Aïeux translates to "ancestors" or "forefathers". It's a somewhat formal and less common word in everyday French, making it stand out.
In the context of this song, which is a powerful message about climate change from the future, the word is particularly poignant. The artist, Grand Corps Malade, uses it when the grandson asks his grandfather to encourage his friends to write to their "aïeux" (ancestors) – meaning the current generation – to take action. This highlights the intergenerational responsibility and the urgent need for the present to act for the future.
"2083" is a letter from the future. Grand Corps Malade writes as his own great-grandson, Fabien, addressing him from the year 2083 to describe a world reshaped by climate change: cities swallowed by rising seas, dried-up rivers, deserts spreading through Mali, and coastlines losing their fight against the water.
The letter lists the damage in plain terms: droughts, refugees, wars over borders, and a growing gap between the rich, who shelter from the heat, and the poor, who cannot. It also calls out the people responsible, who fly private and shrug off scientific warnings.
The song's plea is simple: don't wait until 2083 to act. Fabien's great-grandson asks him, today, to write to leaders and push for change, insisting the fight for the climate is still winnable, but only together.