Amour Propre Lyrics in English by Zaho

Amour vache literally translates to "cow love", a strange and memorable image! However, this classic French idiom actually means "tough love".

It describes a type of affection that appears harsh or argumentative on the surface but comes from a place of deep care. In the song, Zaho sings "Amour vache, toujours amour sauf / Quand il s'agit d'amour propre" (Tough love, always love, except when it comes to self-love), contrasting the difficult love we show others with the even more difficult love we must learn to show ourselves.

We spend so much time obsessed with romance, but Algerian-Canadian singer Zaho calls us out right from the start. She points out that the folks who talk about love the most usually have the least of it. Society teaches us what things cost, but never that "la plus belle preuve d'amour / Est de s'aimer soi-même" ("the most beautiful proof of love is to love yourself"). Even if your chest feels like titanium and compliments bounce right off, her advice is blunt: stop waiting for someone else to fix you and give yourself what others will not. You can travel across the world searching for peace, but she reminds you that "t'es ton meilleur coucher de soleil" ("you are your own best sunset"). If you burn all your fuel caring for everyone else, you simply forget who you are.

Learning self-worth is messy, and Zaho admits it is an uphill climb. She contrasts toxic drama ("amour vache", an everyday idiom for a rough, combative kind of love) with real "amour propre" (self-respect or self-love). She confesses it is hard to say out loud: "Moi-même, mon amour" ("Myself, my love"). Some days hurt, some days bleed, and self-acceptance swings wildly back and forth. Yet she keeps returning to the comforting refrain that things will be okay ("ça ira"), like crying in the arms of Zahira. To get through the bad days, her prescription is simple: "Prends de la hauteur" ("get some perspective," or literally, gain some height) and watch the cold fade away.