CHINOISERIE – Bilingual Lyrics French/English

• By: Gambino

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the world of French rap with Gambino's captivating track "CHINOISERIE"! This song offers a unique opportunity to explore contemporary French language through its vivid storytelling and catchy hooks. You can learn about modern slang, cultural references, and how language is used to paint a picture of allure and urban realities. What makes this song special is its intriguing blend of a seemingly elegant aesthetic, "chinoiserie," with the gritty underbelly of "crapulerie," providing a fascinating linguistic and thematic journey.

[English]

In my head, it's worse than Bogota

My baby loves, ten points to the side for the lawyer

Love you under the effect of vodka

Tattoo on the back, a little butterfly

Cheitana has put on her bun

Driving the Lamborghini butterfly

You’re in the game, put on airplane mode

Habibi, you only attract shady people

Red lipstick, Ferrari color

Square like the Paris Cup

She loves Chinoiserie too much

I had a drink, I watch the little Pelican

She loves the sound of hoods going pa pa pa

Habibi, you only attract shady people

Red lipstick, Ferrari color

Square like the Paris Cup

She only attracts Chinese style

Yeah, I saw it in her eyes

She only attracts shady people

She’s locking down the zone, king

Only magic tricks

I peeked all year but I control my karate too well

Surprised, I’m here tonight

All masked like bandits

Chilling in the 13th, not Copacabana

She talks to me, she asks how you are, Yamaha

Mind high on Marijuana

Because the Tijuana cartel

She’s mysterious like a papyrus

From the planet Abirus

She only attracts viruses

Geneva, Rolex, Russian doll

I had a drink, I watch the little Pelican

She loves the sound of hoods going pa pa pa

Habibi, you only attract shady people

Red lipstick, Ferrari color

Square like the Paris Cup

She only attracts Chinese style

Yeah, I saw it in her eyes

She only attracts shady people

She’s locking down the zone, king

Only magic tricks

Yeah, I saw it in her eyes

She only attracts shady people

She’s locking down the zone, king

Only magic tricks

Habibi, you only attract shady people

Red lipstick, Ferrari color

Square like the Paris Cup

She only attracts Chinese style

Yeah, I saw it in her eyes

She only attracts shady people

She’s locking down the zone, king

Only magic tricks

[French]

Dans ma tête, c'est pire que Bogota

Ma baby lova, dix points de côté pour l'avocat

Love you sous l'effet de la vodka

Tatou sur l'dos un petit papillon

Cheitana a sorti le chignon

Soubeus dans le Lambo papillon

Vous ça dans le coup, mets le mode avion

Habibi, tu attires que la crapulerie

Rouge à lèvres, couleur Ferrari

Carré comme la Coupe Paririe

Elle aime trop la Chinoiserie

J'ai bu un verre, je regarde le petit Pélican

Elle aime le bruit des capots qui fait pa pa pa

Habibi, tu attires que la crapulerie

Rouge à lèvres, couleur Ferrari

Carré comme la Coupe Paririe

Elle attire que la Chinoiserie

Ouais, je l'ai vu dans ses yeux

Elle attire que la crapulerie

Elle fait serrer la zone, King

Que des tours de magie

J'ai jeté l'œil toute l'année mais moi je maîtrise trop mon karaté

Surpris, je suis là ce soir

Tous masqués comme des brigandets

Posé dans le 13, pas Copacabana

Elle me parle, elle me dit comment t'es Yamaha

Cerveau sous Marihuana

Car le cartel Tijuana

Elle est mystérieuse comme un papyrus

De la planète Abirus

Elle attire que les virus

Genève, Rolex, poupée russe

J'ai bu un verre, je regarde le petit Pélican

Elle aime le bruit des capots qui fait pa pa pa

Habibi, tu attires que la crapulerie

Rouge à lèvres, couleur Ferrari

Carré comme la Coupe Paririe

Elle attire que la Chinoiserie

Ouais, je l'ai vu dans ses yeux

Elle attire que la crapulerie

Elle fait serrer la zone, King

Que des tours de magie

Ouais, je l'ai vu dans ses yeux

Elle attire que la crapulerie

Elle fait serrer la zone, King

Que des tours de magie

Habibi, tu attires que la crapulerie

Rouge à lèvres, couleur Ferrari

Carré comme la Coupe Paririe

Elle attire que la Chinoiserie

Ouais, je l'ai vu dans ses yeux

Elle attire que la crapulerie

Elle fait serrer la zone, King

Que des tours de magie

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
tête /tɛt/ A2	noun - head
pire /piʁ/ B2	adjective - worse
tête /tɛt/ A2	noun - head
bogota /boɡo.ta/ B2	proper noun - capital city of Colombia
baby /ˈbeɪ.bi/ A1	noun - an infant or very young child informal - term of endearment
lovas /lɔ.va/ B2	noun - possibly a slang or misspelling for 'love'
côté /kote/ A2	noun - side
point /pɔ̃/ A1	noun - point, dot
effet /ɛ.fɛ/ B1	noun - effect, influence
vodka /ˈvɒd.kə/ A2	noun - vodka (a clear alcoholic beverage)
tatou /tatu/ B2	noun - tattoo
dos /do/ A2	noun - back
papillon /pa.pi.jɔ̃/ B1	noun - butterfly
chignon /ʃi.ɲɔ̃/ B2	noun - bun (hairstyle)
lambo /ˈlam.bo/ B2	noun - Lamborghini (luxury car brand)
mode /mɔd/ A2	noun - mode, way, manner
avion /a.vjɔ̃/ B2	noun - airplane
habibi /ha.biˈbi/ B1	noun - my darling, dear
crapulerie /kʁap y ʁi/ C1	noun - scoundrelism, dishonesty, scam
rouge /ʁuʒ/ A1	adjective - red
lèvres /lɛvʁ/ (assuming as noun plural form) A2	noun - lips
couleur /kulœʁ/ A1	noun - color
ferrari /fɛʁ.ʁaʁ.i/ B1	noun - Ferrari (luxury car brand)
coupe /kup/ A2	noun - cut, coupe (car body style)
paririe /pa.ʁiʁi/ B2	noun - plains, prairie
verre /vɛʁ/ A1	noun - glass
pelican /ˈpɛl.ɪ.kən/ B2	noun - pelican (bird)

Key Grammar Structures

• Ma baby lova, dix points de côté pour l'avocat

  ➔ Use of the verb 'lovar' (to love) in informal speech

  ➔ 'Lova' is a colloquial or slang term for 'to love', emphasizing a casual or informal tone.

• Soubeus dans le Lambo papillon

  ➔ Use of the adverb 'dans' to indicate placement or location

  ➔ 'Dans' is a French preposition meaning 'inside' or 'in', used here to specify being inside the Lamborghini.

• Elle aime trop la Chinoiserie

  ➔ Use of the verb 'aime' (to like/love) with 'trop' to express excessive liking

  ➔ 'Aime' means 'likes' or 'loves', and 'trop' is an adverb meaning 'too much', together expressing excessive fondness.

• Elle attire que la crapulerie

  ➔ Use of 'attire' (to attract) with 'que' (that) to specify what attracts her

  ➔ 'Attire' means 'attracts' or 'draws in', and 'que' introduces the clause specifying what she attracts.

• Que des tours de magie

  ➔ Use of 'que' (that) followed by plural noun to specify a type of action or thing

  ➔ 'Que' introduces the phrase 'des tours de magie', meaning 'some magic tricks' or 'magic shows'.