Melody – Bilingual Lyrics French/English

• By: Serge Gainsbourg
• Album: Histoire de Melody Nelson

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the intriguing world of French with Serge Gainsbourg's "Melody." This captivating song, renowned for its unique spoken-word vocals and hypnotic bassline, offers an excellent opportunity to immerse yourself in the nuances of the French language through its poetic and provocative storytelling. You'll learn sophisticated vocabulary and appreciate how French can convey deep sensuality and narrative depth, all while experiencing a truly iconic piece of French musical history.

[English]

作词 : Serge Gainsbourg

作曲 : Serge Gainsbourg

The wings of the Rolls brushed past the pylons

When, despite myself, I got lost

My Rolls and I arrived in a zone

Dangerous, a secluded place

There, on the hood of this Silver Ghost

From nineteen ten, she steps forward like a scout

The silver Venus of the radiator

Her light veils flying at the forefront

Haughty, disdainful, while the radio roars

Over the silence of the engine

She stares at the horizon, her mind elsewhere

Seeming to ignore the sidewalks I approach

Alleys, dead-ends with parking

Forbidden by law, her heart indifferent

She holds the reins of my twenty-six horsepower

Princess of darkness, cursed archangel

Modern-style Amazon, the sculptor

In English, nicknamed Spirit of Ecstasy

So I was goofing off before I lost

Control of the Rolls. I moved slowly

My car drifted, and a violent jolt

Suddenly snapped me from my daydream, damn!

I spotted a bike wheel ahead

That kept rolling freely

And like a doll losing her balance

Her skirt hiked up over her white pants

- "What’s your name?"

- "Melody."

- "Melody what?"

- "Melody Nelson."

Melody Nelson has red hair

And it’s her natural color

[French]

作词 : Serge Gainsbourg

作曲 : Serge Gainsbourg

Les ailes de la Rolls effleuraient des pylônes

Quand m'étant malgré moi égaré

Nous arrivames ma Rolls et moi dans une zone

Dangereuse, un endroit isolé

Là-bas, sur le capot de cette Silver Ghost

De dix-neuf cent dix s'avance en éclaireur

La Vénus d'argent du radiateur

Dont les voiles légers volent aux avant-postes

Hautaine, dédaigneuse, tandis que hurle le poste

De radio couvrant le silence du moteur

Elle fixe l'horizon et l'esprit ailleurs

Semble tout ignorer des trottoirs que j'accoste

Ruelles, culs-de-sac aux stationnements

Interdits par la loi, le coeur indifférent

Elle tient le mors de mes vingt-six chevaux-vapeurs

Princesse des ténèbres, archange maudit

Amazone modern' style que le sculpteur

En anglais, surnomma Spirit of Ecstasy

Ainsi je déconnais avant que je ne perde

Le contrôle de la Rolls. J'avançais lentement

Ma voiture dériva et un heurt violent

Me tira soudain de ma rêverie,merde!

J'aperçus une roue de vélo à l'avant

Qui continuait de rouler en roue libre

Et comme une poupée qui perdait l'équilibre

La jupe retroussée sur ses pantalons blancs

- "Tu t'appelles comment?"

- "Melody"

- "Melody comment?"

- "Melody Nelson."

Melody Nelson a des cheveux rouges

Et c'est leur couleur naturelle

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
ailes ailes A1	noun - wings
Rolls Rolls A2	proper noun - Rolls (as in Rolls‑Royce, a luxury car brand)
effleuraient effleuraient B2	verb - was lightly touching / grazed
pylônes pylônes C1	noun - pylons, tall structures that support power lines or other installations
dangerueuse dangerueuse B1	adjective - dangerous
capot capot A2	noun - hood of a car
Vénus Vénus A1	proper noun - Venus, the Roman goddess of love; also a planet
argent argent A2	noun - silver; money
radiateur radiateur B1	noun - radiator (device that transfers heat)
voiles voiles B1	noun - sails; veils
hautaine hautaine C1	adjective - haughty, disdainfully proud
moteur moteur A2	noun - engine, motor
horizon horizon A2	noun - horizon
chevaux‑vapeurs chevaux‑vapeurs C1	noun - horsepower (unit of power)
princesse princesse A2	noun - princess
archange archange C1	noun - archangel
Amazone Amazone B2	noun - Amazon (mythical female warrior) or a woman who is strong and independent
heurt heurt B2	noun - collision, impact verb - to collide with

Key Grammar Structures

• Les ailes de la Rolls effleuraient des pylônes

  ➔ Imperfect tense

  ➔ The verb 'effleuraient' is in the imperfect tense, used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past.

• Quand m'étant malgré moi égaré

  ➔ Past participle with être

  ➔ The phrase uses the past participle 'égaré' with the auxiliary verb 'être', reflecting a reflexive action.

• Nous arrivames ma Rolls et moi dans une zone

  ➔ Simple past tense (passé simple)

  ➔ The verb 'arrivames' is in the passé simple, a literary tense used for completed actions in the past.

• Dangereuse, un endroit isolé

  ➔ Adjective agreement

  ➔ The adjective 'dangereuse' agrees in gender and number with the noun 'zone'.

• La Vénus d'argent du radiateur

  ➔ Possessive construction

  ➔ The phrase uses 'du radiateur' to indicate possession, meaning 'of the radiator'.

• Dont les voiles légers volent aux avant-postes

  ➔ Relative pronoun

  ➔ The relative pronoun 'dont' is used to link clauses, meaning 'whose'.

• Princesse des ténèbres, archange maudit

  ➔ Vocabulary and apposition

  ➔ The nouns 'princesse' and 'archange' are in apposition, providing additional information about the subject.

• Ainsi je déconnais avant que je ne perde

  ➔ Subjunctive after 'avant que'

  ➔ The subjunctive mood is used after 'avant que' to express uncertainty or a condition.