NOTE: I also do free French bilingual short stories (parallel texts), and I've put lots of info + links on my Home Page
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Quality Lyrics Translation + Free French Lesson
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Below is the simple lyrics translation. For the French lesson based on these lyrics, see below left.
PART ONE D’abord, d’abord, y a l’aîné For a start, for a start, there's the eldest OR First of all, first of all, there's the oldest OR To start with, to start with... Lui qui est comme un melon He who is like a melon BUT DOES THAT MEAN He who has a big head OR He who is stupid OR He who is lazy Lui qui a un gros nez He who has a big nose Lui qui sait plus son nom monsieur He who no longer knows his (own) name, mister Tellement qu´il boit as he drinks so much OR so much he drinks Tellement qu´il a bu as he has drunk so much OR so much he has drunk Qui fait rien de ses dix doigts Who does nothing with his ten digits (fingers and thumbs) OR Who does nothing with his hands Mais lui qui n´en peut plus But he who can't (continue) anymore Lui qui est complètement cuit He who is completely stewed OR ...drunk OR plastered ...etc Et qui s´prend pour le roi And who takes himself for the king PART TWO
Qui se saoule toutes les nuits Who gets himself drunk every night Avec du mauvais vin With bad wine Mais qu´on retrouve le matin But who one finds in the morning OR But who is to be found the mornings after Dans l´église qui roupille In a church which is snoozing OR In a snoozing church OR IS IT ...in church. Who snoozes,... Raide comme une saillie Stiff like a cliff OR (nah, that's the best bit of translating I've ever done) Blanc comme un cierge de Pâques White as an easter alter candle Et puis qui balbutie And then who babbles Et qui a l´œil qui divague And who has divigating eyes OR And who has delirant eyes OR And who has madness in his eyes OR And who has eyes that wander off OR And who has straying eyes (not in a 'flirtatious way) (NOTE: see lesson worksheet) PART THREE
Faut vous dire, Monsieur It has to be said, mister OR It must be said, mister OR You've got to be told, mister OR I have to tell you, mister OR Que chez ces gens-là That with those folk there OR That among those folk there On ne pense pas, Monsieur One doesn't think, mister On ne pense pas, on prie On doesn't think, one prays PART FOUR
Et puis, y a l´autre And then, there is the other (one) Des carottes dans les cheveux (with) Carrots in his hair Qu´a jamais vu un peigne who has never seen a comb Qu´est méchant comme une teigne Who is as nasty as ringworm Même qu´il donnerait sa chemise Even when he would give away his shirt A des pauvres gens heureux to the happy poor Qui a marié la Denise Who married (that) Denise OR IS IT Who got (that) Denise married Une fille de la ville A girl from town OR A town/city girl Enfin d´une autre ville well, from another town at any rate Et que c´est pas fini And that's not all OR And I've not even started yet OR And that's not the end of it PART FIVE
Qui fait ses petites affaires Who carrys on with his humble affairs OR Who goes about his petty tasks Avec son petit chapeau With his little hat Avec son petit manteau With his little coat Avec sa petite auto With his little car Qu´aimerait bien avoir l´air Who would like to seem to be OR OR Who would like to have the appearance of being OR Who would like to give off an air of Mais qui n'a pas l´air du tout But who seems not to be at all OR But who has no appearance of being at all OR But who doesn't have the air of at all Faut pas jouer les riches Shouldn't play at being rich Quand on n´a pas le sou When one's not got a penny PART SIX
Faut vous dire, Monsieur (see above) Que chez ces gens-là (see above) On n´vit pas, Monsieur One doesn't live, mister On n´vit pas, on triche One doesn't live, one cheats PART SEVEN
Et puis, il y a les autres And then, there are the others OR And then, there's the rest La mère qui ne dit rien The mother who says nothing Ou bien n´importe quoi Or else, no matter what's in her head OR Or rather, nothing that makes sense OR Or if otherwise, it's complete drivel OR Or if so, speaks utter nonesense OR Or if she does, it's complete tosh Et du soir au matin And from dusk to dawn OR And from evening till morning Sous sa belle gueule d´apôtre Under his handsome apostle like muzzle NOTE: muzzle was used here instead of face as 1) technically it is the literal translation of gueule and 2) a moustache can be under a muzzle but not under a face. French Forum Link Et dans son cadre en bois And in his wooden frame Y a la moustache du père There is the moustache of the father Qui est mort d´une glissade Who died from slipping over OR Who died from a skid Et qui regarde son troupeau And who watches his flock OR ...herd Bouffer la soupe froide Guzzle cold soup OR Eating up the Gazpacho Et ça fait des grands shlurp And that makes loud shlurps OR And this makes big shlurps Et ça fait des grands shlurp (see above) PART EIGHT
Et puis y a la toute vieille And then there's the real ol' lass Qu´en finit pas d´vibrer Who never stops trembling Et qu´on attend qu´elle crève And whom one is awaiting to croak it OR And that one awaits to croak it OR And whose death they're waiting for OR And who the others are waiting for to croak it OR Vu qu´c´est elle qu´a l´oseille seen as it's her whose got the dough Et qu´on n´écoute même pas And that one does not listen to OR And whom no-one listens to C´que ses pauvres mains racontent That which her poor hands recount OR ...relate PART NINE
Faut vous dire, Monsieur (see above) Que chez ces gens-là (see above) On n´cause pas, Monsieur One chats not, mister OR One doesn't chat, mister On n´cause pas, on compte One chats not, one counts PART TEN
Et puis et puis And then... and then... Et puis il y a Frida And then there's Frida Qui est belle comme un soleil Who's beautiful as the sun Et qui m´aime pareil And who loves me in the same way Que moi j´aime Frida as me, I love Frida Même qu´on se dit souvent Even when we often say to each other Qu´on aura une maison That we'll have a house Avec des tas de fenêtres With a ton of windows OR With a load of windows OR With a heap load of windows Avec presque pas de murs With almost no walls Et qu´on vivra dedans And that we'll live inside it Et qu´il fera bon y être And that it'll feel good to be there Et que si c´est pas sûr And that if it's not certain C´est quand même peut-être It's a 'maybe' all the same Parce que les autres veulent pas Because the others don't want it so OR Because the others don't want that Parce que les autres veulent pas (see above) PART ELEVEN
Les autres ils disent comme ça The others, they say, just like that Qu´elle est trop belle pour moi That she is too beautiful for me Que je suis tout juste bon That I'm only just good enough A égorger les chats for slitting throats of cats J´ai jamais tué de chats I've never killed cats Ou alors y a longtemps or if so, a long time ago Ou bien j´ai oublié Or else, I've forgotton Ou ils sentaient pas bon Or they didn't smell too good Enfin ils ne veulent pas x2 In any case, they don't want it so OR At any rate, they don't want that PART TWELVE
Parfois quand on se voit Sometimes, when we meet up Semblant que c'est pas exprès pretending that it wasn't intentional Avec ses yeux mouillants With her eyes all teared up OR With tears in her eyes OR With her eyes damp and moist Elle dit qu´elle partira She says that she will leave OR She would say that she'll leave Elle dit qu´elle me suivra She says that she'll follow me OR She would say that she'll follow me Alors pour un instant And so, for an instant Pour un instant seulement monsieur For just an instant only, mister Alors, pour un instant alors And so, for an instant then OR And so, for an instant, at those times moi je la crois, Me? I believe her Pour un instant seulement monsieur For an instant only, mister PART THIRTEEN
Parce que chez ces gens-là monsieur Because with those folk there OR Because among those folk there On (ne) s´en va pas monsieur One doesn't just leave, mister OR One doesn't just go off away, mister On (ne) s´en va pas (see above) On (ne) s´en va pas (see above) Mais il est tard, Monsieur But it's late, mister Il faut que je rentre chez moi. I've got to return... home THE TOP TEN MOST INTERESTING French Language Music Artists Since 2000 French language music has always had a bit of a reputation for being naff among English speaking peoples. To rebuke those accusations I therefore present some shockingly good modern era music artists (Frenchies who still sing in French, who'd have thought..). The list is accompanied with individually playable YouTube videos so you can quickly sample and decide for yourselves. I have also written a ditty on each artist, not that anyone reads now-a-days. FREE FRENCH LESSON Intermediate-Advanced Brigitte A Bouche Que Veut-Tu (2014) If you were to ask me who I'm mostly listening to these days my honest answer would be Brigitte. This pair of super hipster femmes fatales found success late in the game but there making up for it now. This particular track never fails to hit the sweet spot. FREE FRENCH LESSON Intermediate Level Charles Aznavour La Bohème (1965) If ever I'm feeling down there is always one song guaranteed to sooth my soul. This one. The song so beautifully describes the life of poor Parisian artists scraping a living together and finding comfort in each other and their own art that you'll feel like you are sharing the experience with them. Aznavour himself was born to Armenian immigrants but has attained legendary status to the point that you'll find him written within the DNA of every French man, woman and child alive. FREE FRENCH LESSON Intermediate Level Charles Trenet Douce France (1947) It may be old but despite the age gap many of you will will be familiar with this song, particularly the melody. Hands up, I find many of the songs from this period a bit samey but a few by Charles Trenet stand out from the crowd. The reasons you should get to know this particular song yourselves are two fold. First, this song is almost a national anthem packed with nostalgia enriched images of France at it's most chocolate box period. Second, despite his idiosyncratic singing style, Trenet enunciates well so you'll be able to follow what he's singing with ease. FREE FRENCH LESSON Beginner-Intermediate Level Gilbert Bécaud Et Maintenant (1961) Be prepared for pain, passion and anger... and then some. If you watch the clip I chose of Bécaud singing this song live, then you'll find it hard to believe that he hasn't just come straight from a mental asylum. However, when you start to understand the bitter words spat forth you'll come to realize his genius in capturing the feeling of utter rejection that most of us have experienced at least once in our lives. Watch the madness in the eyes... FREE FRENCH LESSON Beginner-Intermediate Level La Godinette OR Gael Lefevere + Nicolas Quemener J'étais Lassée D’être Jeune Fille (????) When Gael Lefevere, the guy responsible for introducing me to the real French music scene, had interpreted this traditional Breton song with fellow musician Nicolas Quemener, I remembered thinking to myself that it was possibly the most moving piece of French language music I had ever come across. Like all songs from this region of France, the lyrics are hard and biting, yet all the more interesting for it, and you'll see just how deep the Celtic roots run in listening to the original version by La Godinette, a version that I have also come to love. Now it's your turn. FREE FRENCH LESSON Intermediate Level Stromea Alors On Danse (2013) This is the song that started it all off for Stromea. I used to flick on the music channels when drinking my bowl of coffee in the mornings and when this song came out, it was on EVERY morning for what felt like a year. It became one of those songs that would play in my head all day long. Be careful, it may have the same effect on you. Ps. In the lesson you'll witness how I trash almost every other translation of this song that exists! FREE FRENCH LESSON Beginner-Intermediate Level Edith Piaf Je Ne Regrette Rien (1960) Probably the only French song that the average Joe knows. Well, at least it's a good one. Emotionally charged and yet short and simple song, and hence good for beginners. No extremely metaphorical lyrics, just nice and direct, which helps. FREE FRENCH LESSON Beginner-Intermediate Level Serge Gainsbourg & Jane Birkin Je T'aime... Moi Non Plus (1969) Very very naughty. The controversial French lyrical genius begat a controversial sexy French song. You all know this one so there's not much more for me to add... except, if you thought it was a tad risqué beforehand, just wait until you understand the 'ins and outs' (ha ha!/ lol) of the lyrics. FREE FRENCH LESSON Beginner-Intermediate Level Claude François Comme D'habitude (1967) Confession: I hate every song this artist ever did except this one which was truly a chef d'oeuvre. After being seen on TV by a Canadian artist, the song was bought and its lyrics re-written in English once the song had been given totally different theme. The finished product was then sung by Frank Sinatra and thus was born: 'I Did It My Way' FREE FRENCH LESSON Beginner-Intermediate Level Indila Dernière Danse (2014) This was on the free to view music channels every morning for the whole of spring 2014. A hit that came out of nowhere which now has 73 million YouTube hits. Vevo wouldn't let me use the official video so I used an excellent remix in place. (burn-Vevo-burn) FREE FRENCH LESSON Beginner-Intermediate Level Zaz Je Veux (2010) This was the song that led to Zaz becoming Frances top selling artist abroad in 2010 (or was it another year?) The album from which it came (called Zaz as it happens) ranked high in the charts all over Europe (except, of course, the UK). Simple but potent lyrics whose meaning hit home with me. Plenty of slang phrases within so if you need to work on that then this is your song. FREE FRENCH LESSON Intermediate Level Stromae Papaoutai (2013) Recent hit all over europe and the world (152 million YouTube Hits) by the now established king of electro-urban-geek music. This song is not the easiest of ones but has a very strong lyrical narrative, if not message (as do all his songs). Note that I've put in the phonetics for this lesson using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). FREE FRENCH LESSON Intermediate Level Benjamin Biolay Ton Héritage (2009) Modern Classic chanson Française. One man, one piano, one haunting tune, and a bunch of stirring lines. This one always gives me goose pimples when I hear it on the radio. The word for word translations are there but I have left it light on the grammar notes. FREE FRENCH LESSON Intermediate Level Jacques Brel Ne Me Quitte Pas (1959) This song is considered by many to be the all time greatest chanson française that has ever existed. Always at the top of meta-critic polls and a personal favorite of my own (I only do songs that I like). It's an oldie (circa 1959) and yet so timeless... P.s. I have done the phonetics for this one FREE FRENCH LESSON Intermediate-Advanced Level Malicorne Le Luneux (1977?) From the album Almanach, this traditional French folk song reconstructed by the experimental headonism of Malicorne in the late seventies will make you shiver with delight. I'm not sure whether the melody came from another song, but who cares when it's this good. Some oldie style wording but my notes will help you understand it. FREE FRENCH LESSON Intermediate-Advanced Level Olivia Ruiz La Femme Chocolat (2006) Unique voice, unique style of music, unique lyrics and unique looks help this artist stand far out from the often samey nouvelle scene crowd. This particular song demonstrates well her quirkiness with lyrics that are just damnright trippy. FREE FRENCH LESSON Intermediate Level Serge Lama Je Suis Malade (1973) Possibly the most melancholic song in the history of mankind... and I love it. It's all about the words dude and Mr Lama paints such a stark yet poignant picture with them that you can't help putting yourself in his boots. Get a glass of whisky, light up cigarette and think of the lovers that have hurt you... you are now ready for this lesson. DO YOU WANT TO LISTEN TO
My Spotify Playlists of French Language music Now for a musical interlude. I've done a Spotify (French Lesson Songs) playlist which contains all the songs from which I've based all my free French language song lessons. Listen to the playlist then do the lessons. That might help. You can also listen to my Spotify playlist of all the French language songs that I listen to when I'm working on this site, just to get me in the mood. It's a long one so listen to it on shuffle mode and you'll get the best French music radio station that never was. Not signed up to Spotify yet? Its free and you can listen to pretty much any music out-there so why dawdle. I basically live on it when writing. See also my Spotify Playlist of Spanish Language Songs. and My playlist of the top 100 French Language Songs of All Time THE TOP TEN MOST INTERESTING French Language Music Artists Since 2000 French language music has always had a bit of a reputation for being naff among English speaking peoples. To rebuke those accusations I therefore present some shockingly good modern era music artists (Frenchies who still sing in French, who'd have thought..). The list is accompanied with individually playable YouTube videos so you can quickly sample and decide for yourselves. I have also written a ditty on each artist, not that anyone reads now-a-days. YOUTUBE VIDS LIST (WITH REVIEWS) OF The 100 All Time Best French Language Songs (Chansons Françaises) Ever See my list of what I believe, as serious connoiseur, to be the best French language songs ever (with learning the the French Language and Culture in mind) but which are specifically chosen to suite anglophone tastes. The list is accompanied with individually playable YouTube videos so you can quickly sample and decide for yourselves (god, I love copy and paste.) Slowly doing write-ups for each. Spotify and Deezer playlists on page. THE WHY AND HOW: Using Les Chansons Francaises (French language songs) to Learn French. Read my article explaining why and how... oh... I've just said that. I may go off on a folly with this article but what I say within (when I eventually get to the point) could change your current methods of learning French for the better. Also: detailed look at Irony vs atlantic drift. ONE-STOP LINKS AND REVIEWS FOR The Best French Radio Stations for Learning French Want to listen to French Radio Stations but don't know where to start? Want some advice on which is the best for you? Want a webpage that acts like a gateway and guiding hand at the same time? Well, you've found the one link to rule them all, the one link to find them, the one link to link them all, and in cyberspace bind them. Now that's what I call bad-ass poetry! (Suck on that one keats) HOW TO WATCH Live 'Free to View' French TV Channels Online from Abroad In the 21st Century, language, culture and television are very closely associated. If you can't be there then the next best thing is to see and hear what those that are are watching. Your ability to understand oral French will undergo a paradigm shift within just a few hundred hours of french tv watching. Yes, I know that sounds like Chinese water torture but there are a few gems to look out for so.. let me be your guide young padawan. MY SPOTIFY AND DEEZER PLAYLISTS OF Modern Era French Music Artists And Songs Did you find my playlist of the top 100 French Language Songs of all time too old fashioned, too melancholic? Here's the remedy. This is my personal playlist of modern french language music and it goes from mainstream pop to left-field hipster. It's like what French music radio stations would be like if you took out all the 80's anglophone music and then gave it taste. French music can be... good? ALL BY MY SELF... DON'T WANNA BE... Hints & Tips for Learning French as a Self Study Topic Going it alone can be a daunting challenge so why not take a little advice from those that have already crossed that bridge. Stand on the shoulders of vertically challenged people, that's what I say No dwarfs were harmed during the writing of this article CONJUGATE THIS FOTHER MUCKER Rundown of the French Verb Tenses and Moods I noticed that there was very little on the web giving a brief yet comprehensive rundown of these French verb tense-moods as I like to call them. Even less showing the use of them with examples. Shall we consider this lacune filled now? THE SLIPPERY FISH OF CONJUGATION RIVER The French Imperfect Tense (l'imparfait) There is one barrier left between you and near comprehension of French texts: L'Imparfait. ...and so welcome to my rule of thumb rule on how to translate this tense when you come across it in your readings. Examples given will help you understand... hopefully. THIS TIME, NOTHING TO DO WITH FRENCH Hangman (my first ever short story) Posted at Booksie. I wrote this for English learners as I wanted to do a lesson based on a short story that wasn't one of those public domain classics, which although good, can be a bit complicated and old-fashioned. Once finished, and to my horror, I realized that my carefully crafted creation was rather old-fashioned and quite the bit complicated. Still, I think it's good but then again I would say that, wouldn't I. Plot twist is free, but the broken fourth wall is non-refundable. |