Face à face – Bilingual Lyrics French/English

• By: Victoria Sio
• Album: spectacle musical

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the emotional depths of "Face à face" by Victoria Sio, a powerful ballad from the French musical "Les Trois Mousquetaires." This song offers a unique opportunity to explore the nuances of French language through its compelling lyrics, which delve into themes of societal judgment and the raw honesty of human emotions when confronted with external perceptions. Its connection to a popular French musical also provides cultural insights and a rich context for language learning.

[English]

Abandoned to the wolves

Displayed on the walls

Face to face, face to the other

A picture begins to crack

Everything distorts

In others’ eyes

Because facing it, there’s intolerance

Because we believe in violence

Because difference

Falls under the sentence, no matter what we do

Lacking innocent loves

We love you, and we turn away, without even knowing you

Guilty of impatient loves

We love you, and we turn away, without even appearing

Without even appearing

Delivered to insults

Scarred by dirt

And facing, facing the other

No right to erasures

Error of censorship

Nothing erases others

Because facing it, there's indifference

Because we believe in ignorance

Because beneath the silence

We defend ourselves, no matter what we do

Lacking innocent loves

We love you, and we turn away, without even knowing you

Guilty of impatient loves

We love you, and we turn away, without even appearing

Guilty of carelessness

We follow you in the traces, we love you

Guilty of trust

We leave you in the dead-end, and we turn away

...

We love you

Face to face, face to the other

We love you

Without facing, giving way to the other

Lacking innocent loves

We love you, and we turn away, without even knowing you

Guilty of impatient loves

We love you, and we turn away, without even appearing

Guilty of carelessness

We follow you in the traces, we love you

Guilty of trust

We leave you in the dead-end, and we turn away

We love you, we love you, we turn away

...

[French]

Jetée en pâture

Affichée sur les murs

Face à face, face à l'autre

Une image se fissure

Tout se défigure

Au regard des autres

Parce qu'en face, l'intolérance

Parce qu'on croit à la violence

Parce que la différence

Tombe la sentence, quoi qu'on fasse

Faute d'amours innocentes

On vous aime et on vous désaime, sans même vous connaître

Délit d'amours impatientes

On vous aime, on vous désaime, sans même apparaître

Sans même apparaître

Livrée aux injures

Criblée de salissures

Et faire face, face à l'autre

Pas le droit aux ratures

Erreur de censure

Rien n'efface les autres

Parce qu'en face, l'indifférence

Parce qu'on croit à l'ignorance

Parce que sous le silence

On est dans défense, quoi qu'on fasse

Faute d'amours innocentes

On vous aime et on vous désaime, sans même vous connaître

Délit d'amours impatientes

On vous aime, on vous désaime, sans même apparaître

Faute d'imprudence

On vous suit à la trace, on vous aime

Délit de confiance

On vous lâche dans l'impasse, on vous désaime

On vous aime

Face à face, face à l'autre

On vous aime

Sans faire face, place à l'autre

Faute d'amours innocentes

On vous aime et on vous désaime, sans même vous connaître

Délit d'amours impatientes

On vous aime, on vous désaime, sans même apparaître

Faute d'imprudence

On vous suit à la trace, on vous aime

Délit de confiance

On vous lâche dans l'impasse, on vous désaime

On vous aime, on vous aime, on vous désaime

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
violence /vjɔlɑ̃s/ B2	noun - behavior involving physical force intended to hurt, damage, or kill someone or something
intolérance /ɛ̃tɔlɛʁɑ̃s/ B2	noun - failure or refusal to accept opinions, beliefs, or behaviors different from one's own
différence /difeʁɑ̃s/ A2	noun - the state or condition of being unlike or different
sentences /sɑ̃tɑ̃s/ B2	noun - judgments or penalties imposed by a court or authority
amour /amuʁ/ A1	noun - love, romantic or affectionate feelings
impatiente /ɛ̃pɑsjɑ̃t/ B2	adjective - lacking patience or being eager
confiance /kɔ̃fjɑ̃s/ B2	noun - trust, belief in someone's reliability
impossible /ɛ̃pɔsibl/ B2	adjective - not able to occur or be done
face /fas/ A2	noun - the front part of the head, especially the eyes, nose, and mouth
revanche /ʁə.vɑ̃ʃ/ C1	noun - a retaliatory action or spiteful revenge

Key Grammar Structures

• Parce qu'en face, l'intolérance

  ➔ Use of 'Parce que' to introduce a reason or cause.

  ➔ 'Parce que' means 'because' and introduces a causal clause explaining the reason for something.

• Une image se fissure

  ➔ Use of the reflexive verb 'se fissure' indicating the image cracks or breaks.

  ➔ 'Se fissure' is a reflexive verb meaning 'to crack' or 'to fissure,' describing the image breaking apart.

• Tout se défigure

  ➔ Use of the reflexive verb 'se défigure' meaning 'to distort oneself' or 'to lose one's shape/tune.'

  ➔ 'Se défigure' means 'to distort oneself' or 'to lose one's shape,' indicating the image or face is deformed.

• Faute d'amours innocentes

  ➔ Use of 'Faute de' + noun to express 'lack of' or 'absence of' something.

  ➔ 'Faute de' means 'due to the lack of' or 'because of the absence of,' used here to express the absence of innocent loves.

• On vous aime et on vous désaime

  ➔ Use of the direct object pronoun 'vous' with verbs 'aime' and 'désaime' in the present tense.

  ➔ 'Vous' is the direct object pronoun meaning 'you' (formal or plural), used here with verbs to express love and the loss of love.

• On vous aime, on vous désaime, sans même vous connaître

  ➔ Use of 'sans même' to express 'without even,' indicating an action done without prior knowledge or familiarity.

  ➔ 'Sans même' means 'without even,' emphasizing that something is done without prior knowledge or connection.