect no fancy or professional detailing here, this is more of an experiment of mine.
For the base, I used a translation on LyricsTranslate by alain.chevalier, though I might adjust some of the lines I cite.
First of all, the song’s structure. “La Source” starts and ends with the same chorus, which also repeats after each verse. The term ‘chorus’ is also sometimes substituted with ‘hook’, as it is the part of the song that’s supposed to ‘hook’ the listener in. But what purpose does the chorus serve in “La Source”? I think we need to take a look at the translation first.
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It sings in the middle of the wood The spring, and I wonder whether one needs to believe this legend About a girl who was found there |
Elle chante au milieu du bois La source et je me demande S'il faut croire en cette légende D'une fille qu'on y trouva |
The chorus is the only part of the song where the narrator (let’s analyze this song strictly as a poem) refers to themselves -- ‘I’ is mentioned only once. Now, the first question is why is the narrator wondering about this legend in the first place? Why would someone need to believe in this legend? Now, the key to the answer lies in the very end of the song, which we’ll also cover. From this, another question arises. If the “answer” is resolved in the end, why does the chorus repeat again, thus asking the same question? I will come back to this after I get to the end. Now, the first verse:
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She was fair, she was gentle She was fond of resting In the woods, lying on the moss Listening to the singing birds
One day, when she went to town Through the wood where she used to walk by Suddenly she saw Three men watching her Three men watching her |
Elle était blonde elle était douce Elle aimait à se reposer Dans les bois couchée sur la mousse Écoutant les oiseaux chanter
Un jour qu'elle allait à la ville Par le bois où elle passait Elle vit soudain immobile Trois hommes qui la regardaient Trois hommes qui la regardaient |
The first verse is where the narrator goes into legend itself, where the first strophe describes the girl in question – an innocent, sort of implied bohemian type of girl. Then she is spotted by three men. The repetition is there probably to ‘fill up’ the melody and doesn’t seem to serve any poetic meaning. After this, once again the chorus repeats. This verse isn’t particularly interesting, so we move on:
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The three were here waiting for her Three wolfmen, for this ewe Her flesh was too tender They had too much appetite
As she didn't know how to fight for The light breath of her life She fell on the tender grass Like a bird falls from its nest Like a bird falls from its nest |
Ils étaient là trois à l'attendre Trois hommes-loups cette brébis Elle avait la chair bien trop tendre Ils avaient bien trop d'appétit
Comme elle ne savait pas défendre Le souffle léger de sa vie Elle tomba sur l'herbe tendre Comme un oiseau tombe du nid Comme un oiseau tombe du nid |
The verb “waiting” reveals that the men already knew her path, probably knew her resting and bird-listening habits too. What happens here – it is premeditated and planned. The antithesis of “wolf” and “ewe” is classic and obvious. The line “[t]hey had too much appetite” vividly depicts the primal ‘hunger’ of the three men, as if it is a biological need. It is only by considering the human aspect does this verse gain a sexual meaning – animals taste flesh through hunting and eating, while humans (usually) taste flesh through sexual encounters. I think that this metaphor, by relating primal human cravings to nature, makes the shock more subtle and give it a tale-like vibe.
The other strophe has lots of action, yet it is sudden in the narrative. The metaphor of “light breath of her life” is an equally heavy metaphor reinforcing the girl’s innocence and helplessness. There is no struggle depicted, only the girl falling on the “tender grass”, as if she had been pushed lightly by the wind. From here on out, the three ‘wolf-men’ disappear in the narrative, never being referred to directly again. This centers the girl as the focus, not the actions she is the recipient of, which, once again, acts as a sort of censor for the more gruesome parts of “La Source”. The last verse is:
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When she was picked up from the ground Like a big cut flower Her white dress and the light, She looked like a bride
When she was picked up from the ground It looked like a grand lily Among the leaves and the rocks A clear spring gushed out A clear spring gushed out |
Quand on la souleva de terre Comme une grande fleur coupée Sa robe blanche et la lumière On aurait dit une mariée
Quand on la souleva de terre On aurait dit comme un grand lis Entre les feuilles entre les pierres Une claire source a jailli Une claire source a jailli |
I find the comparison of “[l]ike a big cut flower” very apt, as cut flowers can be particularly fragile, and they wilt if left out of water. Seemingly, the girl ‘grew’ in the forest, but she was ‘cut’ by the men to be enjoyed. Even seemingly during the gruesome act, the light shone down upon her, revealing her bridal features (the white dress, symbolizing purity; and her beauty). The strophe maintains a sort of ethereal atmosphere, much like in a tale.
Looking up the symbolism of lilies in Christian contexts, it seems that they also represent purity and beauty, but I wonder if this is intentional, as symbolism can vary a lot. But of course, the climax of “La Source” lies in the second strophe, where, seemingly unexplainedly, “a clear springs” gushes out between the “leaves and rocks”. I propose two meanings for this, which both lead to the same conclusion. The gushing out symbolizes blood drawn, finally the “wolf-men” feast on the girl’s flesh. Of course, this leads into the allegorical meaning – a more literal ‘climax’, what the commenters mentioned previously were referring to.
But does this ultimately mean? The chorus repeats once again for the last time, asking if one should believe in this legend. Well, I believe in this case, the narrator looks to the legend as not only as a cautionary tale, but also as the explanation for the spring’s existence – the basic logic being that the blood drawn during the attack was plentiful enough to form a stream, which then became a spring, a source of life for the forest’s inhabitants – a life which was lost to create more life. Legends were often created to explain the origin of geographical features, with the spring’s babbling waters being compared to a girl’s singing. But of course, the legend also serves as a warning to any girl entering the forest, that the dangers within a forest may come from both wild animals and humans alike.
And why does the chorus repeat? I believe it gives the song closure, as if the book about this tale has been closed, and the reader reflects on what they read. Or perhaps the narrator simply wants to question this legend for mind of peace – could something like this possibly happen in a beautiful forest? At least those are my guesses, but regardless, I feel as though it gives the song a rather haunting feeling.
This was just a short and rather simple commentary and analysis of “La Source”. If you have any other ideas and opinions about this song, do let me know on Discord!