Chevauchent comes from the verb chevaucher, meaning "to ride horseback" or "to straddle". It's a more evocative and less common word than simply "to ride" (monter).
In the song, it creates a striking, almost surreal image: "Des colombes teintes en noir / Chevauchent des chevaux cauchemars" (Doves dyed black / Ride nightmare horses). This word choice elevates the imagery, making the scene more vivid and memorable than if a more common verb had been used.
Little Shangri-La paints a moody, late-night portrait of a person haunted by loneliness and restless thoughts. Peter Peter, a Canadian singer-songwriter who often blends dreamy synth-pop with poetic French lyrics, fills the song with striking images: black-stained doves on nightmare horses, clawing night skies, and invisible corridors of a white porcelain pharmacy. These surreal snapshots capture how anxiety can trap someone in their own mind while love slips through their fingers like shadows.
Yet the chorus offers a shimmering escape hatch. By simply closing your eyes, you can wake up where you truly want to be – your Little Shangri-La, a private utopia hidden within your imagination. The song gently urges you to “chasse-les” – chase away the fears – and make yourself at home in that inner sanctuary. In other words, even when reality feels suffocating, you carry a pocket-sized paradise inside you, ready to turn insomnia into serenity the moment you dare to dream.