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On Verra Bien (French Music) Posted by on Jan 23, 2018 in Music, Uncategorized

In French, on verra bien means “we shall see.” It’s an expression that you’ll often hear in French. For example, On verra bien comment ça va se passer. (“Well, we’ll see how it will work out.”) Or, On verra bien avec le temps. (“We shall see in due time.”)

Courtesy of Pixabay

A popular French song, drawing on classic hip-hop, uses this French expression as its refrain. Called (what else?) “On Verra Bien,” it was written and is performed by the popular French artist Nekfeu. Nekfeu is the stage name of Ken Samaras, and is the verlan of his nickname “le fennec,” referencing the Fennec fox, which is one of the national animals of Algeria (read more about verlan here).

Nekfeu is known for his incisive and reflective words, which can be seen in the lyrics (or, paroles) of “On Verra Bien.” The song begins:

On sèche les cours, la flemme marque le quotidien
We skip classes, fatigue defines our days
Être en couple, ça fait mal que quand t’y tiens
To be in a relationship, it hurts only when you stay
Même si j’ai rien à prouver, j’me sens un peu seul
Even if I have nothing to prove, I feel a bit alone
J’ai toujours pas trouvé la pièce manquante du puzzle
I still haven’t found the missing piece of the puzzle
…
Je viens à peine de naitre, demain j’serai vieux
I was almost just born, tomorrow I’ll be old
Mais j’vais tout faire pour être à jamais ce rêveur
But I will do everything to always remain a dreamer
The refrain continues:
On verra bien ce que l’avenir nous réservera
We shall see what the future has in store for us
On verra bien, vas-y, viens, on n’y pense pas
We shall see, go ahead, come on, we won’t think about it
On verra bien ce que l’avenir nous réservera
We shall see what the future has in store for us
On verra bien, on verra bien
We shall see, we shall see
A later verse becomes more social and political commentary, as Nekfeu often raps about:
N’aie pas peur des insultes qu’on se lance
Don’t be afraid of the insults we throw
Aux consonances arabiques
in Arabic consonants
On est tous dans le même bateau
We are all in the same boat
Même ceux que l’on aime pas trop
Even if we don’t like each other that much
Car l’amour, le son et la bouffe sont devenus consommation rapide
Because love, music, and food have now been made for rapid consumption
You can listen to Nekfeu’s song below, off of his album Feu, which was released in 2015 to critical acclaim.
https://youtu.be/YltjliK0ZeA
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About the Author: Elizabeth Schmermund

Bonjour tout le monde! I'm a freelance writer, doctoral student, mom, and Francophile. I'm excited to share some of my experiences living in France, as well as the cultural nuances that I've learned being married to a Frenchman, with all of you. To find out more about me, feel free to check out my website at http://www.imaginistwriter.com. A la prochaine!