Je Chante Lyrics in English MIKA

Below, I translated the lyrics of the song Je Chante by MIKA from French to English.
I sing, I sing night and morning
I sing along my way
I sing, I go from farm to castle
I sing for bread, I sing for water
I sleep at night on the forest grass
The flies don't bite me
I'm happy, I've got everything and I've got nothing
And I sing along my way
The elves, divinities of the night
The elves sleep in my bed
The moon slips in on tiptoe
Into the woods, to dance, to dance with us
I ring at the countess's today
Nobody, she's gone
She only left a dish of rice for me
A Chinese lackey tells me
I sing, but the hunger chasing me
Torments my appetite
I suddenly fall in the hollow of a path
I faint as I fall, half-dying
Gendarmes, passing along the road
Yeah, gendarmes, I hold out my hands
Mercy, I'm hungry, I'd like to eat
I'm so light, so light
"To the station," other mustaches told me
To the station
My friend
Are you the singer, the vagabond?
We're gonna lock you up
Yes, you're done
String, you saved me from life
String, be therefore blessed
'Cause thanks to you I gave up the ghost
I hanged myself last night
And since then I sing, I sing night and morning
I sing along my way
I haunt the farms and the castles
A ghost that sings, people think it's funny
And I sleep at night on the forest grass
The flies don't bite me
I'm happy, all good, I'm not hungry anymore
And I sing along my way
Lyrics and Translations Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Lyrics © RAOUL BRETON EDITIONS
Giuseppe Verdi, Claude Lemesle, Jimmy Jones, Pierre Delanoe
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SONG MEANING

Imagine a carefree troubadour strolling through the countryside, swapping songs for a slice of bread or a sip of water. In Je Chante, MIKA paints a lively picture of this wandering singer who sleeps under the stars, chats with mischievous elves, and sees the moon slip through the trees like a silent cat. Every verse bubbles with playful freedom: no money, no schedule, just a voice that turns every farm and castle into a stage.

Yet the brightness hides a shadow. Hunger gnaws, the police close in, and our hero faces the grim reality of a world that has little patience for dreamers. Rather than lose his freedom behind bars, he takes a rope, slips into death, and returns as a cheeky ghost who still refuses to stop singing. The result is a quirky blend of whimsy and dark humor that celebrates music’s power to outlive hardship, poke fun at authority, and keep the spirit dancing long after the body is gone.

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