Effets Secondaires Lyrics in English Grand Corps Malade

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Below, I translated the lyrics of the song Effets Secondaires by Grand Corps Malade from French to English.

In these lockdown times we paused a bit

Far from frantic rushing we opened our eyes

In these troubled times, it sometimes feels good

To start thinking again even if it's not by choice

So between kids' screams and schoolwork

Between masks and gloves, between fear and anger

Seeing the leaders freak out in their muddled handling

In these lockdown times, we ask ourselves questions

And now

What if this virus had lots of other virtues

Besides attacking our vulnerable lungs

What if it also tried to give us back our sight

About lifestyles that have turned harmful

If we have to save our lives by staying safe at home

We finally let the Earth recover what we took from her

Nature lays down its law, taking back its rights

Avenging itself for our arrogance and our contempt

And is it chance that this vile virus

Doesn't attack the youngest, doesn't hit the kids

It goes after the adults responsible for this world

It condemns our drift and spares the innocents

This grown-up world has become so frail

The established order blew up in pieces

Earthlings remember they're human and fragile

And maybe feel it's time to wipe the slate clean

What if this virus had many other powers

Besides attacking our breathing

What if it also tried to give us back our memory

Of the values forgotten behind our ambitions

We suddenly find ourselves alike, united

All in the same boat to face the virus

It was a bit less the case for fighting poverty

We were less united to welcome the Aquarius

And what if this virus had the huge gift

Of reminding us what really matters

Trips, outings, money are no longer the norm

And from our windows we relearn to look at the sky

We've got time for family, we slow down work

And even with the outside we strengthen bonds

We reinvent our rituals, full of ideas, discoveries

And every day we check up on our elders

And what if this virus showed us who the real heroes are

Those who were already toiling far from our thoughts

Only now do they make the front page

While the CAC 40 is in quarantine

Long before Corona the hospital was suffocating

It coughed up misery and overload

Our leaders discover there's reason to worry

Now that there's a line for intensive care

We suddenly recognize those who help us live

While the state suffocates all our public services

Those who clean the streets, who transport and who deliver

We rediscover the invisible ones of the republic

And now

Outro

So when this virus leaves the way it came

What'll be left of all its side effects

What will we have gained with all we lost

Will our dead have had a saving fate

And now

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SONG MEANING

Effets Secondaires is Grand Corps Malade’s spoken-word postcard from the first COVID lockdown. With his signature mix of poetry and social commentary, he turns confinement into a magnifying glass: family chaos, government confusion, rubber gloves, and children’s laughter swirl together while the planet quietly heals outside. The virus is pictured as a stern teacher, forcing adults to slow down, question consumer habits, and recognize the fragility hidden beneath everyday routines.

The song keeps asking “Et maintenant?” (And now?) as it salutes overlooked heroes—nurses, cleaners, delivery drivers—who finally step into the spotlight while stock-market giants sit in quarantine. Environmental wake-up call, crash course in solidarity, and moral reset all meet in three and a half minutes of slam poetry. By the end, the listener is left wondering what will remain once the virus departs: Will society keep the empathy, humility, and rediscovered priorities, or slip back into old habits?

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Grand Corps Malade Effets Secondaires Lyrics