Kerozen is the French word for "kerosene." It's an interesting choice because it's not a common word in everyday French songs, making it unique and memorable.
In the song, Gaël Faye uses "rêves kerozen" (kerosene dreams) to evoke a sense of dreams that are volatile, potentially dangerous, or perhaps fuel a desperate escape from a harsh reality. This metaphorical use adds a layer of depth and intrigue to the lyrics.
Feel the fumes, feel the rush: In "Kerozen", Gaël Faye paints a vivid, cinematic picture of life in a concrete jungle where every breath seems laced with fuel vapors. Sirens wail, chalk outlines stain the pavement, and love itself feels taxed like a commodity. The word kerozen (kerosene) becomes a metaphor for both the toxic atmosphere that keeps everyone on edge and the combustible dreams that could lift them sky-high. The singer’s heart races under pressure while he gazes into the masked face of a companion whose silence is as heavy as the city’s smog.
Yet the song is far from hopeless. Gaël Faye counters claustrophobia with a fierce imagination, promising “exiles” and “fragile archipelagos” where they can finally breathe. He pledges to invent new horizons beyond “forests of buildings,” offering a love that ignites escape rather than confinement. "Kerozen" is ultimately a plea for liberation: from urban suffocation, from muffled emotions, and from the invisible chains that keep us grounded when all we really want is to soar.