Heartbreak can turn even the most confident “player” into a runaway. In Douleur Je Fuis, Swiss-French singer Stéphane tells the story of a lover who never imagined he could be left. One minute he is planning sunny holidays in Dubrovnik, the next he is staring at an empty closet and tip-toeing into a quiet house. The lyrics jump between crisp memories (a train whistle, a small TV, a lump in the stomach) to show how fast a relationship can shift from routine to rupture.
The clever chorus “Joueur je suis, douleur je fuis” (“I’m a player, I flee the pain”) reveals the hero’s coping strategy: play it cool, run from hurt. Yet every escape – bingeing on screens, standing frozen on the train platform – only highlights what he lost. Ironically, he only “opens his guard” after everything is over, asking if destiny must be so drastic to make people truly see each other. The song is a bittersweet reminder that hiding feelings might spare short-term pain, but facing them sooner could save the love you’re trying to protect.