Défiler Lyrics in English Stromae

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Below, I translated the lyrics of the song Défiler by Stromae from French to English.

It flies by

We watch our lives flash past

On the wire

We see the years fly

We try to walk straight

And we can't rewind

All these knots in our lives

If only we could untie them

So tell me how it works

Tell me how it works

Anyway, we march in line

In a group or not, we walk alone

Like it or not, we've got a market value

From cradle to shroud

Walk or die but walk straight

Walk backward or don't walk

And business works

Health, family and the rest, that works

Tell me how it works

I know it ain't always how we want

Not always how we wish

But I'd like happy golden years

Tell me how it works

I wonder, after all these years

Over and over

I know well where I'm not going, but not yet where I'd like to go

I can guess that if I let go

It wouldn't hurt me

I'd better take the leap

I'd be wrong not to try

If I wanted, I could even stop

Throw it in reverse

By the way, why must barriers always be crossed

Why am I scared of being overtaken

By whom and by what

I don't know but what I do know

Is that if I'm scared I'm not last

As if there was only one finish line

Only one place

Only one road we must take

I doubt it

All I know is I don't know

I'm going step by step

Yeah step by step, yeah step by step

I'm going step by step

All I know is I don't know

I'm going step by step

Head in her phone

Without headphones you'd think she's crazy

Without Google you'd think she's dumb

And without filters you'd think she's hot

It's way too easy to judge, way too easy to judge

If her goal in life is to look like Gigi

But without surgery she's more Gégé than Gigi

If school taught us to take great selfies

To start life better, to start life better

Without knowing where we're going

Where we are

Without even knowing where we'll end up

Without knowing where we are

Where we're going

Without even knowing where it'll end

Head in her phone

Without headphones you'd think she's crazy

Without Google you'd think she's dumb

And without filters you'd think she's hot

What matters is what's in the heart

And what's in the account

Money doesn't make you happy, no

It funds bombs

Being pretty when you've got money

Is easier huh

Money rots people and makes them gorgeous at the same time

It's fascinating

We're not all equal when it comes to beauty

It's so easy to feel tall when you watch them parade

Kid

Before you learn a trade

First you gotta learn to retouch the photo on a résumé

Outro

Head in her phone

Without headphones you'd think she's crazy

Without Google you'd think she's dumb

And without filters you'd think she's hot

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SONG MEANING

Welcome to Stromae’s runway, where the models are all of us. In “Défiler” the Belgian maestro turns the simple act of walking a catwalk into a metaphor for how our lives scroll by at lightning speed. We march in step with society’s rules, carry a “price tag” from childhood to coffin, and feel trapped in knots we wish we could untie. While the beat pulses forward, the lyrics fire off questions about money, beauty, status and the endless urge to keep up. Can we ever hit rewind? Who sets the pace? And why are we so terrified of falling behind when nobody really knows the finish line?

Stromae pokes fun at selfie culture, the tyranny of filters, and the way cash can both corrupt and glamorise. Yet beneath the satire lies a comforting message: it is okay to move pas à pas – one step at a time – because everyone’s path is different. “Défiler” invites listeners to slow their scroll, lift their eyes from the phone, and remember that what truly counts isn’t the applause of the crowd but the rhythm of your own heart. So press play, straighten your posture, and walk this reflective catwalk with Stromae. You might just discover that the only person you need to impress is yourself.

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Stromae Défiler Lyrics