This is a very old song in the Occitan language, dating back to the 1300s. In more recent times it has been taken up by all of Occitania, from the Italian Alpine valleys to the Atlantic, as an anthem and focal point of Occitan culture which is perceived as under pressure from those of the countries which now embody what was Occitania. It has been sung as a protest anthem in the French Parliament, and it is used in demonstrations (check on Youtube.com). It is, however, a lovesong in which the singer, missing his love, tells the mountains to bow down and the plains to rise up so that he will be able to see more clearly where she lives now.