Tomber La Chemise – Bilingual Lyrics French/English

• By: Zebda
• Album: Barclay

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the infectious energy of Zebda's "Tomber La Chemise"! This iconic French song, blending pop-rock and reggae, is more than just a party anthem; it's a celebration of unity and cultural diversity. Learning "Tomber La Chemise" offers a vibrant glimpse into French popular culture and its lyrical expression of community.

[English]

All the kids from my city and even elsewhere

And all the best that anger has created

Faces like stalagmites and pretty girls

Heads covered in acne, in a word, the family

(Are here)

All the kids from my neighborhood and even elsewhere

And all the best that concrete has created

Some who didn't want to pay thirty francs to get in (too expensive)

Invaded the stage, invaded the hall

And there are thugs there with faces like rocks (faces like rocks)

Those who have as much feeling as the hooligans

Are waiting for us to light a wicked fire

And for volcanoes to erupt from the stage

(Take it off!) We took it off, we took off our shirts

(Take it off!) Yes, I took it off, I took off my shirt

(Take it off!) Yes, I took it off, I took off my shirt

(Take it off!) Yes, I took it off, I took off my shirt

All the kids from my city and even elsewhere

And all the best that anger has created

Some ugly, some round faces like skittles

Red faces, in a word, the family

(Are here)

All the kids from my neighborhood and even elsewhere

And all the best that concrete has created

Some who wanted to take advantage of the chaos (ouch, ouch, ouch)

Others who hadn't slammed in ages

Suddenly stage fright said hello in the dressing room

Oh mom, how fast this clock is turning

Come on guys, you promised the sunshine

We can tell you tonight that we're not sleepy

(Take it off!) We're going to take it off, take off our shirts

(Take it off!) We're going to take it off, take it off, take off our shirts

(Take it off!) We're going to take it off, take off our shirts

(Take it off!) We're going to take it off, take it off, take off our shirts

All the little street urchins and the battered heads

And faces like picks as much as the young guys (young guys)

Set fire by jumping upside down

Upside down, it wasn't just empty words

(Oh there)

We can hear them shouting "come on, no manners" (no manners)

Especially no whims, we don't care about that

And we didn't come here to a monastery

Nor to crack our voices but to burst our arteries

And that's how it is with us and it's the same elsewhere

All the best that this nasty world has created

Was there just for the pleasure

That day I can say that we enjoyed ourselves

(Take it off!) We're going to take it off, we're going to take off our shirts

(Take it off!) We're going to take it off, we're going to take off our shirts

(Take it off!) We're going to take it off, we took off our shirts

(Take it off!) We're going to take it off, we take it off, take off our shirts

...

Hey take it off, take it off, take it off, take off your shirt

Hey take it off, take it off, take it off, take it off, take it off

Hey take it off, take it off, take it off, take off your shirt

Hey take it off, take it off, take it off, take it off, take it off

(Take it off!) We're going to take it off, take off our shirts

(Take it off!) We're going to take it off, take off our shirts

(Take it off!) We're going to take it off, take off our shirts

(Take it off!) We're going to take it off, take off our shirts

(Take it off!) We're going to take it off, take off our shirts

(Take it off!) We're going to take it off, take off our shirts

(Take it off!) We're going to take it off, take off our shirts

(Take it off!) We're going to take it off, take off our shirts

Take it off!

Take off your shirt (take it off!)

Take it off!

Take off your shirt (take it off!)

Take it off!

...

[French]

Tous les enfants de ma cité et même d'ailleurs

Et tout ce que la colère a fait de meilleur

Des faces de stalagmites et des jolies filles

Des têtes d'acné, en un mot la famille

(Sont là)

Tous les enfants de mon quartier et même d'ailleurs

Et tout ce que le béton a fait de meilleur

Des qui voulaient pas payer l'entrée trente balles (trop cher)

Ont envahi la scène, ont envahi la salle

Et y'a là des bandits qu'ont des têtes de cailloux (têtes de cailloux)

Ceux qu'ont du sentiment autant que les voyous

Attendent qu'on allume un méchant boucan

Et que surgissent de la scène des volcans

(Tombez-la) On a tombé, on a tombé la chemise

(Tombez-la) Oui moi j'ai tombé, j'ai tombé la chemise

(Tombez-la) Oui moi j'ai tombé, j'ai tombé la chemise

(Tombez-la) Oui moi j'ai tombé, j'ai tombé la chemise

Tous les enfants de ma cité et même d'ailleurs

Et tout ce que la colère a fait de meilleur

Des pas beaux, des faces rondes comme des quilles

Des têtes rouges, en un mot la famille

(Sont là)

Tous les enfants de mon quartier et même d'ailleurs

Et tout ce que le béton a fait de meilleur

Des qui voulaient profiter de la pagaille (aïe, aïe, aïe)

D'autres qui avaient pas slammé depuis un bail

Tout à coup le trac a fait coucou dans la loge

Oh maman, qu'elle tourne vite cette horloge

Allez les gars, vous avez promis le soleil

On peut vous dire ce soir qu'on a pas sommeil

(Tombez-la) On va la tomber, tomber la chemise

(Tombez-la) On va la tomber, tomber, tomber la chemise

(Tombez-la) On va la tomber, tomber la chemise

(Tombez-la) On va la tomber, tomber, tomber la chemise

Tous les petits gavroches et les têtes abîmées

Et les faces de pioches autant que les minets (minets)

Ont mis le feu en sautant à l'envers

La tête en bas c'était pas des paroles en l'air

(Oh là)

On les entend qui crient "allez, pas de manières" (pas de manières)

Surtout pas de caprices, on en a rien à faire

Puis on est pas venu là dans un monastère

Ni casser la voix mais pour péter les artères

Et c'est ainsi chez nous et c'est pareil ailleurs

Tout ce que ce vilain monde a fait de meilleur

Se trouvait là juste pour le plaisir

Ce jour là je peux dire qu'on s'est fait plaisir

(Tombez-la) On va la tomber, on va tomber la chemise

(Tombez-la) On va la tomber, on va tomber la chemise

(Tombez-la) On va tomber, nous on a tombé la chemise

(Tombez-la) On va la tomber, on tombe, tomber la chemise

Hé tombez-lé, tombez, tombez, tombez la chemise

Hé tombez-lé, tombez-lé, tombez, tombez, tombez-la

Hé tombez-lé, tombez-lé, tombez, tombez la chemise

Hé tombez-lé, tombez, tombez, tombez, tombez-la

(Tombez-la) On va la tomber, tomber la chemise

(Tombez-la) On va la tomber, tomber la chemise

(Tombez-la) On va la tomber, tomber la chemise

(Tombez-la) On va la tomber, tomber la chemise

(Tombez-la) On va la tomber, tomber la chemise

(Tombez-la) On va la tomber, tomber la chemise

(Tombez-la) On va la tomber, tomber la chemise

(Tombez-la) On va la tomber, tomber la chemise

Tombez-la

Tomber la chemise (tombez-la)

Tombez-la

Tomber la chemise (tombez-la)

Tombez-la

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
enfant /ɑ̃.fɑ̃/ A1	noun - child
cité /si.te/ A2	noun - housing estate, (historical) city-state
colère /kɔ.lɛʁ/ B1	noun - anger
meilleur /mɛ.jœʁ/ A2	adjective - better, best
famille /fa.mij/ A1	noun - family
quartier /kaʁ.tje/ A2	noun - neighborhood
béton /be.tɔ̃/ B1	noun - concrete
bandi /bɑ̃.di/ B2	noun - bandit
tête /tɛt/ A1	noun - head
caillou /ka.ju/ B1	noun - pebble, stone
sentiment /sɑ̃.ti.mɑ̃/ B1	noun - feeling, sentiment
voyou /vwa.ju/ B2	noun - thug, hoodlum
volcan /vɔl.kɑ̃/ B1	noun - volcano
chemise /ʃə.miz/ A2	noun - shirt
soleil /sɔ.lɛj/ A1	noun - sun
sommeil /sɔ.mɛj/ A2	noun - sleep
feu /fø/ A1	noun - fire
plaisir /ple.ziʁ/ A2	noun - pleasure

Key Grammar Structures

• On a tombé la chemise

  ➔ Past tense of the verb 'tomber' (to fall), combined with the object 'la chemise' (the shirt), forming a colloquial expression meaning 'to shed inhibitions' or 'to get wild'.

  ➔ 'On a tombé' uses the passé composé tense, which indicates an action completed in the past, combined with a colloquial idiom.

• Tombez-la

  ➔ Imperative form of 'tomber la', commanding someone to 'fall' or 'let go', used colloquially as an encouragement to 'let loose' or 'get wild'.

  ➔ 'Tombez-la' is an imperative command encouraging someone to 'let go' or 'fall', used figuratively to promote wildness or freedom.

• Allez les gars

  ➔ Imperative phrase combining 'Allez' (go) and 'les gars' (the guys), used as an informal rallying call or encouragement among friends.

  ➔ 'Allez les gars' is an informal rallying cry, combining a verb of encouragement 'Allez' and a noun 'les gars' (the guys), aimed at motivating a group.

• Il faut finir par un peu de folie

  ➔ Expression using 'il faut' (it is necessary) + infinitive 'finir' (to finish) + 'par' (by) + noun phrase, indicating necessity to conclude with some madness.

  ➔ 'Il faut finir par' expresses the idea that something should end with a particular quality or element, here 'un peu de folie' (a little madness).

• On peut vous dire ce soir qu'on n'a pas sommeil

  ➔ Use of 'on peut' (we can) + infinitive 'dire' (to tell) + indirect object pronoun 'vous' (you) + temporal adverb 'ce soir' (tonight), expressing possibility or ability to say something.

  ➔ 'On peut dire' uses the modal 'peut' to express possibility or capability, combined with 'vous dire' to indicate conveying a message to 'you' tonight.