Défiler Lyrics in English Stromae

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

She walks

We see our lives passing by

On the edge

We see the years go by

We try to stay on track

And we can't rewind

All these knots in our lives

If we could untie them

So tell me how it works

Tell me how it works

Anyway, we walk in line

In a group or not, we walk alone

Whether we like it or not, we have a market value

From a young age to the shroud

Walk or die but walk straight

Walk backwards or don't walk at all

And business, it works

Health, family, and the rest, it works

Tell me how it works

I know it's not always as we want

Not always as we wish

But I would like happy old days

Tell me how it works

I wonder after all these years

Again and again

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

I suspect that if I let myself go

It wouldn't hurt me

I'd better take the plunge

In any case, I'd be wrong not to try

If I wanted, I could even stop

Go back

Moreover, why should barriers always be crossed

Why am I afraid of being surpassed

By whom and by what

I don't know, but what I know

Is that if I'm afraid, it's because I'm not the last

As if there was only one finish line

One place

One road we should take

I doubt it

All I know is that I don't know

I go step by step

Yeah step by step, yeah step by step

I go step by step

All I know is that I don't know

I go step by step

Head in her phone

Without headphones, she seems crazy

Without Google, she seems stupid

And without filters, she seems good

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

If her goal in life is to look like Gigi

But without surgery, it's more Gégé than Gigi

If school taught us how to take beautiful selfies

To start off better in life, to start off better in life

Without knowing where we're going

Where we are

Without even knowing where we'd end up

Without knowing where we are

Where we're going

Without even knowing where it will end

Head in her phone

Without headphones, she seems crazy

Without Google, she seems stupid

And without filters, she seems good

What matters is what's in the heart

And what's in the account

Money doesn't buy happiness

It's used to make bombs

Being beautiful when you have money

Is easier, right

Money corrupts people and makes them beautiful at the same time

It's fascinating

We're not all equal when it comes to beauty

It's so easy to be high when we see them parade

Young

Before learning a trade

First, you have to learn how to retouch a CV photo

Outro

Head in her phone

Without headphones, she seems crazy

Without Google, she seems stupid

And without filters, she seems good

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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