Arriver à rêver – Bilingual Lyrics French/English

• By: Tiken Jah Fakoly
• Album: ACOUSTIC

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the hopeful message of Tiken Jah Fakoly's "Arriver à rêver." This song invites you to imagine and work towards a better world, offering a blend of African reggae rhythms and thoughtful lyrics that inspire action and positive change.

[English]

We need to arrive, to arrive

To dream, to dream

Arrive, yes arrive

To imagine the world after

Arrive, arrive

To dream, to dream

Arrive, yes arrive

To finally change the world for real

The sun rises everywhere the same

They promise us riches and wonders

No time to think, no time to dream

Just time to go to work

The world is the way we leave it

Handed over to wind and droughts

Almost no time to breathe

While everything keeps getting worse

We need to arrive, to arrive

To dream, to dream

Arrive, yes arrive

To imagine the world after

Arrive, yes arrive

To dream, to dream

Arrive, yes arrive

To finally change the world for real

Our children are counting on us

But we mostly think of ourselves

There’s only one Earth

Let’s not promise the moon

How can we imagine what’s next

While running away as we go?

How to make the world breathable

How to make life bearable

We need to arrive, to arrive

To dream, to dream

Arrive, yes arrive

To imagine the world after

Arrive, yes arrive

To dream, to dream

Arrive, yes arrive

To finally change the world for real

...

[French]

Faudrait arriver, arriver

À rêver, à rêver

Arriver, oui arriver

À imaginer le monde d'après

Arriver, arriver

À rêver, à rêver

Arriver, oui arriver

À enfin changer le monde pour de vrai

Le soleil se lève partout pareil

On nous promet monts et merveilles

Pas le temps de penser, pas le temps de rêver

Juste le temps d'aller travailler

Le monde est tel qu'on le laisse

Livré au vent et aux sècheresses

À peine le temps de respirer

Que tout ne fait que s'empirer

Faudrait arriver, arriver

À rêver, à rêver

Arriver, oui arriver

À imaginer le monde d'après

Arriver, oui arriver

À rêver, à rêver

Arriver, oui arriver

À enfin changer le monde pour de vrai

Nos enfants comptent bien sur nous

Mais nous on pense surtout à nous

La terre il n'y en a qu'une

Ne promettons pas la lune

Comment imaginer la suite

En avançant prendre la fuite?

Comment rendre le monde respirable

Comment rendre la vie supportable

Faudrait arriver, arriver

À rêver, à rêver

Arriver, oui arriver

À imaginer le monde d'après

Arriver, oui arriver

À rêver, à rêver

Arriver, oui arriver

À enfin changer le monde pour de vrai

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
arriver /aʁi.ve/ A2	verb - to arrive, to reach a destination
rêver /ʁe.ve/ B1	verb - to dream, to imagine
changer /ʃɑ̃.ʒe/ B1	verb - to change, to alter
monde /mɔ̃d/ A2	noun - world, universe
vivre /vi.vʁ/ B2	verb - to live, to experience
promettre /pʁɔ.mɛtʁ/ B2	verb - to promise
espérer /ɛs.pe.ʁe/ B2	verb - to hope
imaginer /i.ma.ʒi.ne/ B1	verb - to imagine
travailler /tʁa.vɑ.je/ A2	verb - to work, to labor
soleil /sɔ.lɛj/ A2	noun - sun
vivre /vivʁ/ B2	verb - to live, to experience
monde /mɔ̃d/ A2	noun - world, universe
laissez /lɛse/ A2	verb - to leave, to let

Key Grammar Structures

• Arriver, oui arriver

  ➔ Infinitive verb used as a noun or to express purpose

  ➔ The use of the infinitive "arriver" (to arrive) without a subject in this context functions as a nominal phrase emphasizing the act or goal.

• À rêver, à rêver

  ➔ Prepositional phrase with "à" indicating purpose or intention

  ➔ The repeated "à rêver" emphasizes the act or goal of dreaming, with "à" serving as a preposition indicating purpose.

• À enfin changer le monde pour de vrai

  ➔ Prepositional phrase with "pour" indicating purpose or goal

  ➔ The preposition "pour" introduces the purpose of changing the world, with "de vrai" emphasizing sincerity or authenticity.

• Le soleil se lève partout pareil

  ➔ Reflexive verb "se lève" used with "se" to indicate the subject performs the action on itself

  ➔ The reflexive pronoun "se" indicates that the subject "le soleil" (the sun) performs the action "lève" (rises) on itself, expressing a universal truth.

• Comment imaginer la suite

  ➔ Interrogative phrase using "comment" (how) to ask about possibilities or methods

  ➔ The question "Comment imaginer la suite" uses "comment" to inquire about ways or possibilities of imagining or planning the future.

• Comment rendre le monde respirable

  ➔ Infinitive phrase with "comment" (how) and "rendre" (make), using direct object "le monde"

  ➔ This infinitive phrase combines "comment" with "rendre" to ask how to make the "world" more breathable or livable, focusing on methods or actions.