Comme avant (Épisode 1) – Bilingual Lyrics French/English

• By: Niro

Lyrics & Translation

[French]

[English]

On s'est trouvé pour s'aimer, on s'est perdu violemment.

We found each other to love, then abruptly lost each other.

En vrai, peut-être qu'on s'aimait pas vraiment.

Honestly, maybe we didn't really love each other.

T'es dans un film, j'ai vu la fin dix mille fois, ni toi ni moi.

You're in a movie, I've seen the ending ten thousand times, neither you nor I.

C'est toujours l'ego qui gagne évidemment.

Ego always wins, obviously.

J'cache mes sentiments comme tu dois cacher ton amant.

I hide my feelings just like you must hide your lover.

Et tu me regardes plus de la même manière bizarrement.

And oddly, you don't look at me the same way anymore.

Sans dire où tu vas, tu disparais fréquemment.

Without saying where you're going, you frequently disappear.

Tu fais des choses que tu faisais pas avant.

You do things you never did before.

Finalement, t'as oublié ce qu'on s'était dit au départ.

In the end, you forgot what we initially said.

Mais moi j'ai pas oublié même si les années passent.

But I haven't forgotten, even as the years pass.

Mi amor, jusqu'à quand ça va durer, je sais pas.

Mi amor, I don't know how long this will last.

J'te retiens pas, j'attends juste que l'amour nous sépare.

I'm not holding you back, I'm just waiting for love to separate us.

On s'fait des choses qu'on se faisait pas avant.

We're doing things to each other we never did before.

J'dois t'oublier mais laisse tomber.

I have to forget you, but just let it go.

On y croyait, on s'est trompés.

We believed in it, but we were wrong.

J'voulais t'rappeler mais laisse tomber.

I wanted to call you, but just let it go.

On a fini, terminé.

We're done, it's over.

On a fini, terminé.

We're done, it's over.

On a fini, terminé.

We're done, it's over.

On a fini, terminé.

We're done, it's over.

On a fini, terminé.

We're done, it's over.

On a fini, terminé.

We're done, it's over.

On a fini, terminé.

We're done, it's over.

On a fini, terminé.

We're done, it's over.

On a fini, terminé.

We're done, it's over.

On a fini, terminé.

We're done, it's over.

On a fini, terminé.

We're done, it's over.

On a fini, terminé.

We're done, it's over.

On a fini, terminé.

We're done, it's over.

On a fini, terminé.

We're done, it's over.

On a fini, terminé.

We're done, it's over.

On a fini, terminé.

We're done, it's over.

On a fini, terminé.

We're done, it's over.

On a fini, terminé.

We're done, it's over.

On a fini, terminé.

We're done, it's over.

On a fini, terminé.

We're done, it's over.

Ouais, avant t'étais quelqu'un quand tu me tenais par le bras.

Yeah, before, you were someone when you held my arm.

Demain tu seras plus personne quand la flamme s'éteindra.

Tomorrow you'll be nobody when the flame dies out.

Quand je me suis mis dans ton lit, j'étais devant des salles.

When I got into your bed, I was performing for crowds.

Quand je me suis mis dans ton lit, j'étais devant des salles.

When I got into your bed, I was performing for crowds.

Avec moi, tu as tiré dans le mille, tant pis.

With me, you hit the bullseye, too bad.

Depuis tipeu, je suis seul, je vais finir lonely au pire.

Since I was little, I've been alone, I'll end up lonely at worst.

Tu as déjà oublié ce qu'on s'est promis, tant pis.

You've already forgotten what we promised, too bad.

Tu as déjà oublié ce qu'on s'est promis, tant pis.

You've already forgotten what we promised, too bad.

J'ai laissé tomber.

I let it go.

J'ai laissé tomber.

I let it go.

J'dois t'oublier mais laisse tomber.

I have to forget you, but just let it go.

On y croyait, on s'est trompés.

We believed in it, but we were wrong.

J'voulais t'rappeler mais laisse tomber.

I wanted to call you, but just let it go.

J'ai laissé tomber.

I let it go.

J'ai laissé tomber.

I let it go.

J'dois t'oublier mais laisse tomber.

I have to forget you, but just let it go.

On y croyait, on s'est trompés.

We believed in it, but we were wrong.

J'voulais t'rappeler mais laisse tomber.

I wanted to call you, but just let it go.

J'ai laissé tomber.

I let it go.

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
aimer /e.me/ A1	verb - to love; to like
perdre /pɛʁdʁ/ A2	verb - to lose; to get lost (reflexive form 'se perdre')
ego /e.ɡo/ B2	noun - ego; self
cacher /ka.ʃe/ A2	verb - to hide; to conceal
sentiment /sɑ̃.ti.mɑ̃/ B1	noun - feeling; sentiment; emotion
amant /a.mɑ̃/ B2	noun - lover (male); boyfriend (often in a secret or illicit relationship)
bizarre /bi.zaʁ/ B1	adjective - strange; weird; odd
disparaître /dis.pa.ʁɛtʁ/ B1	verb - to disappear; to vanish; to fade away
oublier /u.bli.je/ A2	verb - to forget; to omit
départ /de.paʁ/ A2	noun - departure; start; beginning
année /a.ne/ A1	noun - year
amour /a.muʁ/ A1	noun - love
séparer /se.pa.ʁe/ B1	verb - to separate; to divide; to split up
laisser /lɛ.se/ A2	verb - to leave; to let; to allow; (laisser tomber) to give up, to drop
tomber /tɔ̃.be/ A2	verb - to fall; to drop; (laisser tomber) to give up, to let go
croire /kʁwaʁ/ A2	verb - to believe; to think
tromper /tʁɔ̃.pe/ B1	verb - to deceive; to trick; to betray; (se tromper) to be mistaken, to be wrong
finir /fi.niʁ/ A2	verb - to finish; to end; to complete
flamme /flam/ B2	noun - flame; (figurative) passion, ardor, love
seul /sœl/ A2	adjective - alone; single; only

Key Grammar Structures

• On s'est trouvé pour s'aimer, on s'est perdu violemment.

  ➔ Pronominal verbs (reciprocal/reflexive) in Passé Composé.

  ➔ `s'est trouvé` and `s'est perdu` are pronominal verbs in the passé composé. Here, they imply a reciprocal action ("found each other," "lost each other"). The auxiliary verb is always "être," and the past participle often agrees with the subject with reciprocal verbs.

• En vrai, peut-être qu'on s'aimait pas vraiment.

  ➔ Imparfait for past state/habit with nuance, adverbial phrases.

  ➔ `s'aimait pas vraiment` uses the imparfait to describe a continuous or habitual state in the past, suggesting a past lack of genuine love. "En vrai" (in reality/truth) and "peut-être que" (perhaps that) add a layer of speculation or doubt.

• C'est toujours l'ego qui gagne évidemment.

  ➔ Cleft sentence ("C'est... qui").

  ➔ This is a cleft sentence, "C'est... qui" (or "It's... who/that"). It's used to emphasize a particular part of the sentence, in this case, "l'ego" (the ego), as the subject of the action "gagne" (wins).

• Sans dire où tu vas, tu disparais fréquemment.

  ➔ Preposition "sans" + infinitive.

  ➔ The construction `sans dire` means "without saying." In French, prepositions like "sans" (without), "pour" (to/in order to), "après" (after) are followed by an infinitive verb when the subject of the infinitive is the same as the main clause.

• Finalement, t'as oublié ce qu'on s'était dit au départ.

  ➔ Pluperfect (Plus-que-parfait) vs. Passé Composé, relative pronoun "ce que."

  ➔ `t'as oublié` is passé composé, describing an action completed in the past. `on s'était dit` is pluperfect, indicating an action that happened *before* another past action (forgetting). "Ce que" (what/that which) is a relative pronoun referring to an unspecified thing.

• J'attends juste que l'amour nous sépare.

  ➔ Subjunctive mood after verbs of waiting/wishing.

  ➔ The verb `sépare` is in the subjunctive mood. After expressions like "attendre que" (to wait for something to happen), "vouloir que" (to want something to happen), or verbs expressing desire, emotion, doubt, or necessity, the subordinate clause typically requires the subjunctive.

• On y croyait, on s'est trompés.

  ➔ Contrast between Imparfait (ongoing past belief) and Passé Composé (completed past action/mistake), pronoun "y".

  ➔ `croyait` is in the imparfait, indicating a continuous or habitual belief in the past. `s'est trompés` is passé composé for a completed action: realizing a mistake. The contrast highlights a shift from ongoing belief to a definitive past event. "Y" replaces "à cela" (in that/it).

• Demain tu seras plus personne quand la flamme s'éteindra.

  ➔ Futur Simple in temporal clauses with "quand", negation "ne... plus".

  ➔ Both `seras` and `s'éteindra` are in the futur simple. When a future action in the main clause ("tu seras") depends on another future action in a temporal clause introduced by "quand" (when), "lorsque" (when), "dès que" (as soon as), etc., both verbs are in the futur simple in French. `plus personne` means "no longer anyone" or "nobody anymore."

• Quand je me suis mis dans ton lit, j'étais devant des salles.

  ➔ Contrast between Passé Composé (specific action) and Imparfait (concurrent state/background).

  ➔ `je me suis mis` (a pronominal verb) is in the passé composé, indicating a single, completed action in the past. `j'étais` is in the imparfait, describing a concurrent state or situation that was ongoing at the time of the passé composé action. This contrast is typical for narrating events and setting the scene in the past.