Les Belles Histoires Lyrics in English Bénabar

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Below, I translated the lyrics of the song Les Belles Histoires by Bénabar from French to English.

Where've the passers-by gone, strolling with their noses in the air

Sweethearts drifting on the wind who don't have Tinder

Where've the departed gone, the Romeos, the Juliets

Who, locked in endless embrace, have been dying since 1597

And the mild spice of lovers' first fights

The first time we say 'us', the first time we feel we're two

The broken heartbeats in pathetic sobs

Where've the out-of-date ones gone, where are the romantics

The love stories, they've gotta be somewhere

Tell me it's to catch a woman in tears who's leaving

That man who's running across the terminal

I don't wanna believe he's just late

Where's the smitten student who, for his French teacher

Writes a sweet note, never thinking she'd correct it

The thoughts you inspired in me, inspired-e-e-s

Love agrees with the D.O. and a mistress stays a mistress

And the blue flowers of the past, where've the angels gone

Are the Cupids with crumpled wings on orange alert?

And the blushing suitor with a panicked heart

Where the hell have the last romantics gone

The love stories, they've gotta be somewhere

Tell me it's to catch a woman in tears who's leaving

That man who's running across the terminal

I don't wanna believe he's just late

Where've the flushed cheeks and that stroke symptom gone

When we feel, despite ourselves, those uncontrollable feelings

And the Chopin sonata that shut the music off

And sh*t, in the end, where've the romantics gone

The love stories, they've gotta be somewhere

Tell me it's to catch a woman in tears who's leaving

That man who's running across the terminal

I don't wanna believe he's just late

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Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

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SONG MEANING

Where have all the hopeless romantics gone? In Les Belles Histoires, Bénabar strolls through crowded streets, airports, and classrooms, searching for the grand love stories that once made hearts race. With playful references to Romeo and Juliet, blushing students, and a world without Tinder, he laments how dramatic declarations of love seem to have vanished. Each witty line is a nostalgic wink to first quarrels, first “we,” and the flutter of panic that used to accompany an uncontrollable crush.

Yet the song is not just wistful; it is a spirited call to action. Bénabar clings to the hope that the man sprinting through the terminal is chasing a teary lover, not merely late for a flight. He urges listeners to believe that passionate gestures still exist somewhere—perhaps hiding behind crumpled Cupid wings or muted Chopin sonatas—waiting to be revived. Les Belles Histoires invites us to rediscover the thrill of heartfelt romance and keep those legendary love stories alive.

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Bénabar Les Belles Histoires Lyrics