Dérailler has a fascinating double meaning. Literally, it means 'to derail,' like a train coming off the tracks, which fits the song's title perfectly.
In the lyrics, Raphaël uses it figuratively to describe people who are drinking, singing, and 'going off the rails' or losing control. This clever wordplay, linking the chaos of the characters to the central train theme, makes it a powerful and memorable word to learn.
Hop on the “Evening Train” and feel the rush! Raphaël’s duet with Pomme paints the picture of a night journey racing past mountains and memories, its wheels clattering like a restless heart. The singer is speeding toward a long-awaited reunion, repeating a nervous mantra: “I don’t know what I’ll do when I see you, but I won’t cry.” As wind whips through hair and sparks of nostalgia light up the dark, the train becomes a moving confessional where excitement, fear, and hope all share the same seat.
Beneath the catchy melody lies a deeper message about facing the unknown. The chaotic “soldiers of coral” who drink, sing, and derail stand for unruly thoughts that threaten to pull us off track, while the “last ferry to paradise” hints at a once-in-a-lifetime chance for closure or rebirth. In the end, Le Train Du Soir celebrates steady resolve: no matter how uncertain the destination, courage is staying on the ride, keeping tears at bay, and letting the rhythm of the rails carry you toward whatever tomorrow brings.
Raphaël Haroche was born in Paris in 1975, into a family with roots in Russia, Morocco and Argentina. He writes his own songs on piano and guitar and sings them in a high, breathy voice, and his first album, Hôtel de l'univers, came out in 2000. His second, La Réalité, gave him his first big hit, the duet Sur la route with Jean-Louis Aubert.
His breakthrough was Caravane in 2005. The title song was all over French radio, the album sold well over a million copies, and it won him three Victoires de la Musique the following year. Since then he has kept releasing albums, among them Je sais que la terre est plate and Pacific 231, and he also writes fiction: his short story collection Retourner à la mer won the Prix Goncourt de la nouvelle in 2017.