La Tendresse – Bilingual Lyrics French/English

• By: Kids United Nouvelle Génération
• Album: Au bout de nos rêves

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the enduring power of 'La Tendresse' with Kids United Nouvelle Génération. This song beautifully explores the universal need for kindness and affection, reminding us that tenderness is what truly makes life and love meaningful. Through its simple yet profound lyrics, you can connect with the emotional depth of the French language and appreciate its capacity to express heartfelt sentiments.

[English]

We can live without riches

Almost without money

Lords and princesses

There are not many left

But living without tenderness

We couldn't do that

No, no, no, no

We couldn't do that

You can live without fame

That proves nothing

Being unknown in history

And being fine with it

But living without tenderness

That’s out of the question

No, no, no, no

That’s out of the question

What a gentle weakness

What a lovely feeling

This need for tenderness

That we’re born with

Really, really, really

Work is necessary

But if we have to stay

Weeks on end doing nothing

Well, we get used to it

But living without tenderness

Time feels so long

Long, long, long

Time feels endless

In the heat of youth

Pleasures are born

And love performs feats

To dazzle us

Yes, but without tenderness

Love would be nothing

No, no, no, no

Love would be nothing

When ruthless life

Drops on you

You're just a poor devil

Crushed and disappointed

So without tenderness

From a heart that supports us

No, no, no, no

We wouldn’t go further

A child kisses you

Because it makes them happy

All our sorrows fade away

We have tears in our eyes

My god, my god, my god

In your great wisdom

Great fervor

Keep pouring endlessly

Deep in our hearts

torrents of tenderness

So that love can reign

Let love reign

Until the end of days

...

[French]

On peut vivre sans richesse

Presque sans le sous

Des seigneurs et des princesses

Y'en a plus beaucoup

Mais vivre sans tendresse

On ne le pourrait pas

Non, non, non, non

On ne le pourrait pas

On peut vivre sans la gloire

Qui ne prouve rien

Être inconnu dans l'Histoire

Et s'en trouver bien

Mais vivre sans tendresse

Il n'en est pas question

Non, non, non, non

Il n'en est pas question

Quelle douce faiblesse

Quel joli sentiment

Ce besoin de tendresse

Qui nous vient en naissant

Vraiment, vraiment, vraiment

Le travail est nécessaire

Mais s'il faut rester

Des semaines sans rien faire

Hé bien, on s'y fait

Mais vivre sans tendresse

Le temps vous paraît long

Long, long, long, long

Le temps nous paraît long

Dans le feu de la jeunesse

Naissent les plaisirs

Et l'amour fait des prouesses

Pour nous éblouir

Oui mais sans la tendresse

L'amour ne serait rien

Non, non, non, non

L'amour ne serait rien

Quand la vie impitoyable

Vous tombe dessus

On n'est plus qu'un pauvre diable

Broyé et déçu

Alors sans la tendresse

D'un cœur qui nous soutient

Non, non, non, non

On n'irait pas plus loin

Un enfant vous embrasse

Parce qu'on le rend heureux

Tous nos chagrins s'effacent

On a les larmes aux yeux

Mon dieu, mon dieu, mon dieu

Dans votre immense sagesse

Immense ferveur

Faites donc pleuvoir sans cesse

Au fond de nos cœurs

Des torrents de tendresse

Pour que règne l'amour

Règne l'amour

Jusqu'à la fin des jours

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
tendresse /tɑ̃.dʁɛs/ B1	noun - tenderness
richesse /ʁi.ʃɛs/ B1	noun - wealth
gloire /ɡlwaʁ/ B2	noun - glory
sentiment /sɑ̃.ti.mɑ̃/ B1	noun - feeling
travail /tʁa.vaj/ B1	noun - work
enfant /ɑ̃.fɑ̃/ A1	noun - child
amour /a.muʁ/ A2	noun - love
jeune /ʒœn/ A2	adjective - young
long /lɔ̃/ A2	adjective - long
cœur /kœʁ/ B1	noun - heart
pauvre /povʁ/ A2	adjective - poor
question /kɛs.tjɔ̃/ A2	noun - question
plaisir /plɛ.ziʁ/ B1	noun - pleasure
faiblesse /fɛb.lɛs/ B2	noun - weakness
soutien /su.tjɛ̃/ B2	noun - support
immense /i.mɑ̃s/ B2	adjective - immense

Key Grammar Structures

• On peut vivre sans richesse

  ➔ Use of "On" as a general pronoun

  ➔ "On" in French can mean "we", but here it functions as a general pronoun equivalent to "one" or "you" in English. It expresses a general truth applicable to people in general.

• Y'en a plus beaucoup

  ➔ Use of "Y'en a" as a contraction for "Il y en a"

  ➔ "Y'en a" is a colloquial contraction of "Il y en a", meaning "there are some" or "there are any". "Plus beaucoup" means "not many anymore".

• On ne le pourrait pas

  ➔ Conditional tense and pronoun "le"

  ➔ "Pourrait" is the conditional tense of "pouvoir" (to be able to), expressing a hypothetical or polite possibility. "Le" is a pronoun that refers back to the implied object of the sentence, which is "vivre sans tendresse" (living without tenderness).

• Il n'en est pas question

  ➔ Impersonal construction with "il", negative form, and partitive pronoun "en"

  ➔ This phrase means "it is out of the question" or "there is no question of it". "Il" is an impersonal subject, "en" refers back to a previously mentioned idea (implied is "vivre sans tendresse" -- living without tenderness). The negative form makes the statement definitive.

• Quel joli sentiment

  ➔ Exclamative sentence with adjective agreement

  ➔ "Quel" is used to express an exclamation. The adjective "joli" agrees in gender and number with the noun "sentiment".

• Hé bien, on s'y fait

  ➔ Reflexive verb with pronoun "s'" and adverbial pronoun "y"

  ➔ "S'y faire" means "to get used to something". "S'" is the reflexive pronoun, and "y" refers to the situation previously mentioned (des semaines sans rien faire - weeks doing nothing). "Hé bien" is an interjection used to express surprise or resignation.

• L'amour ne serait rien

  ➔ Conditional tense and negation

  ➔ "Serait" is the conditional tense of "être" (to be), expressing a hypothetical situation. "Ne...rien" is a common negation structure in French, meaning "nothing". The whole phrase translates to "Love would be nothing."

• On n'irait pas plus loin

  ➔ Conditional tense, negation, and comparative adverb

  ➔ "Irait" is the conditional tense of "aller" (to go), expressing a hypothetical situation. "Ne...pas" is the standard negation. "Plus loin" means "further" or "any further". The phrase translates to "We wouldn't go any further."