Les Bougies Fondues Lyrics in English by Francis Cabrel
Below, I translated the lyrics of the song Les Bougies Fondues by Francis Cabrel from French to English.
Sur mon grand canapé allongé sous la lune
On my big sofa, stretched out under the moon
J'avais les bras croisé, j'attendais la fortune
I had my arms crossed, I was waiting for fortune
Entre deux cloisons vides et une ampoule nue, la poésie
Between two empty partitions and a bare light bulb, poetry
Ma vie allait passer paisible et sans histoire
My life was going to pass peacefully and without history
Mais tout était trop vrai et j'ai préféré croire
But everything was too real and I preferred to believe
Aux formes dessinées dans les bougies fondues
In the shapes drawn in the melted candles
La poésie où y'en a jamais eu
Poetry where there never was any
Une barre d'immeuble nue me barre l'horizon
A bare apartment block blocks my horizon
Ceux qui l'ont dessinée toujours pas en prison
Those who designed it still not in prison
L'enfant peut griffonner un graffiti de plus, la poésie
The child can scribble one more graffiti, poetry
Sur le trottoir mal fait que se fend et qui craque
On the poorly made sidewalk that splits and cracks
Comme on marque un arrêt, on se voit dans les flaques
As one stops, we see ourselves in the puddles
Un morceau d'au-delà à nos pieds descendus
A piece of the beyond descended at our feet
La poésie où y'en a jamais eu
Poetry where there never was any
La vie est un concours où personne ne gagne
Life is a competition where nobody wins
Un chemin qui s'enroule autour d'une montagne
A path that winds around a mountain
On se retrouve en haut tous, le moment venu, la poésie
We all find ourselves at the top, when the time comes, poetry
J'ai vu l'homme passer, armé comme à la guerre
I saw the man pass, armed as if for war
Mourir, c'est son projet, il va falloir s'y faire
To die is his project, we'll have to get used to it
On dansera plus tard, au calme revenu
We'll dance later, once calm has returned
La poésie où y'en a jamais eu
Poetry where there never was any
Du gamin rescapé sous des tonnes de pierres
From the child rescued under tons of stones
Aux flocons envolés de leur boule de verre
To the snowflakes flown from their glass ball
On pense que le ciel serait intervenu, la poésie
We think the sky would have intervened, poetry
Du tigre prisonnier, elle écarte les grilles
For the captive tiger, it pushes aside the bars
Les dix mètres carrés pour lui et sa famille
The ten square meters for him and his family
Deviennent à chaque pas une immense étendue
Become with each step an immense expanse
La poésie où y'en a jamais eu
Poetry where there never was any
Regarde elle a dix ans et vois comme elle est belle
Look, she's ten years old and see how beautiful she is
Elle est belle et pourtant, elle ne sort de chez elle
She's beautiful and yet, she doesn't leave her home
Qu'avec l'âme et le corps, cachés sous des tissus, la poésie
Except with her soul and body, hidden under fabrics, poetry
En retournant chez moi, j'ai croisé des fanfares
Returning home, I crossed paths with brass bands
Des rangées de tambours, des grelots, des guitares
Rows of drums, bells, guitars
Elle marchait devant, ses longs cheveux défaits
She walked in front, her long hair undone
La poésie où y'en aura jamais
Poetry where there never will be any
Elle tourna à la radio, la jolie ritournelle
The pretty refrain played on the radio
Elle est triste sans lui, il est triste sans elle
She's sad without him, he's sad without her
Et flashent les radars sur les sentiers battus, la poésie
And radars flash on the beaten paths, poetry
Pourtant la rue vibrait, encombrée de voitures
Yet the street vibrated, crowded with cars
Le soleil s'accrochait aux angles des toitures
The sun clung to the angles of the rooftops
Et chaque arbre prenait des poses de statues
And each tree took on statue-like poses
La poésie où y'en a jamais eu
Poetry where there never was any
Si un jour, je croisais au hasard d'un visage
If one day, I happened to cross paths with a face
Le chanteur que j'étais dans les bals de village
The singer I was in village dances
On se regarderait comme deux inconnus, la poésie
We'd look at each other like two strangers, poetry
Il me dirait sûrement, t'as dû en voir du monde
He'd surely tell me, you must've seen a lot of people
Il se pourrait pourtant qu'à la fin de réponde
Yet it might be that in the end I'd answer
C'est celui que j'étais qui me manque le plus
It's the one I was that I miss the most
La poésie où y'en a jamais eu
Poetry where there never was any
Je m'abimais les yeux, sous la voûte céleste
I strained my eyes, under the celestial vault
Savoir où sont marquées les heures qu'il me reste
To know where the hours I have left are marked
Et chercher pour demain ce qu'il y a de prévu, la poésie
And search for tomorrow what's planned, poetry
Comme des vérités, je n'en trouvais aucune
As for truths, I found none
Sur le grand canapé allongé sous la lune
On the big sofa, stretched out under the moon
J'ai cherché des les bougies fondues
I searched in the melted candles
La poésie où y'en a jamais eu
Poetry where there never was any
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Did you like this lyrics translation?
ritournelle — refrain / ditty
Ritournelle refers to a short, recurring musical phrase or a catchy tune, often a refrain in a song. It's a charming and somewhat old-fashioned word that evokes a sense of nostalgia and musicality.
In the context of the song, Cabrel mentions "la jolie ritournelle" (the pretty ditty) playing on the radio, suggesting a simple, memorable tune that carries emotional weight, perhaps reflecting on past loves or simpler times. It's a word that beautifully captures the essence of a song's recurring melody and its lingering effect.
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