Marcia Baila – Bilingual Lyrics French/English

• By: Les Rita Mitsouko
• Album: Rita Mitsouko (1984)

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the electrifying world of French New Wave with Les Rita Mitsouko's iconic "Marcia Baila." This song is a masterclass in combining infectious rhythms with profound emotional depth, offering a unique opportunity to explore the nuances of the French language through its poetic lyrics that celebrate life and mourn loss. Its distinctive sound and vivid storytelling make it an unforgettable listen.

[English]

Marcia, she dances

On satin and rayon

Hard foam polystyrene

At her feet

Marcia dances with legs

Sharp as blades

Two arrows that spark ideas

Sensations

Marcia, she's thin

Beautiful on stage, beautiful in town

Seeing her dance transforms me

Into an excited state

Moretto, like your mouth

Is immense when you smile

And when you laugh, I do too

You love life so much

So what is this cold

That we feel in you?

But it’s death

That has murdered you, Marcia

It’s death

You’ve consumed yourself, Marcia

It’s cancer

That you took under your arm

Now you’re ashes, ashes

Death is like something impossible

And even for you, so strong like a rocket

And even for you, life itself, Marcia

It’s death that took you away

Marcia, to dance a little Chinese

The heat in shoulder movements

Flat like an Inca hieroglyph

From the opera

With her head

She dances just as well

And her face

Dances with everything else

She looked for

A new way

And she invented it

She’s the grasshopper

The siren desperate for love

The dancer in flannel

Or cardboard

...

Moretto, like your mouth

Is immense when you smile

And when you laugh, I do too

You love life so much

So what is this cold

That we feel in you?

But it’s death

That has murdered you, Marcia

It’s death

You’ve consumed yourself, Marcia

It’s cancer

That you took under your arm

Now you’re ashes, ashes

Death is like something impossible for you

Which is life itself, Marcia

And even for you

Who’s as strong as a rocket

It’s death that has taken you away

Marcia, Marcia, Marcia, Marcia, Marcia

...

[French]

Marcia elle danse

Sur du satin de la rayonne

Dur polystyrène expansé

À ses pieds

Marcia danse avec des jambes

Aiguisées comme des couperets

Deux flèches qui donnent des idées

Des sensations

Marcia elle est maigre

Belle en scène belle comme a la ville

La voir danser me transforme

En excitée

Moretto comme ta bouche

Est immense quand tu souris

Et quand tu ris je ris aussi

Tu aimes tellement la vie

Quel est donc ce froid

Que l'on sent en toi?

Mais c'est la mort

Qui t'a assassinée Marcia

C'est la mort

Tu t'es consumée Marcia

C'est le cancer

Que tu as pris sous ton bras

Maintenant tu es en cendres, en cendres

La mort c'est comme une chose impossible

Et même à toi qui est forte comme une fusée

Et même à toi qui est la vie même Marcia

C'est la mort qui t'a emmenée

Marcia danse un peu chinois

La chaleur dans les mouvements d'épaules

À plat comme un hiéroglyphe inca

De l'opéra

Avec la tête

Elle danse aussi très bien

Et son visage

Danse avec tout le reste

Elle a cherché

Une nouvelle façon

Et l'a inventée

C'est elle la sauterelle

La sirène en mal d'amour

Le danseur dans la flanelle

Ou le carton

Moretto comme ta bouche

Est immense quand tu souris

Et quand tu ris je ris aussi

Tu aimes tellement la vie

Quel est donc ce froid

Que l'on sent en toi?

Mais c'est la mort

Qui t'a assassinée Marcia

C'est la mort

Tu t'es consumée Marcia

C'est le cancer

Que tu as pris sous ton bras

Maintenant tu es en cendres, en cendres

La mort c'est comme une chose impossible pour toi

Qui est la vie même Marcia

Et même à toi

Qui est forte comme une fusée

C'est la mort qui t'a emmenée

Marcia Marcia Marcia Marcia Marcia

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
danse /dɑ̃s/ A2	verb - to move rhythmically to music
rayonne /ʁɛjɔn/ B2	noun - rayon (a type of fabric or fiber)
expansé /ɛkspɑ̃se/ C1	adjective - expanded, swollen
cueux /kœʁ/ B2	adjective - sharp, pointed
sensation /sɑ̃sasjɔ̃/ B1	noun - feeling or perception resulting from something that happens to or inside the body
maigre /mɛɡʁ/ A2	adjective - thin, slim
scene /sɛ̃/ A2	noun - a place or setting for an event, especially in a play or movie
cancer /kɑ̃sɛʁ/ B2	noun - a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth
mort /mɔʁ/ A2	noun - death
feu /fø/ A2	noun - fire
fusée /fɥeze/ B2	noun - rocket
vie /vɥi/ A2	noun - life

Key Grammar Structures

• Marcia elle danse

  ➔ Subject + verb structure.

  ➔ In this line, "Marcia" is the subject and "danse" is the verb, indicating what Marcia is doing.

• Aiguisées comme des couperets

  ➔ Adjective + comparison structure.

  ➔ Here, "Aiguisées" (sharp) is an adjective describing the legs, and the comparison "comme des couperets" (like cleavers) enhances the description.

• Mais c'est la mort

  ➔ Conjunction + subject + verb structure.

  ➔ In this line, "Mais" (but) introduces a contrast, followed by the subject "c'est" (it is) and the verb "la mort" (the death).

• Tu aimes tellement la vie

  ➔ Subject + verb + adverb + object structure.

  ➔ In this line, "Tu" (you) is the subject, "aimes" (love) is the verb, "tellement" (so much) is the adverb, and "la vie" (life) is the object.

• Maintenant tu es en cendres

  ➔ Adverb + subject + verb + prepositional phrase structure.

  ➔ In this line, "Maintenant" (now) is the adverb indicating time, "tu" (you) is the subject, "es" (are) is the verb, and "en cendres" (in ashes) is the prepositional phrase.

• C'est la mort qui t'a assassinée

  ➔ Subject + verb + relative clause structure.

  ➔ In this line, "C'est" (it is) is the subject and verb, followed by the relative clause "qui t'a assassinée" (who killed you) providing more information about "la mort" (the death).

• C'est le cancer que tu as pris sous ton bras

  ➔ Subject + verb + object + relative clause structure.

  ➔ In this line, "C'est" (it is) is the subject and verb, followed by the object "le cancer" (the cancer) and the relative clause "que tu as pris sous ton bras" (that you took under your arm).