French Music – A Christmas Song Posted by Tim Hildreth on Dec 24, 2019 in Culture, Music, Vocabulary
Today is le réveillon de Noël (Christmas eve) … et demain c’est Noël (tomorrow is Christmas). And while it is a time of joy and celebrations for many, it is also a time to remember those who cannot fully enjoy the saison des fêtes (holiday season) for whatever reason.
In 2015, the French singer Michel Polnareff released this song, his first since 2007, to less than stellar reviews. Maybe some were disappointed by the song, maybe some were put off by the subject … whatever the case, I found it to be a moving reminder to be grateful for the love and good fortunate that I have and to spare une pensée (a thought) for those who might have less. What ever your situation, religion, or beliefs, I would like to wish you un très joyeux Noël (a very happy/merry Christmas).
| Sapin éteint , | The (Christmas) tree is switched off, |
| Les boules tombent et cassent au son des ohohoh | The (decorative) balls fall and break to the sound of ohohoh |
| Les parents dorment indifférents ohoh ohohoh | The parents sleep indifferently ohoh ohohoh |
| Fait noir dedans et blanc dehors ohohohoh | Black inside and white out ohohohoh |
| J’ai faim, | I’m hungry, |
| J’ai froid, | I’m cold, |
| J’ai peur, | I’m scared, |
| Je pleure, | I weep, |
| Je suis seul | I am alone |
| (Il) y a pas d(e) soleil dans mon hiver | There is no sunshine in my winter |
| L’homme en rouge n’a rien pour moi | The man in red has nothing for me |
| Pas d(e) cadeau dans le sac à dos | No presents in the sack |
| L’homme en rouge ne passera pas | The man in red won’t by coming |
| J(e) suis personne | I am nobody |
| Je n’existe pas | I don’t exist |
| L’homme en rouge ne viendra pas | The man in red won’t be coming |
| Il se moque1se moquer de quelqu’un or de quelque chose can also mean to make fun of but here it is used in the sense of to not care about / not have a care for de gens comme moi | He doesn’t care about people like me |
| L’homme en rouge ne m(e) connaît pas | The man in red doesn’t know me |
| Qu’on n(e) me dise pas que j’ai mérité d’être ignoré à ce point là | Don’t tell me that I deserve to be ignored this way |
| Que les gosses d’en face gâtés pourris sont bien, bien mieux que moi | That the spoiled rotten kids across the way are good, much better than me |
| Ils dansent, | They dance |
| Ils chantent, | They sing |
| Et me narguent au son des ohohoh | And tease me with their ohohoh |
| Je suis seul sur une terre qui tourne sans moi | I am alone in a world that turns without me |
| (Il) y a pas de soleil dans ma misère | There is no sunshine in my misery |
| L’homme en rouge ne m(e) réchauffera pas | The man in red will not warm me |
| (Il) y a pas de lumière dans mon tunnel | There is no sunlight2soleil lit. means sun but it can also mean, depending on the context, sunshine or sunlight in my tunnel |
| L’homme en rouge ne l’allumera pas | The man in red won’t light it (up) |
| Il n’y a plus de mensonges pour le soir | There will be no more lies tonight |
| L’homme en rouge ne viendra pas | The man in red won’t be coming |
| Tout le monde mérite d’être heureux | Everyone deserves to be happy |
| Tout le monde et pourquoi pas moi? | Everyone … so why not me? |
| (Il) y a pas de soleil dans mon désert | There is no sunlight in my desert |
| Il ne le traversera pas | He won’t cross it |
| Je pleure un fleuve pas trop tranquille | I cry a turbulent river |
| Jamais il ne le séchera | That he will never dry |
| Je suis seul ce soir de linceul | I am alone on this night of mourning3linceul lit. means shroud |
| Même pas un petit jouet cassé | Not even a small broken toy |
| L’année prochaine ce sera pareil | Next year it will be the same |
| L’homme en rouge il n’existe pas | The man in read doesn’t exist |
Photo by Irina Iriser from Pexels
- 1se moquer de quelqu’un or de quelque chose can also mean to make fun of but here it is used in the sense of to not care about / not have a care for
- 2soleil lit. means sun but it can also mean, depending on the context, sunshine or sunlight
- 3linceul lit. means shroud
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About the Author: Tim Hildreth
Since my first trip to France at 16, I have been a passionate francophile. I love the language, food, music, art, people, and more that make France and la Francophonie in general such an amazing part of our global community. Having lived in France and studied the language and culture for over 35 years, it is my great pleasure to be able to share a little bit of my deep love with you through this blog.
Comments:
Maria Szili:
Hi Tim, mercy beaucoup for posting this beautiful song. I have started to learn francais only 2 week ago because of a song. I have learnt my first lesson from a book what I bought online called Hugo.
The original song was S.O.S. an terrian en detresse. I heard it first time from Dimash, then I have found a french boy to sing it. He has got an angelic voice. I love your post. Thank you again. I wish you Happy New Year with a lot of benediction. Greetings from London!
Tim Hildreth:
@Maria Szili Merci, Maria. I am happy to hear that you enjoyed this post and that you are learning French. You can find lots of great resources here from Transparent Language to help you too! 😉 The song you mentioned is from an old French musical called Starmania. You can learn more about it here: https://blogs.transparent.com/french/a-little-song-and-dance/ . Bonne Année!