Les Biches

The song portrays women as “does” (female deer) moving through different stages of life, while men and women seem to pursue or evade one another. Its emotional tone changes from youthful fascination, to desire and rivalry, and finally to weariness and parting. Calling them “enemies” sounds playful but also suggests that attraction can bring confusion, competition, and hurt.

The deer-and-hunter image runs throughout: the women may be hunted, but they also chase, so neither side has all the power. “Pastures of boredom” suggests that flirtation offers escape from dullness. The repeated idea that they “trick” or deceive does not necessarily mean deliberate dishonesty; it may point to the masks people wear, or to how beauty and desire can mislead both pursuer and pursued. Later, the image of women keeping men near so they do not grow old suggests that relationships can also be a way of resisting time.

The labels “first,” “most beautiful,” “worst,” and “last enemy” make the women seem like changing challenges at each age. This can be read as a comic, exaggerated view of romance, but it also reduces women to the narrator’s changing experience of them. The final separation may be painful, inevitable, or both; the lyrics leave unclear whether the real conflict is between the lovers or with aging itself.