Dis-moi Lune D'Argent
Mecano (ES)
The Moon's Bargain: A Tale of Love and Sacrifice
The song "Dis-moi Lune D'Argent" by Mecano, a Spanish pop band known for their poetic lyrics and theatrical style, tells a haunting story steeped in folklore and emotion. The lyrics narrate the tale of a Gypsy woman who desperately desires a husband and pleads with the moon to grant her wish. The moon agrees to help her on the condition that she gives up her firstborn child to the moon. The woman agrees, illustrating the extreme lengths to which she is willing to go for love.
The story takes a tragic turn when the child is born an albino, which leads the Gypsy community to believe that the child is not the son of the woman's husband but of a non-Gypsy ('gadjo'). The husband, feeling dishonored, kills his wife and abandons the child on a hill. The moon, who had been promised the firstborn, takes the child and cares for him, creating a cradle of light whenever he cries. The song uses the moon as a metaphor for a mother's unconditional love and the sacrifices made in its name.
The cultural context of the song is deeply rooted in Gypsy folklore, which often involves elements of magic, nature, and stark human emotions. The moon is personified as a maternal figure, highlighting themes of desire, betrayal, and the consequences of our choices. The song's narrative is a poignant reminder of the complexities of love and the pain of loss, wrapped in a mystical story that resonates with the universal human experience.