Le Clan des Siciliens – Bilingual Lyrics French/English

• By: Dalida

Lyrics & Translation

Immerse yourself in the dramatic world of French Chanson with Dalida's iconic "Le Clan des Siciliens." This powerful song, serving as the theme for a classic crime film, offers a unique opportunity to explore the nuances of French lyrical storytelling and the rich cultural context of 1960s cinema. Its evocative lyrics and Ennio Morricone's masterful composition make it a special piece for understanding emotion and narrative in French music.

[English]

It was on an island

Where they were born

In the Mediterranean

Sicily

When the Sicilians

Came together

Everyone remembers

In Rome

It was the big night

They arrived

In their black cars

The men

Before the moon

Had finished its journey

They made their fortune

In just a few seconds

Yes, but when they sought

A man in the shadows

Then I cried

When the Sicilians

Shot him down

Everyone remembers

In Rome

One night

...

It was on an island

Where he was born

The Sicilian clan

Of Sicilians

...

[French]

C'est dans une île

Qu'ils étaient nés

En Méditerranée

La Sicile

Quand les Siciliens

Se sont retrouvés

Chacun s'en souvient

À Rome

C'était le grand soir

Ils sont arrivés

Dans leurs autos noires

Les hommes

Avant que la lune

Ait fini sa ronde

Ils ont fait fortune

En quelques secondes

Oui, mais lorsqu'ils ont cherché

Un homme dans l'ombre

Alors j'ai pleuré

Quand les Siciliens

Ont tiré sur lui

Chacun se souvient

À Rome

Une nuit

C'est dans une île

Qu'il était né

Le clan sicilien

Des Siciliens

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
Siciliens si.si.ljɛ̃ A1	noun - Inhabitants or people from Sicily.
Méditerranée me.di.te.ʁa.ne A1	noun - The Mediterranean Sea, a sea between Europe, Africa, and Asia.
retrouvés ʁə.tʁu.ve A2	verb - To meet again after a period of separation.
souvient su.vjɛ̃ A2	verb - To remember, to have a memory.
arrivés a.ʁi.ve A1	verb - To come to a place, to reach a location.
noires nwaʁ A1	adjective - Of the color black.
fortune fɔʁ.tyŋ A2	noun - Wealth, financial success.
cherché ʃɛʁ.ʃe A1	verb - To search, to try to find.
ombre ɔ̃bʁ A2	noun - Dark area created by an object blocking light.
pleuré ple.ʁe A1	verb - To shed tears, to express sadness.
tiré ti.ʁe A2	verb - To fire a projectile from a firearm.
nuit nɥi A1	noun - Period of darkness between sunset and sunrise.
clan klɑ̃ A2	noun - Family or social group united by kinship or interest.

Key Grammar Structures

• C'est dans une île qu'ils étaient nés

  ➔ Inversion of subject-verb order in a clause introduced by 'c'est'

  ➔ The sentence uses inversion with 'c'est' to emphasize the location ('dans une île') where they were born.

• Quand les Siciliens se sont retrouvés

  ➔ Use of the pronoun 'se' in reflexive verbs

  ➔ The reflexive verb 'se sont retrouvés' indicates that the Sicilians reunited among themselves.

• Chacun s'en souvient

  ➔ Use of the pronoun 'en' to replace a thing previously mentioned

  ➔ The pronoun 'en' replaces 'de cela' (of that), referring to the event of the Sicilians reuniting.

• Ils sont arrivés dans leurs autos noires

  ➔ Use of the preposition 'dans' to indicate means of transportation

  ➔ The preposition 'dans' is used here to indicate that they arrived in their black cars.

• Avant que la lune ait fini sa ronde

  ➔ Use of the subjunctive mood after 'avant que'

  ➔ The subjunctive mood ('ait fini') is used after 'avant que' to express an action that is uncertain or has not yet occurred.