Mademoiselle chante le blues – Bilingual Lyrics French/English

• By: Patricia Kaas

Lyrics & Translation

Explore the powerful narrative and soulful melodies of "Mademoiselle chante le blues" by Patricia Kaas. This iconic French song offers a rich tapestry of female experiences, blending pop with blues to create a truly unique listening and learning experience.

[English]

Some raise kids in the depths of social housing

Some travel from Brazil to Ukraine

Some celebrate over in Angoulême

And there are even

Those who protest in the streets with flyers and banners

And some can’t stand playing the sex symbols anymore

Some sell love from the back of their car

Miss sings the blues

Don’t be too jealous

Miss drinks red wine

Miss sings the blues

Some work eight hours a day typing on machines

Some court both men and women

Some lick boots like one licks shop windows

And there are even

Those who act, whom we call Marilyn

But Marilyn Dubois will never be Norma Jean

Don’t think that talent is all we imagine

Miss sings the blues

Don’t be too jealous

Miss drinks red wine

Miss sings the blues

She has gospel in her voice and she believes in it

Some become nuns, lawyers, pharmacists

Some have said it all when they said I love you

Some are old maids over in Angoulême

And there are even

Those who play liberated women, a little joint and gardenal

Who mix a rosy life with a postcard image

Who want to feel good without ever hurting themselves

Miss sings the blues

Don’t be too jealous

Miss drinks red wine

Miss sings the blues

She has gospel in her voice and she believes in it

Miss sings the blues

Oh the blues

Miss sings the blues

...

[French]

Y'en a qui élèvent des gosses au fond des HLM

Y'en a qui roulent leur bosse du Brésil en Ukraine

Y'en a qui font la noce du côté d'Angoulême

Et y'en a même

Qui militent dans la rue avec tracts et banderoles

Et y'en a qui en peuvent plus de jouer les sex symbols

Y'en a qui vendent l'amour au fond de leur bagnole

Mademoiselle chante le blues

Soyez pas trop jalouses

Mademoiselle boit du rouge

Mademoiselle chante le blues

Y'en a huit heures par jour qui tapent sur des machines

Y'en a qui font la cour masculine féminine

Y'en a qui lèchent les bottes comme on lèche des vitrines

Et y'en a même

Qui font du cinéma, qu'on appelle Marilyn

Mais Marilyn Dubois sera jamais Norma Jean

Faut pas croire que le talent c'est tout ce qu'on s'imagine

Mademoiselle chante le blues

Soyez pas trop jalouses

Mademoiselle boit du rouge

Mademoiselle chante le blues

Elle a du gospel dans la voix et elle y croit

Y'en a qui se font bonne sœur, avocat, pharmacienne

Y'en a qui ont tout dit quand elles ont dit je t'aime

Y'en a qui sont vieilles filles du côté d'Angoulême

Et y'en a même

Qui jouent femmes libérées, petit joint et gardénal

Qui mélangent vie en rose et image d'Epinal

Qui veulent se faire du bien sans jamais se faire du mal

Mademoiselle chante le blues

Soyez pas trop jalouses

Mademoiselle boit du rouge

Mademoiselle chante le blues

Elle a du gospel dans la voix et elle y croit

Mademoiselle chante le blues

Oh le blues

Mademoiselle chante le blues

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
élèvent /elɛv/ B1	verb - to raise, bring up (children or animals)
gosses /ɡɔs/ B2	noun - kids, children, youngsters
fond /fɔ̃/ B2	noun - bottom, background
roule /ʁul/ B1	verb - to roll, to drive (a vehicle)
bosse /bɔs/ B2	noun - journey, odyssey
noce /nɔs/ B2	noun - celebration, party, feast
militent /mili.tɑ̃/ B2	verb - to advocate, to campaign
tracts /tʁakt/ B2	noun - leaflets, flyers
banderoles /bɑ̃.də.ʁɔl/ C1	noun - banners, flags
symbols /ˈsɪm.bəlz/ B1	noun - representations, signs, icons
vendent /vɑ̃.dɑ̃/ B2	verb - to sell
amour /a.muʁ/ A2	noun - love
bagnole /ba.ɲɔl/ B2	noun - car, automobile
chante /ʃɑ̃t/ A1	verb - to sing
rouge /ʁuʒ/ A2	noun - red, blush, lipstick
tapent /tɑ.pɑ̃/ B2	verb - to hit, to strike, to bang
machines /maʃin/ A2	noun - machines, devices

Key Grammar Structures

• Y'en a qui élèvent des gosses au fond des HLM

  ➔ The use of 'Y'en a' to express 'there are' or 'some people that...'

  ➔ 'Y'en a' is an informal French expression meaning 'there are' or 'some people who...'.

• Qui militent dans la rue avec tracts et banderoles

  ➔ Use of the relative pronoun 'qui' with present tense for people performing an action

  ➔ 'Qui' is a French relative pronoun meaning 'who' that links a subject to a relative clause.

• Et y'en a même

  ➔ Use of 'y'en a même' to emphasize 'there are even' or 'some do more'

  ➔ 'Y'en a même' is a phrase emphasizing that something exists or happens to an even greater extent or in a surprising way.

• Elle a du gospel dans la voix et elle y croit

  ➔ Use of 'avoir' with 'du' to indicate possession of a certain quality or genre

  ➔ 'Avoir' is the French verb 'to have', and 'du' indicates a partitive or unspecified amount of a noun describing a quality or genre.

• Y'en a qui se font bonne sœur, avocat, pharmacienne

  ➔ Use of 'se faire' to indicate becoming or adopting a role or state

  ➔ 'Se faire' is a reflexive verb used in French to indicate becoming, sometimes implying adopting a role or state.

• Qui mélangent vie en rose et image d'Epinal

  ➔ Use of 'mélangent' as the third person plural present tense of 'mêler' to describe mixing various things

  ➔ 'Mêler' is a French verb meaning 'to mix', and 'mélangent' is its conjugation in present tense for 'they'.