Le Nord – English Lyrics

• By: Leto
• Album: 100 visages

Lyrics & Translation

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
cacher /ka.ʃe/ A2	verb - to hide, to conceal
ressentir /ʁə.sɑ̃.tiʁ/ B1	verb - to feel, to sense, to experience
problème /pʁɔ.blɛm/ A1	noun - problem, issue
résoudre /ʁe.zudʁ/ B1	verb - to solve, to resolve
poids /pwa/ B1	noun - weight; burden, load
grandir /ɡʁɑ̃.diʁ/ A1	verb - to grow, to grow up
HLM /aʃ.ɛl.ɛm/ B2	noun - public housing (acronym for 'Habitation à Loyer Modéré', literally 'Low-Rent Housing')
argent /aʁ.ʒɑ̃/ A1	noun - money (original word for 'gent-ar', which is verlan for 'argent', in lyrics)
vie /vi/ A1	noun - life
chagrin /ʃa.ɡʁɛ̃/ B1	noun - sorrow, grief, sadness
seul /sœl/ A1	adjective - alone, lonely
besoin /bə.zwɛ̃/ A1	noun - need, requirement
terrain /tɛ.ʁɛ̃/ B1	noun - ground, field; (in context) 'the streets', area for illegal activities
tuer /tɥe/ A2	verb - to kill
mal /mal/ A1	noun - pain, ache; evil
souci /su.si/ A2	noun - worry, concern
haine /ɛn/ B1	noun - hate, hatred
vérité /ve.ʁi.te/ A2	noun - truth
hypocrite /i.po.kʁit/ B2	adjective - hypocritical noun - hypocrite
briser /bʁi.ze/ B1	verb - to break, to shatter

Key Grammar Structures

• Vaut mieux cacher c'que tu ressens

  ➔ Impersonal expression "il vaut mieux" + infinitive; "ce que" (relative pronoun).

  ➔ "Il vaut mieux" (often contracted to "vaut mieux" in informal speech) is an impersonal expression meaning "it is better to" or "one should". It is always followed by an infinitive. "C'que" is an informal contraction of "ce que", a compound relative pronoun meaning "what" or "that which", used to refer to an unspecified antecedent.

• faut pas que j'devienne fou

  ➔ Impersonal expression "il faut que" + subjunctive mood; informal contraction of "je".

  ➔ "Il faut que" (often contracted to "faut que" informally) means "it is necessary that" or "one must". It always requires the verb in the subordinate clause to be in the subjunctive mood ("devienne" from "devenir"). "J'" is an informal contraction of "je".

• J'irai mieux quand j'aurais touché l'million

  ➔ Futur simple and Futur antérieur in a temporal clause.

  ➔ This sentence uses the "futur simple" ("J'irai") for the main future action and the "futur antérieur" ("j'aurais touché") in the subordinate clause introduced by "quand" (when). The futur antérieur describes an action that will be completed *before* another future action occurs.

• Et tu t'fais manger si t'es réglo

  ➔ Causative construction "faire + infinitive" (pronominal passive); informal contractions.

  ➔ "Se faire + infinitive" is an informal construction used to express a passive action, often implying that the subject is the victim of the action or allows it to happen. Here, "tu t'fais manger" literally means "you get yourself eaten" but colloquially "you get taken advantage of" or "you get screwed over". "T'es" is informal for "tu es".

• Il vaut mieux que j'm'en aille

  ➔ Impersonal expression "il vaut mieux que" + subjunctive mood; pronominal verb "s'en aller".

  ➔ "Il vaut mieux que" is another impersonal expression, similar to "il faut que", that requires the subjunctive mood in the following clause ("j'm'en aille"). "S'en aller" is a pronominal verb meaning "to leave" or "to go away", and "j'm'en aille" is its informal subjunctive form.

• J'avance dans ma vie, pendant qu'toi, tu fais du surplace

  ➔ Conjunction of simultaneity "pendant que"; emphatic pronoun.

  ➔ "Pendant que" means "while" or "whereas", indicating two actions happening at the same time or a contrast between them. "Qu'toi" is an informal way to emphasize the pronoun "toi" (you), highlighting the contrast with "je" (I). "Faire du surplace" is an idiom meaning "to make no progress" or "to stand still".

• C'est nos coins de rue retranscrits dans un poème

  ➔ Past participle used as an adjective (agreement).

  ➔ "Retranscrits" is the past participle of the verb "retranscrire" (to transcribe). Here, it functions as an adjective modifying "nos coins de rue" (our street corners), hence it agrees in gender and number (masculine plural).

• Ils peuvent te la faire à l'envers pour une p'tite liasse

  ➔ Modal verb "pouvoir" + infinitive; idiomatic expression "faire à l'envers"; object pronoun "la".

  ➔ "Peuvent" is the conjugation of the modal verb "pouvoir" (can/to be able to), followed by an infinitive. "Faire à l'envers à quelqu'un" is a French idiom meaning "to double-cross", "to betray", or "to play a trick on someone". The pronoun "la" refers to an implied feminine noun, such as "le coup" (the trick) or "une entourloupe" (a swindle). "Pour" indicates purpose.

• Ça va trop vite quand dans ta vie, tout s'brise

  ➔ Impersonal expression "ça va"; pronominal verb "se briser".

  ➔ "Ça va" is a very common impersonal expression, often used to describe how things are going (e.g., "ça va bien" - it's going well). Here, "ça va trop vite" means "things go too fast". "Se briser" is a pronominal verb meaning "to break (itself)", indicating an action that happens to the subject without a clear agent, or that the subject undergoes the action.