Prince Ali – Bilingual Lyrics French/English

• By: Richard Darbois

Lyrics & Translation

[French]

[English]

Faites place au Prince Ali

Make way for Prince Ali

Quelle grâce, le Prince Ali

What grace, Prince Ali

Bande de veinards, dégagez le bazar

Lucky folks, clear the way

Et vous allez voir ce que vous allez voir

And you'll see what you're going to see

Venez applaudir, acclamer la superstar

Come applaud, cheer for the superstar

Fêtez ce grand jour

Celebrate this great day

Clochettes et tambours

Bells and drums

Venez adorer l'idole

Come worship the idol

Prince Ali

Prince Ali

Sa seigneurie, Ali Ababwa

His lordship, Ali Ababwa

À genoux, prosternez-vous

Kneel down, bow down

Soyez ravis

Be delighted

Pas de panique, on se calme

No panic, let's calm down

Criez vive Ali Salaam

Shout long live Ali Salaam

Venez voir le plus beau spectacle d'Arabie

Come see the greatest show in Arabia

Prince Ali

Prince Ali

Plus fort que lui

No one stronger than him

Je n'en connais pas

I don't know any

Qui vous porte d'Abu Dhabi à bout de bras

Who carries you from Abu Dhabi in his arms

Il a vaincu une armée

He defeated an army

Tout seul avec son épée

All alone with his sword

La terreur des ennemis

The terror of enemies

C'est Prince Ali

It's Prince Ali

Il a cent trois chameaux et chamelles

He has one hundred and three camels

(Ne sont-ils pas mignons, Simone?)

(Aren't they cute, Simone?)

Une caravane de paons qui se pavanent

A caravan of peacocks strutting around

(Tout à fait Thierry, j'adore leurs plumes)

(Absolutely, Thierry, I love their feathers)

Des gorilles qu'ils protègent de leurs ailes

Gorillas they protect with their wings

Ce zoo est un souk

This zoo is a market

Cornes de bouc, c'est une super ménagerie

Goat horns, it's a super menagerie

Prince Ali

Prince Ali

Oui c'est bien lui, Ali Ababwa

Yes, it's him, Ali Ababwa

Quel physique! C'est magnétique

What a physique! It's magnetic

Il est charmant

He is charming

Il y a du monde au balcon

There's a crowd on the balcony

Moi j'ai du voile au menton

I have a veil on my chin

Et tout le monde s'évanouit pour Prince Ali

And everyone faints for Prince Ali

Venez voir ses deux cents singes persans

Come see his two hundred Persian monkeys

(Ses singes persans, ses singes persans)

(His Persian monkeys, his Persian monkeys)

C'est payant! Et pourtant c'est gratuit

It's a fee! And yet it's free

(C'est un trésor, un vrai trésor)

(It's a treasure, a real treasure)

Serviteurs et esclaves travaillent pour lui

Servants and slaves work for him

(Fiers de le servir)

(Proud to serve him)

C'est le plus grand, on lui obéit

He's the greatest, we obey him

Mais chacun donnerait sa vie pour Ali

But everyone would give their life for Ali

Vive Ali

Long live Ali

Prince Ali

Prince Ali

Oui, c'est bien lui, Ali Ababwa

Yes, it's him, Ali Ababwa

Est ici pour votre fille si jolie

Is here for your lovely daughter

Voilà pourquoi en cortège

That's why in procession

Cet amoureux vous assiège

This lover besieges you

Avec trente éléphants qui jouent les acrobates

With thirty elephants performing acrobatics

Des ours et puis des lions au son du clairon

Bears and then lions to the sound of the trumpet

Ses quarante fakirs, sa batterie de chefs

His forty fakirs, his battery of chiefs

Ses oiseaux qui crient

His birds that scream

Faites place au Prince Ali

Make way for Prince Ali

...

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
grâce /gʁɑs/ B1	noun - grace, elegance
bazar /bazɑʁ/ B2	noun - bazaar, marketplace
applaudir /ap.lɔ.diʁ/ B2	verb - to applaud, clap hands
acclamer /ak.lame/ B2	verb - to acclaim, shout out loudly
série /seʁi/ B2	noun - series, sequence
éclater /ek.latʁe/ C1	verb - to burst, explode, suddenly appear
immense /ɛmɑ̃s/ B2	adjective - huge, enormous
connaître /kɔ.nɛtʁ/ B1	verb - to know, be familiar with
armé /aʁ.me/ B2	adjective - armed, equipped with weapons
énergie /e.nɛʁ.ʒi/ B2	noun - energy, vitality
vaincu /vɛ̃.kɥi/ C2	verb (past participle) - defeated, conquered
armée /aʁ.me/ B2	noun - army, armed forces
épée /e.pe/ B2	noun - sword
terreure /tœ.ʁœʁ/ C1	noun - terror

Key Grammar Structures

• Faites place au Prince Ali

  ➔ Imperative form used for giving commands or requests.

  ➔ The verb "Faites" is in the imperative form of "faire" (to do/make).

• Quelle grâce, le Prince Ali

  ➔ Interrogative pronoun "quelle" used with nouns to ask about characteristics.

  ➔ "Quelle" is used here to express admiration, but structurally it's an interrogative pronoun meaning "what".

• Venez voir ses deux cents singes persans

  ➔ Verb "Venez" in the imperative form inviting someone to come and see.

  ➔ The verb "Venez" is in the imperative form, used here as an invitation or command.

• Il a vaincu une armée

  ➔ Past tense "a vaincu" (has defeated) in the passé composé tense.

  ➔ The verb "a vaincu" is in the passé composé tense, formed with the auxiliary "avoir" and the past participle.

• Ses gorilles qu'ils protègent de leurs ailes

  ➔ Relative clause "qu'ils protègent" describing the gorillas, using the present tense.

  ➔ The "qu'ils protègent" is a relative clause where "qu'" is the object pronoun referring to "les gorilles" and the verb is in the present tense.

• Il a vaincu une armée

  ➔ Past tense "a vaincu" (has defeated) in the passé composé tense.

  ➔ The auxiliary "avoir" is used with the past participle "vaincu" to form the passé composé tense.