Dans ma rue – Bilingual Lyrics French/English

• By: ZAZ

Lyrics & Translation

Embark on a linguistic and emotional journey with ZAZ's "Dans ma rue." This powerful song, a modern take on a French classic, offers an authentic window into French 'chanson réaliste,' allowing learners to immerse themselves in rich, evocative vocabulary and deeply human storytelling. Discover how the French language can convey profound sadness and hope through this artist's captivating performance.

[English]

I live in a corner of old Montmartre,

my father comes home drunk every night,

and to feed us all four,

my poor mother works at the laundry.

when I'm sick, I stay at my window,

I watch people from elsewhere pass by.

when the day begins to disappear,

there are things

that scare me a little.

In my street

there are people

who stroll,

I hear them

whispering

and in the night

when I fall asleep

rocked by a tune,

I'm suddenly awakened by screams,

whistles, footsteps dragging - coming and going,

then the silence that chills my heart.

In my street there are shadows that stroll,

and I tremble

and I'm cold

and I'm scared.

My father once told me: - My daughter

you can't stay here forever,

you're good for nothing - that's a family trait

you should think about earning your bread.

men find you rather pretty,

you just have to go out at night,

there are many women who earn their living

by wandering

on the sidewalk.

In my street

there are women

who stroll,

I hear them humming and in the night

when I fall asleep rocked by a tune,

I'm suddenly awakened by screams,

whistles, footsteps dragging - coming and going,

then this silence that chills my heart.

In my street

there are women

who stroll

and I tremble

and I'm cold

and I'm scared.

and for weeks and weeks,

I have no home, I have no money,

I don't know how others manage,

but I couldn't find a client.

I beg for alms from people passing by,

a piece of bread, a bit of warmth.

Yet I don't have much audacity,

now it's me

who scares them.

In my street,

every night

I stroll,

you can hear me sobbing and in the night

when the wind throws its tune to the sky

my whole body is frozen by the rain.

and I can't take it anymore, I wait for - for the good Lord to come,

to invite me to warm up close to him.

In my street

there are angels who take me,

forever my nightmare

is over.

[French]

J'habite un coin du vieux Montmartre,

mon père rentre saoul tous les soirs,

et pour nous nourrire tous les quatres,

ma pauvre mère travaille au lavoir.

quand j'suis malade, j'reste à ma fenêtre,

j'regarde passer les gens d'ailleurs.

quand le jour vient à disparaitre,

y'a des choses

qui me font un peu peur.

Dans ma rue

y'a de gens

qui s'promènent,

j'les entends

chuchoter

et dans la nuit

quand j'm'endore

bercée par une rengaine,

j'suis soudain réveillée par des cris,

des coups de sifflet, des pas qui trainent qui vont qui viennent,

puis le silence qui me fait froid dans tout le coeur.

Dans ma rue y'a des ombres qui s'promènent,

et je tremble

et j'ai froid

et j'ai peur.

Mon père m'a dit un jour: Ma fille

tu vas pas rester là sans fin,

t'es bonne à rien ça c'est de famille

faudrait voir à gagner ton pain.

les hommes te trouvent plutôt jolie,

tu n'auras qu'à partir le soir,

y'a bien des femmes qui gagnent leur vie

en s'baladant

sur le trottoir.

Dans ma rue

y'a des femmes

qui s'promènent,

j'les entends fredonner et dans la nuit

quand j'm'endore bercée par une rengaine,

j'suis soudain réveillée par des cris,

des coups de sifflet, des pas qui trainent qui vont qui viennent,

puis ce silence qui me fait froid dans tout le coeur

Dans ma rue

y'a de femmes

qui s'promènent

et je tremble

et j'ai froid

et j'ai peur.

et depuis des semaines et des semaines,

j'ai plus de maison, j'ai plus d'argent,

j'sais pas comment les autres s'y prennent,

mais j'ai pas pu trouver de client.

j'demande l'aumône aux gens qui passent,

un morceau de pain, un peu de chaleur.

J'ai pourtant pas beaucoup d'audace,

maintenant c'est moi

qui leur fais peur.

Dans ma rue,

tous les soirs

j'me promène,

on m'entend sangloter et dans la nuit

quand le vent jette au ciel sa rengaine

tout mon corps est glacé par la pluie.

et j'en peux plus, j'attends qu'enfaite que le bon Dieu vienne,

pour m'inviter à m'réchauffer tout près de lui.

Dans ma rue

y'a des anges qui m'ammènent,

pour toujours mon cauchemar

est fini.

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
coin /kwɛ̃/ A2	noun - corner or area
père /pɛʁ/ A1	noun - father
mère /mɛʁ/ A1	noun - mother
travaille /tʁavaj/ A2	verb - to work
peur /pœʁ/ A2	noun - fear
silence /si.lɑ̃s/ B1	noun - silence
ombre /ɔ̃bʁ/ B1	noun - shadow
froid /fʁwa/ B1	adjective - cold
rengaine /ʁɑ̃ɡɛn/ B2	noun - refrain or catchy tune
sangloter /sɑ̃ɡlote/ B2	verb - to sob
cauchemars /koʊʃmaʁ/ B2	noun - nightmares
argent /aʁʒɑ̃/ B1	noun - money
maison /mɛ.zɔ̃/ A1	noun - house
pain /pɛ̃/ A1	noun - bread
vent /vɑ̃/ A2	noun - wind
inviter /ɛ̃.vite/ B1	verb - to invite

Key Grammar Structures

• J'habite un coin du vieux Montmartre

  ➔ Use of the partitive article "du" with a geographical location.

  ➔ The phrase "un coin *du* vieux Montmartre" indicates "a corner *of* old Montmartre." The partitive article *du* is used because it's an indefinite part of a larger whole.

• Mon père rentre saoul tous les soirs

  ➔ Adjective placement after the verb "rentrer" to describe the state of the subject.

  ➔ The adjective "saoul" (drunk) follows the verb "rentre" to describe the state of the father when he returns. In French, this placement is common when describing a state or condition.

• quand j'suis malade, j'reste à ma fenêtre

  ➔ Use of the subjunctive mood implicitly.

  ➔ While "quand" usually takes the indicative, here it's implying a general condition rather than a specific instance. The subjunctive could be used for emphasis, but it's omitted for simplicity, typical in spoken French.

• y'a des choses qui me font un peu peur.

  ➔ Use of impersonal construction "il y a" with the relative pronoun "qui".

  ➔ "Il y a" (there is/are) is followed by "des choses qui..." (things that...). The relative pronoun "qui" introduces a clause describing "des choses". This construction highlights the existence of things causing fear.

• bercée par une rengaine

  ➔ Past participle used as an adjective.

  ➔ "Bercée" (lulled) is the past participle of the verb "bercer" (to lull). Here, it acts as an adjective modifying the implied subject, indicating she is lulled by a tune.

• faudrait voir à gagner ton pain.

  ➔ Impersonal verb "falloir" followed by "voir à" + infinitive to express a necessity and a suggestion.

  ➔ "Faudrait" is the conditional form of "falloir" (to be necessary). "Voir à" + infinitive is used to suggest a course of action. The phrase expresses that it's necessary to consider finding a way to earn your keep ("gagner ton pain").

• tu n'auras qu'à partir le soir

  ➔ "N'avoir qu'à" + infinitive, expressing a limited choice or a simple solution.

  ➔ The construction "tu n'auras qu'à" suggests the only thing you need to do is leave in the evening. It implies it's the easiest or perhaps only option available.

• j'sais pas comment les autres s'y prennent

  ➔ Use of the pronoun "s'y prendre" to express how someone manages to do something.

  ➔ "S'y prendre" is a pronominal verb which means "to go about something," "to manage." "Je ne sais pas comment les autres s'y prennent" translates to "I don't know how others manage (to do it)." The "y" refers to the implied task.