Bruxelles – Bilingual Lyrics French/English

• By: Boulevard des Airs
• Album: Bruxelles

Lyrics & Translation

[French]

[English]

Si je ne te connaissais pas encore

If I didn't know you yet

Notre aventure vaudrait de l'or

Our adventure would be worth gold

Si on se rencontrait à peine

If we barely met

Mon amour, quelle aubaine

My love, what a stroke of luck

J'aurais la langue délicieuse

I would have a delightful tongue

J'aurais une part de moi mielleuse

I would have a sweet part of me

Que je répugne désormais

That I now find repugnant

Oh mon amour, qu'avons-nous fait?

Oh my love, what have we done?

Je suis de ceux qui restent au port

I am one of those who stay at the port

Je sais qu'on devait rire encore

I know we were supposed to laugh again

Je suis de ceux, mais tu es de celles

I am one of those, but you are one of those

Qui restent plantées à Bruxelles

Who are stuck in Brussels

Si j'étais celui

If I were that one

Toi tu es la seule

You are the only one

Si je reste ici

If I stay here

Tu rentres à Bruxelles

You go back to Brussels

Si j'étais celui

If I were that one

Toi tu es la seule

You are the only one

Si je reste ici

If I stay here

Tu rentres à Bruxelles

You go back to Brussels

Si j'ignorais tout de toi

If I knew nothing about you

J'resterais tranquille pour qu'on le soit

I would stay calm so we could be

Si on ne s'était jamais vu

If we had never met

J'materais tes fesses à ton insu

I would secretly check you out

J'aurais le compliment facile

I would easily give compliments

Je serais l'homme fort et le docile

I would be the strong and the docile man

Ce dernier, que je ne serai plus

The latter, whom I will no longer be

Mon amour, je nous ai perdus

My love, I have lost us

Je suis de ceux qui restent au port

I am one of those who stay at the port

Je sais qu'on devait rire encore

I know we were supposed to laugh again

Je suis de ceux mais tu es de celles

I am one of those, but you are one of those

Qui restent plantées à Bruxelles

Who are stuck in Brussels

Si j'étais celui

If I were that one

Toi tu es la seule

You are the only one

Si je reste ici

If I stay here

Tu rentres à Bruxelles

You go back to Brussels

Si j'étais celui

If I were that one

Toi tu es la seule

You are the only one

Si je reste ici

If I stay here

Tu rentres à Bruxelles

You go back to Brussels

Et quand tu danses, c'est du dripping

And when you dance, it's dripping

T'es un cadeau pour la rétine

You're a gift for the retina

T'es sur une toile de Mondrian

You're on a Mondrian canvas

Que je saccage de mille couleurs

That I vandalize with a thousand colors

Jetée sans vergogne et sans plan

Thrown without shame and without a plan

Juste comme ça, pour le bonheur

Just like that, for happiness

Je nous imagine même en camping

I even imagine us camping

À Bruxelles

In Brussels

Il y a ceux qui restent au port

There are those who stay at the port

Il y a ceux qui rient encore

There are those who still laugh

Il y a ceux et il y a celles

There are those and there are those

Qui restent plantées à Bruxelles

Who are stuck in Brussels

Si j'étais celui

If I were that one

Toi tu es la seule

You are the only one

Si je reste ici

If I stay here

Tu rentres à Bruxelles

You go back to Brussels

Si j'étais celui

If I were that one

Toi tu es la seule

You are the only one

Si je reste ici

If I stay here

Tu rentres à Bruxelles

You go back to Brussels

...

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
restent /ʁɛst/ A2	verb - to stay in a place or position
amour /amuʁ/ B1	noun - love, romantic affection
plaintes /plɛ̃t/ B2	noun - compliments, praise
diamant /djɑ̃ˈmɑ̃/ B2	noun - diamond
délicieuse /delisjøz/ B2	adjective - delicious, delightful
mielleuse /mjɛlœz/ C1	adjective - honeyed, excessively sweet or flattering
sauve /sov/ A2	adjective - smooth, soft
déjà /deʒa/ A1	adverb - already
seules /syl/ A2	adjective - only, single, lone
dancing /ˈdænsɪŋ/ B1	verb - to move rhythmically to music
cadeau /kado/ A2	noun - gift, present

Key Grammar Structures

• Si je ne te connaissais pas encore

  ➔ Conditional clause (if-clause) in the present tense.

  ➔ The phrase starts with "Si" (if), indicating a condition that is not met.

• Je suis de ceux qui restent au port

  ➔ Relative clause to specify a group.

  ➔ The phrase uses "qui" (who) to define the group of people.

• Si j'étais celui

  ➔ Imperfect subjunctive to express hypothetical situations.

  ➔ The phrase suggests a condition that is not real but imagined.

• Je nous ai perdus

  ➔ Past tense to indicate a completed action.

  ➔ The phrase indicates that the speaker has lost something important.

• Et quand tu danses, c'est du dripping

  ➔ Present tense to describe ongoing actions.

  ➔ The phrase describes the action of dancing in the present moment.

• Il y a ceux qui restent au port

  ➔ Existential construction to indicate the presence of people.

  ➔ The phrase uses "Il y a" (there are) to introduce the existence of a group.

• T'es un cadeau pour la rétine

  ➔ Metaphor to create vivid imagery.

  ➔ The phrase compares a person to a gift, enhancing the description.