Je te donne – Bilingual Lyrics French/English

• By: Jean-Jacques Goldman, Michael Jones

Lyrics & Translation

[French]

[English]

Tous ces défauts qui sont autant de chance

All these flaws are just as much as my chance

Je te donne toutes mes différences

I give you all my differences

...

...

I can give you a voice, bred with rhythm and soul

I can give you a voice, full of rhythm and soul

The heart of a Welsh boy who's lost his home

The heart of a Welsh boy who’s lost his home

Put it in harmony, let the words ring

Put it in harmony, let the words ring out

Carry your thoughts in the song we sing

Carry your thoughts in the song we sing

Je te donne mes notes, je te donne mes mots

I give you my notes, I give you my words

Quand ta voix les emporte à ton propre tempo

When your voice takes them at your own pace

Une épaule fragile et solide à la fois

A fragile yet sturdy shoulder at the same time

Ce que j'imagine et ce que je crois

What I imagine and what I believe

Je te donne toutes mes différences

I give you all my differences

Tous ces défauts qui sont autant de chance

All these flaws are just as much as my chance

On ne sera jamais des standards, des gens bien comme il faut

We’ll never be standard, perfectly proper folks

Je te donne ce que j'ai, ce que je vaux

I give you what I have, what I’m worth

I can give you the force of my ancestral pride

I can give you the strength of my ancestral pride

The will to go on when I'm hurt deep inside

The will to carry on when I’m hurt deep inside

Whatever the feeling, whatever the way

Whatever I feel, however I go

It helps me go on from day to day

It helps me get through each day

Oh, je te donne nos doutes et notre indicible espoir

Oh, I give you our doubts and our unspeakable hope

Les questions que les routes ont laissées dans l'histoire

The questions that the roads have left behind in history

Nos filles sont brunes et l'on parle un peu fort

Our daughters are brunettes, and we speak a bit loud

L'humour et l'amour sont nos trésors

Humor and love are our treasures

Je te donne toutes mes différences

I give you all my differences

Tous ces défauts qui sont autant de chance

All these flaws are just as much as my chance

On ne sera jamais des standards, des gens bien comme il faut

We’ll never be standard, perfectly proper folks

Je te donne ce que j'ai, ce que je vaux

I give you what I have, what I’m worth

...

...

Je te donne, donne, donne ce que je suis

I give you, give you, give you what I am

I can give you my voice, bred with rhythm and soul

I can give you my voice, full of rhythm and soul

Je te donne mes notes, je te donne ma voix

I give you my notes, I give you my voice

The songs that I love, and the stories I've told

The songs I love, and the stories I’ve told

Ce que j'imagine et ce que je crois

What I imagine and what I believe

I can make you feel good even when I'm down

I can make you feel good even when I’m down

Les raisons qui me portent et ce stupide espoir

The reasons that keep me going and this stupid hope

My force is the platform that you can climb on

My strength is the platform you can climb on

Une épaule fragile et forte à la fois

A fragile yet strong shoulder at the same time

...

...

Mes plus belles chances, mes différences

My greatest chances, my differences

Je te donne

I give you

Ouh, je te donne

Ooh, I give you

Tout ce que je vaux, ce que je suis

Everything I am worth, everything I am

Mes dons, mes défauts

My gifts, my flaws

Mes plus belles chances, mes différences

My greatest chances, my differences

Je te donne

I give you

Ouh, je te donne

Ooh, I give you

Tout ce que je vaux, ce que je suis

Everything I am worth, everything I am

Mes dons, mes défauts

My gifts, my flaws

Mes plus belles chances, mes différences

My greatest chances, my differences

Je te donne

I give you

Ouh, je te donne

Ooh, I give you

Tout ce que je vaux, ce que je suis

Everything I am worth, everything I am

Mes dons, mes défauts

My gifts, my flaws

Mes plus belles chances, mes différences

My greatest chances, my differences

Je te donne

I give you

...

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
défaut /de.fɔ/ B1	noun - a flaw or imperfection
chance /ʃɑ̃s/ A2	noun - opportunity or possibility
voix /vwa/ A1	noun - voice
force /fɔʁs/ B2	noun - strength or power
espoir /ɛs.pwaʁ/ B1	noun - hope
histoire /is.twaʁ/ A2	noun - history or story
amour /a.muʁ/ A1	noun - love
notes /nɔt/ A2	noun - musical notes or written notes
mots /mo/ A1	noun - words
doutes /dut/ B1	noun - doubts
fille /fij/ A1	noun - girl or daughter
rythme /ʁitm/ B1	noun - rhythm
solid /sɔ.lid/ B2	adjective - firm and stable in shape; not liquid or fluid
fragile /fʁa.ʒil/ B2	adjective - easily broken or damaged
croyance /kʁwa.jɑ̃s/ B2	noun - belief or faith

Key Grammar Structures

• Tous ces défauts qui sont autant de chance

  ➔ Relative pronouns (qui)

  ➔ The relative pronoun "qui" refers to the subject and introduces a relative clause. Here, "qui" refers to "défauts" and introduces the clause "qui sont autant de chance".

• Je te donne toutes mes différences

  ➔ Indirect object pronoun (te)

  ➔ "Te" is an indirect object pronoun, meaning "to you". The structure is: Subject + Verb + Indirect Object Pronoun + Direct Object. Here, it's "Je" (Subject) + "donne" (Verb) + "te" (Indirect Object) + "toutes mes differences" (Direct Object).

• On ne sera jamais des standards, des gens bien comme il faut

  ➔ Future Simple (sera)

  ➔ "Sera" is the future simple form of the verb "être" (to be), conjugated in the third-person plural ("on" - we/one). It expresses something that will happen in the future.

• Ce que j'imagine et ce que je crois

  ➔ Subjunctive clauses introduced by "ce que"

  ➔ "Ce que" acts as a relative pronoun referring to something undefined. Here, it introduces noun clauses that are the direct object of the verb "donne" (give). It translates to "what I imagine" and "what I believe".

• Quand ta voix les emporte à ton propre tempo

  ➔ Subjunctive Mood (emporte) after "quand" expressing a condition/time

  ➔ The subjunctive mood "emporte" is used after "quand" when the action is not yet realized or uncertain. Here, it implies that when your voice carries them at your own tempo (a hypothetical situation or future event), I give you my notes and words.

• Les questions que les routes ont laissées dans l'histoire

  ➔ Past Participle as Adjective (laissées)

  ➔ "Laissées" is the past participle of the verb "laisser" (to leave), and it functions as an adjective modifying "questions." The past participle agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies.

• Ce que j'imagine et ce que je crois

  ➔ "Ce que" + Subjunctive / Indicative

  ➔ "Ce que" can be followed by either the indicative or the subjunctive mood, depending on the certainty of the statement. When referring to known or certain facts, the indicative is used (as in "je crois" - I believe). When referring to uncertain or hypothetical situations, the subjunctive is required.