Alors On Danse Lyrics in English by Stromae

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Below, I translated the lyrics of the song Alors On Danse by Stromae from French to English.

These lyrics have verified word for word translations. Click any lyric word to see the translation and hear the pronunciation!

Verse 1

Who says study says work

Travail & travailler means work & to work while job / employment would be emploi

Who says work says money

Taf is a colloquial word for work, job

Who says money says expenses

Who says credit says debt

Créance = debt owned. Dette = debt owed.

Who says debt tells you bailiff

Huissier means bailiff, an official who takes away someone's possessions when they owe money.

Who says you sit in shit

Or: Who tells you you're in deep trouble

Who says love says children

Says forever and says divorce

Who says loved ones says mourning

Because the problems don't come alone

Car means because / since / as. Because is more commonly translated as parce que

Who says crisis tells you world

Says famine says third world

Who says tiredness says awakening

Réveil = awakening = alarm clock

Still deaf from the eve

Or: Still deaf from the party the day before

So we go out to forget all the problems

So we dance

So we dance... (x8)

Verse 2

And there you tell yourself that it's finished

Because worse than that would be death

When you believe finally that you're getting out

When there is more

And there's more still

Is it the music or the problems?

The problems or the music

Stromae is questioning if the problems or the partying are at fault here

It grips your guts

It grips your head

And then you pray for it to end

But it's your body it's not heaven

So you unplug your ears

And you shout even louder

And it persists

Chorus

So we sing

'On' and 'Nous' both mean we. 'Nous' is more formal while 'On' technically means 'one', but is used as 'we' conversationally

So we sing

And then only when it’s over

So we dance

So we dance... (x8)

And there's more still (x8)

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Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, BECAUSE EDITIONS

Paul Van Haver

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huissier — bailiff

Huissier translates to "bailiff", an officer who seizes property for unpaid debts. It's a specific and dramatic word you definitely wouldn't expect to find in a world-famous dance track.

In the song, Stromae lists a chain reaction of life's problems, singing "Qui dit dette te dit huissier" (Who says debt says bailiff). This sharp contrast between the harsh reality of the verses and the euphoric escape of the chorus ("Alors on danse" / So we dance) is what makes the song so brilliant and powerful.

This is one of the biggest dance hits of the 2010s, but listen closely to the lyrics. Stromae isn't singing about a fun night out. Instead, he lists all the problems of modern life in a big, depressing chain reaction. He starts with school: "Qui dit étude dit travail" (Whoever says study says work), which leads to money, which leads to spending and debt. He does the same for love: "Qui dit amour dit les gosses / Dit toujours et dit divorce" (Whoever says love says kids / Says forever and says divorce). It's a bleak view of the world where every step forward just leads to another problem.

So what's the solution when you're overwhelmed? "Alors on sort pour oublier tous les problèmes" (So we go out to forget all the problems). The answer is simple: "Alors on danse" (So we dance). The song suggests that when things get so bad that "pire que ça ce serait la mort" (worse than this would be death), and the problems just keep coming, the only thing left to do is dance through the misery. It's a party song for people who have nothing left to celebrate.

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Stromae Alors On Danse Lyrics