Three Sheets to Kishkiyya · Track 77 · middle
Mal aux Cheveux
VOLUME IV — the HUNGOVER morning after. The idiom and the song's title hook: "Mal aux Cheveux". Its true history: France — 'sore hair,' a hair-ache; even your hair hurts, a whole-body tenderness. Render this beat of the night as the band's affectionate, funny, celebratory tribute — the idiom itself is the chorus hook.
Lyrics
[Intro] Morning light is creeping through the crack beneath the blind I am taking inventory of the ruin left behind My elbows feel like rust, my voice is just a thread But the most amazing warning is resting on my head [Verse 1] I try to turn the pillow to the cool and quiet side But there's a phantom gravity that settles in the mind It isn't in the stomach, it isn’t in the jaw It's the most exquisite tenderness the mirror ever saw [Chorus] Oh, mal aux cheveux, the French really knew When the joy of the night leaves a delicate hue It’s not just the temple, it’s not just the bone Every strand on my head is a heavy little home I've got a hair-ache, darling, down to the root From being so wild, and a little aloof [Verse 2] They say across in France, when the late café shuts down You don't just get an echo that circles to the ground It's a follicular alarm, a very specific grief Where the lifting of a single curl offers no relief Stealing every ounce of the brave face I wore When we were dancing on the tables by the door [Bridge] I move my hand to brush it back And feel a sudden, quiet catch Who knew the human frame could store The memory of a midnight pour Right at the very top of the crown? [Chorus] With the mal aux cheveux, the French really knew When the joy of the night leaves a delicate hue It’s not just the temple, it’s not just the bone Every strand on my head is a heavy little home I've got a hair-ache, darling, down to the root [Outro] So bring me a coffee, and maybe some bread And please don't be loud near the top of my head I think my ponytail is... Yeah, just let it rest.