Un incident à Bois-des-Filion
Beau Dommage
Love and Loss in the Waters of Bois-des-Filion
Beau Dommage's song "Un incident à Bois-des-Filion" is a poignant narrative that intertwines themes of love, loss, and the inexorable passage of time. The lyrics tell the story of a man who is deeply in love with a woman who tragically drowns between two islands. The imagery of her being lost between two waters, with algae around her ankles and her head in the air like a reed, paints a vivid picture of her serene yet sorrowful disappearance. The man's grief is palpable as he struggles to come to terms with her death, expressing a desire to lash out at the tranquil waters of the Mille-Îles River.
The song delves into the man's emotional turmoil, highlighting his helplessness and frustration. He is not supposed to speak in rhymes when the person he loves drowns, yet he finds himself unable to do anything with his hands, feeling the urge to punch the calm waters. The repeated warnings to be careful of the wet rocks and to watch one's step if barefoot underscore the fragility of life and the ever-present danger lurking beneath the surface. The man's love for the woman transforms into a love for the island and the wave that has died, symbolizing his acceptance of her fate and the merging of love and death.
The lyrics also touch on the inevitability of death and the cyclical nature of life. The man reflects on how love and death take their toll on the same support, lasting a long time and taking one's soul but not the body. The mention of the predicted number of drownings for the season and the woman's photo being shown in the newspaper the next day adds a layer of societal commentary on the impersonal nature of such tragedies. The song concludes with the man feeling the emptiness around him and ultimately becoming one with the river, signifying his acceptance of the loss and the idea that we all eventually become part of the water. The recurring theme of water as life, as taught by his mother, reinforces the notion that we all end up getting wet, symbolizing the inevitability of life's trials and tribulations.
