Déchire comes from the verb déchirer, which literally means "to tear" or "rip" something, like a piece of paper.
In this song, it's used to describe a powerful internal state: "Ta raison se déchire" translates to "Your reason is tearing itself apart". This violent imagery perfectly captures the theme of intense mental conflict and the feeling of losing control, which is central to the song's title, "Zombie".
Zombie takes us straight into the turbulent mind of GIMS, where reason, conscience and sub-conscious argue like characters in a late-night debate. The verses paint a foggy landscape of self-doubt: he feels “manipulated by another,” trapped in negative thoughts, and torn between the urge to fly free and the reflex to shut down. Each sharp “Stop” is both a plea and a command, showing how quickly confidence can flip into paranoia when you start believing the world is nothing but shadows.
The chorus—“Je suis un zombie” (“I’m a zombie”)—is a blunt confession of emotional numbness. It’s a metaphor for living on autopilot, building dreams “dans l’vide” (in the void) while hope slips through your fingers. Yet the song is not just gloomy; it’s a wake-up call. By urging us to “retire ces chaînes” (remove these chains) and let the spirit “s’envoler” (soar), GIMS reminds listeners that even when our inner voices clash, we still have the power to break free, reconnect with our true selves and bring color back to a world that suddenly feels less dark.
GIMS, born Gandhi Djuna in 1986 in Kinshasa, is one of the biggest stars in French music. His family left the Democratic Republic of the Congo for Paris when he was just two years old, and he grew up in the French capital.
He first made his name as the masked frontman of the rap collective Sexion d'Assaut, one of the groups behind France's rap revival around 2010. Since going solo in 2013 he has become a chart-topping, stadium-filling artist who blends rap, pop and R&B, and he has worked with international names like Sia, Sting, Maluma and Pitbull.