Fils De Joie Lyrics in English Stromae

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Below, I translated the lyrics of the song Fils De Joie by Stromae from French to English.

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Verse 1

Being alone is difficult

And now, it's been years

And judging is easy

Especially when you haven't tried it

The hardest part, well, was the first time

Then the hardest part is knowing

When it'll be the last time

It's true, I'm not against a little tenderness now and then

And then, this time, well I could do it while insulting her

Yeah, everything in life is negotiable for a fee

Besides, I'm probably her best customer

Chorus 1

But

Just leave my mom alone

Yeah, I know

It's true she's not perfect

She's a hero

And it'll always be proudly

That I'll speak of her

I'm a son of a b*tch, as they say

After all she's done for them

Forgive their stupidity

Oh dear mother

They dehumanize you

It's easier, the same ones court you

And everybody turns a blind eye

Verse 2

Why does everybody hate me?

Since I'm the one who feeds them

Their lives would be much humbler

Without me, they'd be rotten

The bed and security have a price, Madam

Well yeah, in life everything's paid for

So nobody ever taught you that?

They accuse me of human trafficking

But fifty, forty, thirty or twenty percent, that's already good

They shouldn't start thinking they're models

Ladies, or should I say wh*res

Chorus 2

But

Just leave my mom alone

Yeah, I know

It's true she's not perfect

She's a hero

And it'll always be proudly

That I'll speak of her

I'm a son of a b*tch, as they say

After all she's done for them

Forgive their stupidity

Oh dear mother

They dehumanize you

It's easier

The same ones court you

And everybody turns a blind eye

Bridge 1

I know it's your job

But I gotta do mine, right?

Between yours and mine

The difference is that I pay taxes

Bridge 2

Come on, move along, Madam

Take back your papers and what's left of your dignity

Poor woman

Get yourself a real profession

Chorus 3

But

Just leave my mom alone

Yeah, I know

It's true she's not perfect

She's a hero

And it'll always be proudly

That I'll speak of her

I'm a son of a b*tch, as they say

After all she's done for them

Forgive their stupidity

Oh dear mother

They dehumanize you

It's easier

The same ones court you

And everybody turns a blind eye

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déshumanisent — dehumanize

Déshumanisent means "they dehumanize". It's a strong, evocative verb that you rarely encounter in pop songs, making it instantly stand out.

In this poignant song, Stromae uses déshumanisent to describe the cruel way society treats his mother, a sex worker, stripping her of her dignity and personhood. It captures the song's central theme of empathy and the painful gap between seeing someone as a person versus an object, turning a complex social issue into a single, powerful word.

**Stromae’s “Fils De Joie” throws us into a vibrant, theatrical mini-drama where the singer adopts several roles to expose society’s love-hate relationship with sex work. The main narrator is a proud son of a prostitute who defends his mother’s dignity while mocking those who buy her services in secret and insult her in public. By flipping the hurtful insult fils de pute into the playful title fils de joie (child of joy), Stromae invites us to question who really deserves the shame: the woman who works to survive, or the hypocrites who judge her.

The track then jumps between the voices of a cynical client, an exploitative pimp and a cold-hearted policeman, creating a dizzying carousel of viewpoints that reveal greed, moral double standards and institutional neglect. With infectious rhythms and razor-sharp lyrics, Stromae turns a personal story into a wider social critique, reminding listeners that empathy costs nothing, while prejudice and exploitation cost lives.

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Stromae Fils De Joie Lyrics