Elle Me Dit – Bilingual Lyrics French/English

• By: Mika

Lyrics & Translation

Discover Mika's first French-language hit, "Elle me dit." This song offers a lively and insightful look into familial communication, blending pop sensibility with relatable themes of ambition and independence. Through its catchy rhythm and direct lyrics, "Elle me dit" provides a fun way to engage with the French language and understand its nuances in expressing advice and encouragement.

[English]

Pom, pom, pom

Pom, pom, pom, pom, pom

Hey

...

She tells me

"Write a happy song

Not a depressing song

A song that everyone likes"

She tells me

"You'll become a billionaire

You'll have something to be proud of

Don't end up like your father"

She tells me

"Don't lock yourself in your room

Come on, shake it and dance

Tell me, what's your problem?"

She tells me

"What's wrong, you seem uptight?

Are you high or are you gay?

You'll end up like your brother"

She tells me

She tells me "it's your life

Do what you want, too bad

One day you'll understand

One day you'll regret it"

She tells me "you're so lame

Get out of your bubble

You're doing just anything

It looks like you like it"

Why are you wasting your life?

Why are you wasting your life?

Why are you wasting your life?

Dance, dance, dance

She tells me "dance"

Why are you wasting your life?

Why are you wasting your life?

Why are you wasting your life?

Dance, dance, dance

She tells me

"Be like the other boys

Go kick a ball around

You'll become popular"

She tells me

"What are you doing on the Internet?

Are you out of your mind?

Look at the time you're wasting"

She tells me

"Why are you always complaining?

You look like you're 8 years old

That's not how you're going to please"

She tells me

"One day I won't be here anymore"

But it's when she tells me that

That she tells me something I like

She tells me

She tells me "it's your life

Do what you want, too bad

One day you'll understand

One day you'll regret it"

She tells me "you're so lame

Get out of your bubble

You're doing just anything

It looks like you like it"

(She tells me "dance")

Why are you wasting your life?

Why are you wasting your life? (She tells me "dance")

Why are you wasting your life?

Dance, dance, dance

She tells me "dance"

Why are you wasting your life?

Why are you wasting your life? (She tells me "dance")

Why are you wasting your life?

Dance, dance, dance

She tells me

"You don't have any gray hair yet

And you'll be 30 soon

You should wake up"

She tells me

"You're still a child

You'll never grow up

And I'm already old"

She tells me

"Look at your friends

What are they going to do with their lives?

Enough to off yourself"

She tells me

"Yes, one day you'll kill me"

And it's when she tells me that

That she tells me something I like

She tells me "dance"

She tells me "dance, dance, dance"

She tells me "dance"

She tells me "dance, dance, dance"

She tells me "dance"

She tells me "dance, dance, dance"

She tells me "dance, dance, dance, dance, dance, dance, dance"

She tells me "dance"

She tells me "it's your life" (she tells me "dance, dance, dance")

"Do what you want, too bad" (she tells me "dance")

"One day you'll understand" (she tells me "dance, dance, dance")

"One day you'll regret it" (she tells me "dance")

She tells me "you're so lame" (she tells me "dance, dance, dance")

"Get out of your bubble" (she tells me "dance")

"You're doing just anything" ("dance, dance, dance, dance, dance, dance")

"It looks like you like it" (she tells me "dance")

Why are you wasting your life? (she tells me "dance")

Why are you wasting your life? (dance)

Why are you wasting your life?

(Dance, dance, dance)

She tells me "dance"

Why are you wasting your life? (she tells me "dance")

Why are you wasting your life?

Why are you wasting your life? (dance, dance, dance)

(Dance, dance, dance)

She tells me "dance"

(She tells me "dance", she tells me "dance", she tells me "dance"...)

...

[French]

Pom, pom, pom

Pom, pom, pom, pom, pom

Hey

Elle me dit

"Écris une chanson contente

Pas une chanson déprimante

Une chanson que tout l'monde aime"

Elle me dit

"Tu deviendras milliardaire

T'auras de quoi être fier

Ne finis pas comme ton père"

Elle me dit

"Ne t'enferme pas dans ta chambre

Vas-y, secoue-toi et danse

Dis-moi, c'est quoi ton problème?"

Elle me dit

"Qu'est-ce que t'as, t'as l'air coincé?

T'es défoncé ou t'es gay?

Tu finiras comme ton frère"

Elle me dit

Elle me dit "c'est ta vie

Fais c'que tu veux, tant pis

Un jour tu comprendras

Un jour tu t'en voudras"

Elle me dit "t'es trop nul

Sors un peu de ta bulle

Tu fais n'importe quoi

On dirait que t'aimes ça"

Pourquoi tu gâches ta vie?

Pourquoi tu gâches ta vie?

Pourquoi tu gâches ta vie?

Danse, danse, danse

Elle me dit "danse"

Pourquoi tu gâches ta vie?

Pourquoi tu gâches ta vie?

Pourquoi tu gâches ta vie?

Danse, danse, danse

Elle me dit

"Fais comme les autres garçons

Va taper dans un ballon

Tu deviendras populaire"

Elle me dit

"Qu'est-ce tu fous sur Internet?

Ça va pas bien dans ta tête?

Regarde le temps que tu perds"

Elle me dit

"Pourquoi tu te plains tout l'temps?

On dirait que t'as 8 ans

C'est pas comme ça qu'tu vas plaire"

Elle me dit

"Un jour je n'serai plus là"

Mais c'est quand elle me dit ça

Qu'elle me dit un truc que j'aime

Elle me dit

Elle me dit "c'est ta vie

Fais c'que tu veux, tant pis

Un jour tu comprendras

Un jour tu t'en voudras"

Elle me dit "t'es trop nul

Sors un peu de ta bulle

Tu fais n'importe quoi

On dirait que t'aimes ça"

(Elle me dit "danse")

Pourquoi tu gâches ta vie?

Pourquoi tu gâches ta vie? (Elle me dit "danse")

Pourquoi tu gâches ta vie?

Danse, danse, danse

Elle me dit "danse"

Pourquoi tu gâches ta vie?

Pourquoi tu gâches ta vie? (Elle me dit "danse")

Pourquoi tu gâches ta vie?

Danse, danse, danse

Elle me dit

"T'as pas encore des cheveux blancs

Et t'auras bientôt 30 ans

Faudrait que tu te réveilles"

Elle me dit

"Tu es toujours un enfant

Tu ne seras jamais grand

Et moi je suis déjà vieille"

Elle me dit

"Regarde un peu tes amis

Qu'est-ce qu'ils vont faire de leur vie?

Y a de quoi se foutre en l'air"

Elle me dit

"Oui un jour tu me tueras"

Et c'est quand elle me dit ça

Qu'elle me dit un truc que j'aime

Elle me dit "danse"

Elle me dit "danse, danse, danse"

Elle me dit "danse"

Elle me dit "danse, danse, danse"

Elle me dit "danse"

Elle me dit "danse, danse, danse"

Elle me dit "danse, danse, danse, danse, danse, danse, danse"

Elle me dit "danse"

Elle me dit "c'est ta vie" (elle me dit "danse, danse, danse")

"Fais c'que tu veux, tant pis" (elle me dit "danse")

"Un jour tu comprendras" (elle me dit "danse, danse, danse")

"Un jour tu t'en voudras" (elle me dit "danse")

Elle me dit "t'es trop nul" (elle me dit "danse, danse, danse")

"Sors un peu de ta bulle" (elle me dit "danse")

"Tu fais n'importe quoi" ("danse, danse, danse, danse, danse, danse")

"On dirait que t'aimes ça" (elle me dit "danse")

Pourquoi tu gâches ta vie? (elle me dit "danse")

Pourquoi tu gâches ta vie? (danse)

Pourquoi tu gâches ta vie?

(Danse, danse, danse)

Elle me dit "danse"

Pourquoi tu gâches ta vie? (elle me dit "danse")

Pourquoi tu gâches ta vie?

Pourquoi tu gâches ta vie? (danse, danse, danse)

(Danse, danse, danse)

Elle me dit "danse"

(Elle me dit "danse", elle me dit "danse", elle me dit "danse"...)

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
chanson /ʃɑ̃.sɔ̃/ A1	noun - song
content /kɔ̃.tɑ̃/ A2	adjective - happy, satisfied
problème /pʁo.blem/ A2	noun - problem
milliardaire /mi.ljaʁ.dɛʁ/ B1	noun - billionaire
fière /fjɛʁ/ B1	adjective - proud
danse /dɑ̃s/ A1	verb - to dance
gâcher /ɡa.ʃe/ B1	verb - to waste
problème /pʁo.blem/ A2	noun - problem
tête /tɛt/ A1	noun - head
enfant /ɑ̃.fɑ̃/ A1	noun - child
vie /vi/ A1	noun - life
grand /ɡʁɑ̃/ A2	adjective - big, great
regarde /ʁə.ɡaʁd/ A2	verb - to look at
amis /a.mi/ A1	noun - friends
populaire /pɔ.py.lɛʁ/ B1	adjective - popular
tuer /tɥe/ B2	verb - to kill

Key Grammar Structures

• Écris une chanson contente

  ➔ Imperative mood (command)

  ➔ The verb "écris" is in the imperative mood, used to give a command or instruction. Here, it's a command to write a happy song.

• Tu deviendras milliardaire

  ➔ Future simple (futur simple)

  ➔ The verb "deviendras" is in the future simple tense, used to express an action that will happen in the future.

• Ne t'enferme pas dans ta chambre

  ➔ Negative imperative with reflexive verb

  ➔ "Ne t'enferme pas" is a negative command using the reflexive verb "s'enfermer". The pronoun "te" moves to the front in the affirmative imperative, but stays between "ne" and the verb in the negative.

• Qu'est-ce que t'as, t'as l'air coincé?

  ➔ Informal question structure with ellipsis and "avoir l'air"

  ➔ "Qu'est-ce que tu as ?" is shortened to "Qu'est-ce que t'as?" and even further to "Qu'est-ce t'as?". "T'as l'air coincé" uses the expression "avoir l'air" (to seem/look), indicating an appearance or impression. The ellipsis makes the sentence more casual.

• Fais c'que tu veux, tant pis

  ➔ Subjunctive mood after "tant pis" and shortened relative clause

  ➔ "Fais c'que tu veux" is a shortened version of "Fais ce que tu veux". While "ce que" usually requires the subjunctive if there's uncertainty or a general statement, here it's more idiomatic. "Tant pis" means "too bad" or "never mind".

• On dirait que t'aimes ça

  ➔ Impersonal expression "on dirait que" followed by indicative mood

  ➔ "On dirait que" means "it seems that" or "it looks like". It's an impersonal expression followed by the indicative mood, because it's presenting an observation as a fact.

• Regarde le temps que tu perds

  ➔ Relative clause with subjunctive in spoken French

  ➔ In formal French, the use of the subjunctive after "le temps que" would depend on the certainty of the statement. Here, because it's used in informal spoken French, the indicative is used even if the speaker has a negative view of "temps".

• Y a de quoi se foutre en l'air

  ➔ Impersonal expression "Il y a de quoi" + infinitive & colloquialism

  ➔ "Il y a de quoi" means "There's reason to". "Se foutre en l'air" is a very informal expression meaning "to kill oneself" or "to ruin everything".