L'hymne de nos campagnes – Bilingual Lyrics French/English

• By: Tryo
• Album: XXV

Lyrics & Translation

Discover "L'hymne de nos campagnes" by Tryo, a timeless French reggae song that serves as a powerful anthem for nature and ecological consciousness. Through its evocative lyrics and uplifting melody, the song invites listeners to appreciate the simple beauty of the countryside and consider a more harmonious way of living with the environment, making it a special piece for understanding French musical and environmental sentiment.

[English]

If you were born in a social housing estate

I dedicate this poem to you

Hoping that deep inside your dull eyes

You can see a little blade of grass

And people, you have to make sense of things

It's high time to take a break

Swap this dull life

For the scent of a rose

This is the anthem of our countryside

Of our rivers, of our mountains

Of life, man, of the animal world

Shout it out loud, use your vocal cords!

No job, no diplomas

Everywhere the same smell of the zone

Nothing stirs your neurons anymore

Not even the weed you pack into your cones

Go elsewhere, nothing's holding you back

Quick, do something with your hands

Don’t look back, here you have nothing

And be the first to sing this chorus

This is the anthem of our countryside

Of our rivers, of our mountains

Of life, man, of the animal world

Shout it out loud, use your vocal cords!

Sit down by a river

Listen to the water flowing over the land

Tell yourself that at the end, hey! there’s the sea

And that this is nothing fleeting

Then you'll understand that you are nothing

Like the one before you, like the one to come

That the liquid flowing in your hands

Will help you live until tomorrow morning!

This is the anthem of our countryside

Of our rivers, of our mountains

Of life, man, of the animal world

Shout it out loud, use your vocal cords!

Sit down by an old oak

And compare it to the human race

The oxygen and shade it provides

Does it deserve the axe's blows that bleed it?

Lift your head, look at these leaves

Maybe you’ll see a squirrel

Looking at you with all its pride

Its home is right there, you're at the threshold

This is the anthem of our countryside

Of our rivers, of our mountains

Of life, man, of the animal world

Shout it out loud, use your vocal cords!

Shout it out loud, use your vocal cords!

Maybe I’m just talking to say nothing

That when you listen, you feel like laughing

But if concrete’s your future

Remember that it’s the forest that makes you breathe

I wish for all animals

That you understand the message in my words

Because a patch of land, a reed stalk

Will serve the growth of your kids!

Will serve the growth of your kids!

This is the anthem of our countryside

Of our rivers, of our mountains

Of life, man, of the animal world

Shout it out loud, use your vocal cords!

This is the anthem of our countryside

Of our rivers, of our mountains

Of life, man, of the animal world

Shout it out loud, use your vocal cords, hey!

...

[French]

Si tu es né dans une cité HLM

Je te dédicace ce poème

En espérant qu'au fond de tes yeux ternes

Tu puisses y voir un petit brin d'herbe

Et les mans faut faire la part des choses

Il est grand temps de faire une pause

De troquer cette vie morose

Contre le parfum d'une rose

C'est l'hymne de nos campagnes

De nos rivières, de nos montagnes

De la vie man, du monde animal

Crie-le bien fort, use tes cordes vocales!

Pas de boulot, pas de diplômes

Partout la même odeur de zone

Plus rien n'agite tes neurones

Pas même le shit que tu mets dans tes cônes

Va voir ailleur, rien ne te retient

Va vite faire quelque chose de tes mains

Ne te retourne pas, ici tu n'as rien

Et sois le premier à chanter ce refrain

C'est l'hymne de nos campagnes

De nos rivières, de nos montagnes

De la vie man, du monde animal

Crie-le bien fort, use tes cordes vocales!

Assieds-toi près d'une rivière

Ecoute le coulis de l'eau sur la terre

Dis-toi qu'au bout, hé! il y a la mer

Et que ça, ça n'a rien d'éphémère

Tu comprendras alors que tu n'es rien

Comme celui avant toi, comme celui qui vient

Que le liquide qui coule dans tes mains

Te servira à vivre jusqu'à demain matin!

C'est l'hymne de nos campagnes

De nos rivières, de nos montagnes

De la vie man, du monde animal

Crie-le bien fort, use tes cordes vocales!

Assieds-toi près d'un vieux chêne

Et compare le à la race humaine

L'oxygène et l'ombre qu'il t'amène

Mérite-t-il les coups de hache qui le saigne?

Lève la tête, regarde ces feuilles

Tu verras peut-être un écureuil

Qui te regarde de tout son orgueuil

Sa maison est là, tu es sur le seuil

C'est l'hymne de nos campagnes

De nos rivières, de nos montagnes

De la vie man, du monde animal

Crie-le bien fort, use tes cordes vocales, hé!

Crie-le bien fort, use tes cordes vocales!

Peut-être que je parle pour ne rien dire

Que quand tu m'écoutes tu as envie de rire

Mais si le béton est ton avenir

Dis-toi que c'est la forêt qui fait que tu respires

J'aimerais pour tous les animaux

Que tu captes le message de mes mots

Car un lopin de terre, une tige de roseau

Servira la croissance de tes marmots!

Servira la croissance de tes marmots!

C'est l'hymne de nos campagnes

De nos rivières, de nos montagnes

De la vie man, du monde animal

Crie-le bien fort, use tes cordes vocales!

C'est l'hymne de nos campagnes

De nos rivières, de nos montagnes

De la vie man, du monde animal

Crie-le bien fort, use tes cordes vocales, hé!

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
cité /si.te/ A2	noun - city
poème /pɔ.ɛm/ A2	noun - poem
herbe /ɛʁb/ A1	noun - grass
rose /ʁoz/ A1	noun - rose
montagne /mɔ̃.taɲ/ A2	noun - mountain
animal /a.ni.mal/ A1	noun - animal
boulot /bu.lo/ B1	noun - job
pause /poz/ A2	noun - break
mer /mɛʁ/ A1	noun - sea
terre /tɛʁ/ A1	noun - earth, land
liquide /li.kid/ B2	noun - liquid
croissance /kʁwa.sɑ̃s/ B2	noun - growth
marmot /maʁ.mɔt/ B1	noun - kid, child
écureuil /e.ky.ʁœj/ B1	noun - squirrel
ombre /ɔ̃bʁ/ A2	noun - shadow

Key Grammar Structures

• Il est grand temps de faire une pause

  ➔ It is high time to do something

  ➔ The phrase "Il est grand temps de" expresses that it is very appropriate or urgent to do something now.

• Crie-le bien fort, use tes cordes vocales!

  ➔ Imperative form with pronoun attachment

  ➔ This is an imperative (command) sentence where the verb is in the imperative mood, and the pronoun "le" is attached directly at the end of the verb.

• Dis-toi qu'au bout, hé! il y a la mer

  ➔ Reflexive verb "se dire" (dis-toi) in the present tense

  ➔ The phrase "Dis-toi" is a command form (imperative) of the reflexive verb "se dire," meaning "tell yourself." It’s a casual or conversational form often used in speech.

• Lève la tête, regarde ces feuilles

  ➔ Imperative form of "lève" (lift) and "regarde" (look)

  ➔ These are imperative forms (commands) of the verbs "lève" (to lift) and "regarde" (to look). They are used to give direct orders or instructions.

• Que le liquide qui coule dans tes mains te servira à vivre jusqu'à demain matin!

  ➔ Subordinate clause with relative pronoun "qui" (that/which) and future tense "servira"

  ➔ The subordinate clause "qui coule dans tes mains" describes "le liquide" and uses the relative pronoun "qui" (that/which). The verb "servira" is in future tense, indicating an action that will happen.

• Compare le à la race humaine

  ➔ Imperative form of "compare" (compare) + direct object "le"

  ➔ This is an imperative command to "compare" and the pronoun "le" as the direct object refers to "ce" (this or it).