Sous L'Océan Lyrics in English by Henri Salvador
Below, I translated the lyrics of the song Sous L'Océan by Henri Salvador from French to English.
Ariel, écoute-moi
Ariel, listen to me
Le monde humain, c'est la pagaille
The human world is a mess
La vie sous la mer, c'est bien mieux que la vie qu'ils ont sur la terre
Life under the sea is way better than the life they've got on land
Le roseau est toujours plus vert, dans le marais d'à côté
The reed's always greener in the swamp next door
Toi t'aimerais bien vivre sur terre, bonjour la calamité
You'd love to live on land, hello disaster
Regarde bien le monde qui t'entoure, dans l'océan parfumé
Take a good look at the world around you in the scented ocean
On fait carnaval tous les jours mieux, tu ne pourras pas trouver
We throw a carnival every day, you won't find better
Sous l'océan, sous l'océan
Under the sea, under the sea
Doudou c'est bien mieux, tout le monde est heureux
Honey it's way better, everybody's happy
Sous l'océan
Under the sea
Là-haut, ils bossent toute la journée, esclavagés et prisonniers
Up there they work all day, slaves and prisoners
Pendant qu'on plonge, comme des éponges
While we dive like sponges
Sous l'océan
Under the sea
Chez nous, les poissons se fendent la pipe
Here the fish crack up laughing
Les vagues sont un vrai régal
The waves are a real treat
Là-haut, ils s'écaillent et ils flippent
Up there they scale off and freak out
A tourner dans leur bocal
Spinning in their fishbowl
Le bocal, faut dire, c'est l'extase
The bowl, gotta say, is pure bliss
Chez leurs copains cannibales
For their cannibal buddies
Si Monsieur poisson n'est pas sage
If Mister Fish isn't well-behaved
Il finira dans la poêle
He'll end up in the pan
Non
no
Sous l'océan, sous l'océan
Under the sea, under the sea
Y a pas d' court-bouillon
There's no broth
Pas de soupe de poisson
No fish soup
Pas de marmiton
No kitchen boy
Pour la tambouille, on leur dit non
For their stew we say no
Sous l'océan, y a pas d'hameçon
Under the sea there's no hook
On déambule, on fait des bulles
We stroll around, we blow bubbles
Sous l'océan
Under the sea
Sous l'océan
Under the sea
La vie est super, mieux que sur la terre, je te le dis
Life is awesome, better than on land, I'm telling you
Oui, je te le dis hi hi
Yeah, I'm telling you hee hee
Tu vois l'esturgeon et la raie
You see the sturgeon and the ray
Se sont lancés dans le reggae
They've jumped into reggae
On a le rythme, c'est d' la dynamite
We've got rhythm, it's dynamite
Sous l'océan
Under the sea
Riton au flution
Riton on the fluton
La carpe joue de la harpe
The carp plays the harp
La rascasse d' la basse
The scorpionfish the bass
C'est les rois du rap
They're the kings of rap
Maquereau au saxo
Mackerel on sax
Turbo au bongo
Turbot on bongo
Le lieu est le dieu de la Soul
Pollock is the god of Soul
La raie au turbet
Ray on trumpet
Le gardon au violon
Roach on violin
Les soles rock'n'rollent
The soles rock 'n' roll
Le thon garde le ton
The tuna keeps the tune
Le bar et le sprat se marrent et s'éclatent
The bass and the sprat laugh and go wild
Vas-y souffle mon doudou
Go on, blow, my honey
Ouais
Yeah
Ouais
Yeah
Sous l'océan
Under the sea
Sous l'océan
Under the sea
Quand la sardine biguine de biguine
When the sardine biguines a biguine
Ça balance, ça swingue
It swings, it rocks
Ils ont du sable, çà c'est certain
They've got sand, that's for sure
Nous le jazz-band et les copains
We've got the jazz band and the pals
On a les clims clams pour faire une jim-jam
We've got the clam clams for a jim-jam
Sous l'océan
Under the sea
Les limaces des mers, au rythme d'enfer
The sea slugs with a hell of a beat
Sous l'océan
Under the sea
Et les bigorneaux pour donner l' tempo
And the periwinkles to set the tempo
C'est frénétique, c'est fantastique
It's frenetic, it's fantastic
On est en transe
We're in a trance
Faut que ça balance
It's gotta swing
Sous l'océan
Under the sea
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Dive into a technicolor underwater carnival! In this buoyant tune from Disney’s The Little Mermaid, French crooner Henri Salvador (voicing the quick-witted crab Sébastien) does everything he can to keep Princess Ariel from trading fins for feet. He argues that the human world is a stressful jumble of work and worry, while life beneath the waves is an endless party where fish laugh, surf, and jam to reggae, jazz, and rock. Down here there is no boiling pot, no fish soup, and no hooks—only freedom, friendship, and music bubbling through the coral streets.
The lyrics burst with playful comparisons: humans toil like prisoners on land, yet under the sea every creature joins a dazzling band—carp on harp, mackerel on sax, turbot on bongo. By turning the ocean into a joyful orchestra, the song celebrates community, rhythm, and savoring the treasures right in front of you. Its cheerful message is crystal clear: sometimes the seaweed really is greener where you already are, so dance, sing, and let the waves set you free!
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