Les corons

• By: Pierre Bachelet

Lyrics:

[Français]

[English]

Au nord, c'étaient les corons

In the north, there were the mining villages

La terre c'était le charbon

The land was coal

...

...

Le ciel c'était l'horizon

The sky was the horizon

Les hommes, des mineurs de fond

The men were deep miners

...

...

Nos fenêtres donnaient sur des fenêtres semblables

Our windows looked out on similar windows

Et la pluie mouillait mon cartable

And the rain soaked my school bag

Mais mon père en rentrant avait les yeux si bleus

But when my father came home, his eyes were so blue

Que je croyais voir le ciel bleu

That I thought I saw the blue sky

J'apprenais mes leçons, la joue contre son bras

I learned my lessons, my cheek against his arm

Je crois qu'il était fier de moi

I believe he was proud of me

Il était généreux comme ceux du pays

He was generous like those from the region

Et je lui dois ce que je suis

And I owe him who I am

Au nord, c'étaient les corons

In the north, there were the mining villages

La terre c'était le charbon

The land was coal

Le ciel c'était l'horizon

The sky was the horizon

...

...

Les hommes des mineurs de fond

The men were deep miners

Et c'était mon enfance, et elle était heureuse

And it was my childhood, and it was happy

Dans la buée des lessiveuses

In the steam of the wash tubs

Et j'avais les terrils à défaut de montagnes

And I had the slag heaps instead of mountains

D'en haut je voyais la campagne

From above, I saw the countryside

Mon père était "gueule noire" comme l'étaient sesparents

My father was a "black face" like his parents were

Ma mère avait les cheveux blancs

My mother had white hair

Ils étaient de la fosse, comme on est d'un pays

They were from the pit, just as one is from a country

Grâce à eux je sais qui je suis

Thanks to them, I know who I am

Au nord, c'étaient les corons

In the north, there were the mining villages

La terre c'était le charbon

The land was coal

Le ciel c'était l'horizon

The sky was the horizon

Les hommes des mineurs de fond

The men were deep miners

Y avait à la mairie le jour de la kermesse

There was at the town hall on the day of the fair

Une photo de Jean Jaures

A photo of Jean Jaures

Et chaque verre de vin était un diamant rose

And each glass of wine was a pink diamond

Posé sur fond de silicose

Set against a background of silicosis

Ils parlaient de 36 et des coups de grisou

They talked about 36 and gas explosions

Des accidents du fond du trou

About accidents from the depths of the pit

Ils aimaient leur métier comme on aime un pays

They loved their job like one loves a country

C'est avec eux que j'ai compris

It’s with them that I understood

Au nord, c'étaient les corons

In the north, there were the mining villages

La terre c'était le charbon

The land was coal

Le ciel c'était l'horizon

The sky was the horizon

Les hommes des mineurs de fond

The men were deep miners

Le ciel c'était l'horizon

The sky was the horizon

...

...

Les hommes des mineurs de fond

The men were deep miners

...

...

Vocabulary in this song:

Vocabulary	Meanings
corons /kɔʁɔ̃/ B1	noun - a type of housing for miners
charbon /ʃaʁbɔ̃/ A2	noun - coal
ciel /sjɛl/ A1	noun - sky
hommes /ɔm/ A1	noun - men
mineurs /minœʁ/ B1	noun - miners
enfance /ɑ̃fɑ̃s/ B1	noun - childhood
heureuse /øʁøz/ A2	adjective - happy
père /pɛʁ/ A1	noun - father
cheveux /ʃəvø/ A2	noun - hair
campagne /kɑ̃paɲ/ B1	noun - countryside
métier /metje/ B2	noun - trade or profession
généreux /ʒeneʁø/ B2	adjective - generous
fier /fjɛʁ/ B1	adjective - proud
photo /fɔto/ A1	noun - photo
vin /vɛ̃/ A1	noun - wine
diamant /dja.mɑ̃/ B2	noun - diamond

Grammar:

• Au nord, c'étaient les corons

  ➔ Impersonal expression using 'c'est' in the imperfect tense 'c'étaient' to describe a state or characteristic in the past.

  ➔ 'C'était' combines the impersonal pronoun 'cela' with the imperfect tense of 'être' to describe a past scene.

• Les hommes, des mineurs de fond

  ➔ Use of the plural noun 'les hommes' with apposition 'des mineurs de fond' to specify the subject.

  ➔ 'Les hommes' is the subject, and 'des mineurs de fond' clarifies that they are underground miners.

• Ma mère avait les cheveux blancs

  ➔ Use of the imperfect tense 'avait' to describe a continuous or habitual past state.

  ➔ 'Avoir' in imperfect tense 'avait' indicates a past state that was ongoing or habitual (having white hair).

• Ils étaient de la fosse, comme on est d'un pays

  ➔ Use of the imperfect 'étaient' with 'de la fosse' to describe a past state of being, and comparison with 'on est' in present tense.

  ➔ 'étaient' is the imperfect form of 'être' used here to describe a lingering past identity, compared to 'on est' which is the present tense meaning 'we are' or 'one is'.

• Les hommes, des mineurs de fond

  ➔ Repetition highlighting the subject and its clarification through apposition, emphasizing collective identity.

  ➔ Repeated phrase emphasizes the collective identity of 'the men' as 'underground miners'.