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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Learn French Free With French Music Lyrics
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This is the simple lyrics translation. For the French lesson based on these lyrics see below left
PART ONE Si tu aimes les soirs de pluie If you love (the) evenings of rain OR If you like (the) rainy evenings NOTE: I've used love for the rest but like is an equal alternative Mon enfant, mon enfant My child, my child Les ruelles de l'Italie The side streets of Italy OR The back allies of Italy Et les pas des passants And the steps of passers-by L'éternelle litanie The eternal litany Des feuilles mortes dans le vent Of (the) dead leaves in the wind Qui poussent un dernier cri Which let out a final cry Crie, mon enfant Cry out my child CONTINUED BELOW PART TWO Si tu aimes les éclaircies If you love (the) sunny spells Mon enfant, mon enfant My child, my child Prendre un bain de minuit To take a midnight dip OR To midnight swim Dans le grand océan In the big ocean OR In the large ocean Si tu aimes la mauvaise vie If you love the wilder side of life Ton reflet dans l'étang Your reflection in a pool OR Your reflection in the pool Si tu veux tes amis If you want your friends Près de toi, tout le temps Close to you, all the time CONTINUED BELOW PART THREE Si tu pries quand la nuit tombe If you pray when the night falls OR If you pray when night draws in Mon enfant, mon enfant My child, my child Si tu ne fleuris pas les tombes If you don't enflower (the) tombs OR If you don't put flowers on graves Mais chéris les absents But cherish the departed Si tu as peur de la bombe If you are scared of the bomb OR Et du ciel trop grand And of the sky that is too big OR And of the oversized sky Si tu parles à ton ombre If you talk to your shadow De temps en temps From time to time PART FOUR Si tu aimes la marée basse If you love (the) low tides Mon enfant, mon enfant My child, my child Le soleil sur la terrasse The sun on the patio Et la lune sous le vent And the leeward moon Si l'on perd souvent ta trace If one often loses trace of you Dès qu'arrive le printemps As soon as spring arrives Si la vie te dépasse If this life passes over your head OR If life escapes you OR If this life is beyond you Passe, mon enfant Pass on through my child OR Pass on by my child OR pass my child OR Go beyond, my child PART FIVE (chorus) Ça n'est pas ta faute It's not your fault OR (all) this is not your fault OR That's not your fault C'est ton héritage It's you heritage OR I'ts your legacy/inheritance Et ce sera pire encore And it will be worse still Quand tu auras mon âge When you will be my age Ça n'est pas ta faute (repetition) It's not your fault C'est ta chair, ton sang It's your flesh, your blood Il va falloir faire avec This, you're going to have to make do with OR This, you're going to have to put up with OR This, you're going to have to live with Ou, plutôt sans Or rather, without PART SIX Si tu oublies les prénoms If you forget (the) first names OR If you forget (the) christian names/ fornames Les adresses et les âges The addresses and the ages Mais presque jamais le son But almost never the sound D'une voix, un visage Of a voice, a face Si tu aimes ce qui est bon If you love that which is good Si tu vois des mirages If you see mirages OR If you sometimes see mirages Si tu préfères Paris If you prefer Paris Quand vient l'orage When it's stormy OR When comes the storm OR When there comes a storm PART SEVEN
Si tu aimes les goûts amers If you love (the) bitter tastes Et les hivers tout blancs And (the) all white winters OR And winters all in white Si tu aimes les derniers verres If you love the last drinks OR If you love the final rounds of drink OR If you love the 'just one more' glasses Et les mystères troublants And (the) troubling mysteries OR And (the) mysteries that trouble Si tu aimes sentir la terre If you love to feel the earth Et jaillir le volcan And the erupting of a volcano Si tu as peur du vide If you fear empty spaces Vide, mon enfant Empty yourself my child CHORUS REPEATED PART EIGHT
Si tu aimes partir avant If you love/like to leave before OR If you prefer to leave before Mon enfant, mon enfant My child, my child Avant que l'autre s'éveille Before the other wakes Avant qu'il te laisse en plan Before he leaves you high and dry OR Before he stands you up OR Before he dumps you Si tu as peur du sommeil If you are scared of sleep Et que passe le temps // Et du ciel trop grand And that time passes by OR And that time should pass OR And the passing of time NOTE: in the live filmed clip above, Biolay makes the error of singing 'et du ciel trop grand,' which is a line repeated from above. He should have sung 'Et que passe le temps.' Si tu aimes l'automne vermeil If you love (the) autumns of vermillion OR If you love crimson autumns Merveille, rouge sang Marvel, blood red OR (a) Blood red marvel PART NINE
Si tu as peur de la foule If you are scared of the crowd Mais supportes les gens But are ok with people OR But people in general don't bother you Si tes idéaux s'écroulent If your ideals collapse Le soir de tes vingt ans The evening of your twentieth Et si tout se déroule And if all unfolds OR And if it all turns out Jamais comme dans tes plans Never as in your plans Si tu n'es qu'une pierre qui roule If you're nothing other than a stone which rolls Roule, mon enfant Roll, my child CHORUS REPEATED THE END 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. My Spotify Playlists Now for a musical interlude. Like French music? The following is a link 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. Benjamin Biolay: Factoids (source: wikipedia) with links to YouTube lyrics videos.
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