Il avait les mots – Bilingual Lyrics French/English

• By: Sheryfa Luna

Lyrics & Translation

Explore the heartfelt French lyrics of Sheryfa Luna's iconic song "Il avait les mots." This R&B-infused pop track delves into themes of love, deception, and the impact of words, offering a powerful narrative that resonates with listeners. Learning the language through this song provides insight into expressing complex emotions and storytelling in French.

[English]

He was really, older than me

I just simply, fell into his arms

Through him I discovered, what I didn't know

He seemed sincere, I loved him for that

What has always bothered me

Is that I could rarely reach him in the evening

But as soon as he spoke to me

I shut up

He had the words

Made me addicted

I was already seeing

The future in his arms

He had the words

Made me addicted

I didn't know

That I didn't know him

He had the words

I had no life left

I only thought of him

Even though I realized

That he often lied

He got lost in what he told me

Got the name wrong when he said he loved me

And I put up with it

I forgave

In his car, I found toys

I figured out that his ex kept calling him

But what was he hiding

I was discovering it

He had the words

Made me addicted

I was already seeing

The future in his arms

He had the words

Made me addicted

I didn't know

That I didn't know him

He had the words

I followed him to his place

Garden shed and pet dog

Fucking house, you immediately imagine family life

All this time, I was wrong

I was wrong

His wife surprised me, she immediately came to confess to me

That I wasn't the first idiot he was playing with

All this time, I was wrong

I was wrong

What has always bothered me

Is that I could rarely reach him in the evening

But I suspected it

But I shut up

He had the words

Made me addicted

I was already seeing

The future in his arms

He had the words

Made me addicted

I didn't know

That I didn't know him

He had the words

...

[French]

Il était vraiment, plus âgé que moi

Je suis tout bêtement, tombée dans ses bras

Par lui j'ai découvert, c'que je connaissais pas

Il semblait sincère, je l'aimais pour ça

Ce qui m'a toujours dérangée

Est que rarement l'soir je pouvais le capter

Mais dès qu'il me parlait

Je la fermais

Il avait les mots

M'a rendue accro

Je voyais déjà

L'avenir dans ses bras

Il avait les mots

M'a rendue accro

Je ne savais pas

Que je n'le connaissais pas

Il avait les mots

Je n'avais plus d'vie

Je n'pensais qu'à lui

Même si j'ai crâmé

Que souvent il mentait

Il se perdait dans c'qu'il m'racontait

Se trompait d'nom quand il disait qu'il m'aimait

Et je supportais

Je pardonnais

Dans sa caisse, j'ai trouvé des jouets

J'ai grillé que son ex continuait de l'appeler

Mais qu'est-ce qu'il cachait

Je le découvrais

Il avait les mots

M'a rendue accro

Je voyais déjà

L'avenir dans ses bras

Il avait les mots

M'a rendue accro

Je ne savais pas

Que je ne le connaissais pas

Il avait les mots

Je l'ai suivi chez lui

Bête de jardin et chien de compagnie

Putain d'maison, on s'imagine tout d'suite la vie d'famille

Pendant tout ce temps, j'étais dans le faux

J'étais dans le faux

Sa femme m'a surprise, elle est tout de suite venue m'avouer

Qu'j'étais pas la première conne avec qui il s'amusait

Pendant tout ce temps, j'étais dans le faux

J'étais dans le faux

Ce qui m'a toujours dérangée

Est que rarement l'soir je pouvais le capter

Mais je m'en doutais

Mais j'la fermais

Il avait les mots

M'a rendue accro

Je voyais déjà

L'avenir dans ses bras

Il avait les mots

M'a rendue accro

Je ne savais pas

Que je n'le connaissais pas

Il avait les mots

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
aimer /e.me/ A1	verb - to love, to like
avenir /av.niʁ/ B1	noun - future
bras /bʁa/ A1	noun - arm
vie /vi/ A1	noun - life
maison /mɛ.zɔ̃/ A1	noun - house
femme /fam/ A1	noun - woman, wife
mots /mo/ A1	noun - words
cacher /ka.ʃe/ B1	verb - to hide
connaître /kɔ.nɛtʁ/ A2	verb - to know
croire /kʁwaʁ/ A2	verb - to believe
faux /fo/ B1	adjective - false
perdre /pɛʁdʁ/ A2	verb - to lose
tromper /tʁɔ̃.pe/ B1	verb - to deceive, to cheat
déranger /de.ʁɑ̃.ʒe/ B1	verb - to bother, to disturb
accro /a.kʁo/ B2	adjective - addicted

Key Grammar Structures

• Il était vraiment, plus âgé que moi

  ➔ Comparative adjective (plus + adjective + que)

  ➔ This line uses a comparative adjective to indicate that he was older than the speaker. The structure is "plus" + adjective + "que".

• Par lui j'ai découvert, c'que je connaissais pas

  ➔ Use of "par" to indicate the agent of an action. Contraction of "ce que" to "c'que"

  ➔ "Par lui" indicates that she discovered something *through* him. "C'que" is a colloquial contraction of "ce que".

• Ce qui m'a toujours dérangée

  ➔ Relative pronoun "ce qui" as the subject of the sentence.

  ➔ "Ce qui" refers to the thing that always bothered her. It acts as the subject of the verb "a dérangée".

• Est que rarement l'soir je pouvais le capter

  ➔ Subjunctive mood implied (bien que/quoique + subjunctive) or indicative (parce que/puisque + indicative). In this case, indicative

  ➔ This sentence expresses a fact. The speaker is stating that they rarely could reach him in the evening. Since is factual we use indicative form "pouvais"

• Mais dès qu'il me parlait, Je la fermais

  ➔ Use of "dès que" followed by the indicative to express immediate action. Colloquial expression "la fermer"

  ➔ "Dès qu'il me parlait" means "as soon as he spoke to me". "Je la fermais" is a colloquial way of saying "I shut up" or "I kept quiet".

• M'a rendue accro

  ➔ Past participle agreement with the direct object pronoun "m'" (me).

  ➔ Because the direct object "m'" (me) precedes the verb "a rendue", the past participle "rendue" agrees in gender and number with "m'" which is feminine singular.

• Que je n'le connaissais pas

  ➔ Subjunctive mood vs Indicative mood in subordinate clauses introduced by "que" . Use of "ne...pas"

  ➔ Indicative mood is used because the verb in the main clause ('Je ne savais pas') expresses knowledge or certainty. The "ne...pas" structure is used for negation.

• Et je supportais, Je pardonnais

  ➔ Imperfect tense (supportais, pardonnais) to describe a repeated or ongoing action in the past.

  ➔ The imperfect tense is used to convey that she repeatedly put up with his behavior and forgave him. It wasn't a one-time event, but something that happened regularly.