Avenir [Version Originale] Lyrics in English by Louane
Avenir means 'future' in French. While it might seem like a common word, its use in this song is particularly poignant and central to the theme of moving on after a breakup.
Louane sings, "Pour demain l'avenir" (For tomorrow, the future), highlighting her determination to look forward despite the pain. It's a hopeful and empowering word that encapsulates the song's message of resilience and finding strength in new beginnings.
Louane sings a breakup as two things at once: a wish for the other person to hurt, and a decision to get on with her own life. The grudge comes first and it is not softened — “J’espère que tu vas souffrir / Et que tu vas mal dormir” (“I hope you’re going to suffer / And that you’re going to sleep badly”). Then the chorus turns in one line: “Pendant ce temps j’vais écrire / Pour demain l’avenir” (“Meanwhile I’m going to write / For tomorrow, the future”). She keeps the pen; he gets the insomnia. The title word, l’avenir (“the future”), is the thing she is writing toward, not a thing she is waiting for.
The verses fill in what ended. It begins already over — “Partie loin derrière sans trop de raisons” (“Gone far behind, without much reason”), “Tu m’as laissée hier, la fin de la saison” (“You left me yesterday, the end of the season”). The middle verse is one night out that goes wrong: “L’hypocrisie d’un soir” (“One evening’s hypocrisy”), “Les verres sont cassés” (“The glasses are broken”), “Envolés les espoirs et nos cœurs défoncés” (“Hopes flown away and our hearts wrecked”). The last verse is the walk home — “Partie seule dans la rue / Je cherche mon chemin” (“Alone in the street / I’m looking for my way”) — and then the release: “Je t’ai oublié, tu n’me fais plus rien” (“I’ve forgotten you, you don’t do anything to me anymore”) and “Et je pars voyager en pensant à demain” (“And I’m off travelling, thinking about tomorrow”). Between every section sits the wordless “Waoh, waoh, waohoh” — the part of the song with nothing left to say.
