Sympathique Lyrics in English Pink Martini

Pink Martini’s French-language gem "Sympathique" is the perfect anthem for anyone who has ever pulled the covers back over their head on a workday morning. The singer sits in a bedroom "the shape of a cage," half-lit by the sun, while imaginary hunters knock like toy soldiers at the door. Faced with real-world demands to work, eat lunch, and generally act like a responsible adult, she cheerfully revolts: "Je ne veux pas travailler… je veux seulement oublier et puis je fume" — "I don’t want to work… I only want to forget, then I smoke." The upbeat cabaret melody turns this confession of laziness into a playful Parisian daydream, making us almost taste the cigarette smoke curling through that small, sun-drenched window.

Beneath the breezy whistling and retro swing lies an undercurrent of melancholy. The singer admits she has known love’s sweet perfume, yet even a single flower now makes her feel ill. Life seems to be conspiring against her, but rather than fight back she slips into the cozy fog of apathy, half-ashamed yet defiantly carefree. "Sympathique" captures that universal tug-of-war between society’s expectations and our craving for unstructured freedom. It invites learners to relish the playful rhythms of French while quietly whispering: It’s okay to hit pause on life once in a while.