French Music – Paris by night Posted by Tim Hildreth on Nov 6, 2018 in Culture, Music, Vocabulary
One of the reasons why I enjoy driving in France so much is that so many of my favorite memories involve racing around Paris in a little red Peugeot 205 with my brother Fabrice on our way to some new adventure … many of which took place in Paris at night.
There is almost nowhere (at least anywhere I’ve been) as magical as Paris at night. Paris really is the city of light, and when dusk comes and night settles over the city, Paris really shines. For a kid from the country, the Parisian nightlife was a wonder to behold. This song by Bénabar (who we’ve featured before) really captures the magic and reminds me of all the fun times to be had in one of the world’s truly great cities. Enjoy!
| J’étais super naze, | I was wiped (out), |
| Grosse semaine de boulot. | A big week at work. |
| Je me sentais d’occas’, | I felt used up, |
| Besoin de repos. | In need of a break (rest). |
| Faut être raisonnable | Got to be reasonable |
| Pour faire des vieux os | To make it to the end (lit. to make old bones) |
| Intraitable, savoir se coucher tôt. | Nothing better, knowing when to go to bed (lit. knowing how to go to bed early). |
| J’ai dit : Les gars, sans moi, | I said : Guys, (go) without me, |
| Je rentre, j’ai de la route | I’m going home, I’ve got a commute |
| Non, n’insistez pas ! | No, don’t try to convince me! |
| Bon, d’accord, cinq minutes. | Ok, fine, five minutes. |
| J’aurais dû me douter | I should have known |
| Que c’était qu’un début | That it was just the beginning |
| Les meilleures soirées | The best nights out |
| Ne sont jamais prévues. | Are never planned (ahead). |
| Paris by night, | Paris at night, |
| Au hasard de la nuit, | Random nights, |
| Qui nous prend par la main | That take us by the hand |
| Et nous laisse au matin. | And leave us in the morning. |
| Paris by night | Paris at night |
| Ce qui me réjouis | What I enjoy |
| C’est qu’on regrettera demain | Is that we’ll only regret in the morning |
| Que ce dont on se souvient. | What we remember. |
| En sortant du bistrot | As we left the restaurant |
| J’ai dit : Cette fois, j’y vais. | I said : This time, I’m going. |
| On est sorti du resto | We left the restaurant |
| Et quatre heures après… | And four hours later… |
| Quelqu’un a dit : | Someone said : |
| On se quitte pas comme ça | You don’t just split up like that |
| Je sais plus trop qui, | I’m not sure who, |
| Je crois que c’était moi. | I think it was me. |
| On a pris un taxi | We took a taxi |
| Parce qu’au volant, pas d’alcool ! | Because no drinking in driving! |
| Il faut dire qu’aussi | Plus, |
| On retrouvait plus la bagnole… | We coudn’t find the car… |
| On a été dans un bar | We were in a bar |
| Et dans un autre un peu mieux | Then another a little better |
| En s’arrêtant pour boire | We stopped for a drink |
| Un coup entre les deux ! | In between the two ! |
| [Refrain] | [Chorus] |
| Il était tellement tard | It was so late |
| Qu’il était presque tôt | That it was almost early |
| On allait bientôt voir | Any moment and we would see |
| Les gens partir au boulot. | The people going to work. |
| On a été dans un club | We went to a dancing |
| Dans une discothèque | To a disco |
| Dans une boîte à la mode ! | And to a popular club! |
| Là, ce fut un échec. | Where we hit a wall (lit. There, it was a setback.) |
| Un videur nous a refoulé | A bouncer pushed us back |
| Je lui ai demandé doucement : | I asked him quietly |
| Si i’ savait qui j’étais | If he knew who I was |
| Il m’a dit : Ouais, justement ! | He said : Yes, exactly ! |
| Pour laver l’affront | To recover from the insult |
| On a pris un fallafel | We had a falafel |
| Remis d’aplomb | Back on our feet |
| On est reparti de plus belle ! | We laid into it all again! |
| [Refrain] | [Chorus] |
| On a fini en acteurs | We wound up stars |
| Le jour allait se lever | Sunrise was near |
| Un peu comme les vampires | A bit like vampires |
| On voulait l’éviter. | We hoped to avoid it. |
| On s’est promis en sortant | On our way out we promised |
| Qu’on ne s’y reprendrait plus. | That we would never do this again. |
| Cette promesse heureusement | That is a promise that happily |
| On n’l’a jamais tenue !… | We never kept ! … |
| [Refrain] | [Chorus] |
| Et moi j’préfère… | And I prefer… |
| Paris by night ! | Paris at night ! |
Paris photo CC0 by Tim Hildreth (2018).
Build vocabulary, practice pronunciation, and more with Transparent Language Online. Available anytime, anywhere, on any device.
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.