I haven’t shared a song with you in a long time! Too long in fact! Let me fix this with a song I love…
I discovered Christine & The Queens back in 2014 when I still lived in Seattle. Actually my mother back in France discovered her, and sent me the CD. I instantly fell in love with her art. Héloïse, the singer, created the whole CD, every single (brilliant) track, with her computer! Et oui, she wrote the lyrics and made the music with her Mac… and that’s it! How resourceful & clever is that? She soon became so popular she made the front of the TIME magazine in 2016 as a next generation leader!
Héloïse’s parents were both teachers, one professor of English literature and one teacher of French & Latin. I’d call that a good start in life! She underwent prestigious studies in France and then spent some time in London in 2010 (that’s funny that’s the year I moved away from London to settle down in Seattle!) where she met drag queens and transgender musicians who inspired her. You’ll notice from her pictures and videos, she is quite androgynous herself.
She released her first album called “Chaleur Humaine” in 2014 and her second one “Chris” should come out next month!
I even saw her live in Seattle back in 2016 and she was great on stage! Sadly she had translated all of her French songs into English so I wasn’t able to sing along as I only knew them in French.
Of course I’m giving you the French version here and, as usual, adding the English translation. Don’t try to analyze too much what she says, you’ll see the lyrics are a little obscure, but that’s ok! When I first started teaching myself English with music, I knew all my favorite songs by heart even though I mostly had no idea what I was singing. Sometimes it’s good just to let yourself go with the (French) flow and lose yourself in this new kind of French language learning experience!
Christine by Christine & the Queens
Je commence les livres par la fin / I start the books by the end
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Et j’ai le menton haut pour un rien / And my chin is high for no reason
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Mon œil qui pleure, c’est à cause du vent / My crying eye, it’s because of the wind
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Mes absences c’est du sentiment / My absences are a feeling
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Je ne tiens pas debout / I can’t stand up
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Le ciel coule sur mes mains / The sky is dripping on my hands
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Je ne tiens pas debout / I can’t stand up
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Le ciel coule sur… / The sky is dripping…
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Ça ne tient pas debout / It doesn’t make sense
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Le ciel coule sur mes mains / The sky is dripping on my hands
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Ça ne tient pas debout / It doesn’t make sense
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Sous mes pieds le ciel revient / Under my feet the sky comes back
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Ils sourient rouge et me parlent gris / They smile red and talk gray to me
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Je fais semblant d’avoir tout compris / I pretend to understand everything
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Il y a un type qui pleure dehors / There’s a guy crying outside
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Sur mon visage, de la poudre d’or / On my face, golden powder
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Je ne tiens pas debout / I can’t stand up
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Le ciel coule sur mes mains / The sky is dripping on my hands
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Je ne tiens pas debout / I can’t stand up
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Le ciel coule sur… / The sky is dripping…
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Ça ne tient pas debout / It doesn’t make sense
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Le ciel coule sur mes mains / The sky is dripping on my hands
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Ça ne tient pas debout / It doesn’t make sense
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Sous mes pieds le ciel revient / Under my feet the sky comes back
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Nous et la man on est de sortie / We and the man are going out
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Pire qu’une simple moitié on compte à demi-demi / Worse than a simple half we don’t really count
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Pile sur un des bas côtés comme des origamis / Precisely on the side of the road like origamis
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Le bras tendu parait cassé ; tout n’est qu’épis et éclis / The stretched out arm seems broken: everything is spike and sparkle
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Ces enfants bizarres / These strange kids
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Cachés dehors comme par hasard / Hidden outside as if by chance
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Cachant l’effort dans le griffoir / Hiding the effort in the cat tree
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Et une “creepy song” en étendard qui fait… / And a creepy song as a flying banner which goes…
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Je fais tout mon “make-up” / I do all my make-up
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Au mercurochrome / with mercurochrome
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Contre les “pop-ups” / Against pop-ups
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Qui m’assurent le trône / Who maintain my throne
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Je ne tiens pas debout / I can’t stand up
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Le ciel coule sur mes mains / The sky is dripping on my hands
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Je ne tiens pas debout / I can’t stand up
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Le ciel coule sur… / The sky is dripping…
–
Ça ne tient pas debout / It doesn’t make sense
–
Le ciel coule sur mes mains / The sky is dripping on my hands
–
Ça ne tient pas debout / It doesn’t make sense
–
Sous mes pieds le ciel revient / Under my feet the sky comes back
Don’t try to analyze too much what she says, let yourself go with the (French) flow and lose yourself in this new kind of French language learning experience!
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