La Coquette Lyrics in English by Bénabar
Below, I translated the lyrics of the song La Coquette by Bénabar from French to English.
These English lyric translations are not yet verified.
Elle habite le musée de sa jeunesse évanouie
She lives in the museum of her vanished youth
Elle propose un biscuit, on dit non, elle dit si
She offers a cookie, we say no, she says yes
Elle a retiré tous les miroirs
She removed all the mirrors
Elle évite son reflet ne veut plus se voir
She avoids her reflection, doesn't want to see herself anymore
Elle vit entourée de photos du passé
She lives surrounded by photos from the past
Son visage d'alors, son trésor, son trophée
Her face back then, her treasure, her trophy
Peau de pêche au tissu tendu de satin
Peach skin like stretched satin fabric
Mais le temps se dépêche et reprend son bien
But time rushes and reclaims its due
Les plus jolies fleurs ternissent et se fanent
The prettiest flowers fade and wilt
Les jeunes filles qu'ont de la chance deviennent de vieilles femmes
Young girls who are lucky become old women
Sa peau froissée c'est un drap qu'on agrippe
Her wrinkled skin is a sheet we cling to
Un mouchoir pour pleurer son mari qui nous quitte
A handkerchief to cry for her husband who leaves us
Un trait sur son front pour chacun de ses garçons
A line on her forehead for each of her sons
Et les paupières fripées, ses enfants qui s'en vont
And her wrinkled eyelids, her children who leave
Ses mains qui se déplient sont des araignées
Her hands that unfold are spiders
Qui font peur aux petits mais rassurent leurs aînés
That scare the little ones but reassure their elders
Les traînées aux coins des yeux sont le lit des fleuves
The lines at the corners of her eyes are the riverbeds
Où s'écoulent peu à peu les larmes des veuves
Where little by little flow the tears of widows
Elle dit que les années écrivent sur les visages
She says that the years write on faces
Et que les ratures encombrent la page
And that the erasures clutter the page
Profitons du beau temps avant l'averse
Let's enjoy the good weather before the downpour
Elle tue le temps avant l'inverse
She kills time before the reverse
Elle refuse et regrette, elle est vieille maintenant
She refuses and regrets, she's old now
En excuse, elle répète, elle était belle avant
As an excuse, she repeats, she was beautiful before
Mais les plus jolies fleurs ternissent et se fanent
But the prettiest flowers fade and wilt
Les jeunes filles qu'ont de la chance deviennent de vieilles femmes
Young girls who are lucky become old women
Qui ont la beauté des Pyramides ou du Louvre
That have the beauty of the Pyramids or the Louvre
La beauté des montagnes, des glaciers qui les couvrent
The beauty of the mountains, of the glaciers that cover them
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Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Ma boutique
Did you like this lyrics translation?
coquette — flirtatious woman
Coquette refers to a flirtatious woman, often one who tries to attract attention or admiration without serious intentions. It's a charmingly old-fashioned word that evokes a specific kind of playful, alluring personality.
In the context of the song, the title "La coquette" is ironic. The lyrics describe an aging woman grappling with her past beauty and the passage of time, rather than a young, flirtatious one. This contrast makes the word particularly poignant and memorable, highlighting the bittersweet theme of lost youth and vanity.
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