Translation of Je réalise by Sinik featuring James Blunt

September 30, 2009 at 10:19 pm

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The last translation was one of my favourites – it’s rare to find mainstream pop music with lyrics as interesting to translate as those found in Bénabar’s songs.

This next translation is just as interesting and is a result of my growing enjoyment of French hip hop.

Sinik is one of the heavy weights (poids lourds) of the French Hip-Hop scene. His forthcoming album, Ballon d’or to be released in December will be his last before he dedicates himself to a career as a producer.

Sorry that it’s been two days since my last post but I wanted to get this right and I hope I’ve done it justice.

 

The song Je réalise is from his 2007 album Le toit du monde (the roof of the world). It features British singer James Blunt – an unlikely pairing certainly seeings as James Blunt is not considered one of the most “street” of British pop acts. Sinik raps in French while James Blunt sings extracts from his song “I’ll take everything” in English.

It’s always rewarding to translate Hip Hop tracks – it’s not always so much fun to listen to James Blunt but he sounds fine here.

Verbs

Mentir	To lie
la France n'est pas si belle, ma prof d'histoire a menti
France is not so beautiful, my history teacher lied

Vocabulary

L'écart	Gap, difference
J'ai vu l'écart entre la belle et la bête
I've seen the difference between beauty and the beast

Délits	Crime, offence
Dans la rue, tu sais les délits profitent aux hommes
In the street, you know that men profit from crime

Came	Illegal drugs
The verb "se camer" means "to be on drugs"
Dans dix ans, le kilo de came sera au prix du kilo de pomme
In ten years, a kilo of junk will be the price of a kilo of apples

ZUP	Slum / Council Estate
ZUP = zone à urbaniser en priorité which is equivalent to The Projects in America but probably best translated as "slum" in Britain.
J'ai compris ce qui allait pas d'ou venait le mal dans nos ZUP
I knew what wasn't going to come from the place that came the wrongs in our streets

Une urne	Ballot Box
Les voitures qui prenaient feu ne rentraient pas dans vos urnes
That the cars that caught fire did not fit in your ballot boxes

Cachot	Prison cell
Tous les jours des amis meurts au cachot
Every day friends die in a prison cell

BAFA	Diploma for youth workers
Brevet d'aptitude aux fonctions d'animation
Les voleurs se font coincer mais les violeurs ont le BAFA
Thieves get caught, but rapists get the BAFA

Gêne	Discomfort
Que dans la vie j'ai toujours senti ce gêne à quel point j'ai grave du mal a dire je t'aime à ceux que j'aime
That in life I have always felt this discomfort to the point where I have serious trouble to say "I love you" to those whom I love

Phrases / Idioms

Avoir la patate	To have energy
Ici, la guerre a la patate mais à la peine est la paix
Here the war is in shape, but peace is at risk

ça fait mal	That hurts
Ça fait mal quand je réalise que si peu de rêves se réalisent
It hurts when I realize that so few dreams come true

Des courses poursuites	Track Races
Je réalise la nuit des courses poursuites dans la ville
I know about racing cars at night in the streets

Prêt à tout	Prepared to do anything
Comment certains sont prêts à tout pour obtenir un plat chaud
How some people will stop at nothing to get a hot meal

La fille d'à coté	Teh girl next door
Les voisins c'est pas "les filles d'à coté"
Your neighbour is not "the girl next door"

Droits de l'homme	Human rights
Dans le pays des droits de l'homme des familles vivent à l'hotel
In the land of human rights families live in hotels

Foutre le cafard à quelq'un	To bring somebody down
Je comprenais le poids des mots, des fois la vie fout le cafard
I understood the weight of words, sometimes life gets you down

Se faire coincer	To get caught
Les voleurs se font coincer mais les violeurs ont le BAFA
Thieves get caught, but rapists get the BAFA

Je réalise - Sinik

I realise (translation of Je réalise by Sinik)

J'ai compris que les années se passe vite, c'est inquietant Je me rends compte que Kelissa aura sept ans le vingt septembre Que chaque jour, des hommes s'auto-détruisent à la hache Et pour s'enfuir les plus fort traversent les mers à la nage J'ai vu l'écart entre la belle et la bête Ici, la guerre a la patate mais à la peine est la paix Dans la rue, tu sais les délits profitent aux hommes Dans dix ans, le kilo de came sera au prix du kilo de pomme J'ai compris tard que les regrets me pénalise At ça fait mal quand je réalise que si peu de rêves se réalisent Que j'avance pas; que la justice ralentit Que la France n'est pas si belle, ma prof d'histoire a menti Que dans la vie faire la paix n'est pas rentable J'ai compris que faire la paix c'est le cauchemar du marchant d'armes Je réalise la nuit des courses poursuites dans la ville Mais n'ayait crainte puisque la mort n'est que la suite de la vie And I'll take everything in this life I'll join everyone when I die Oh, these feet carry me far Oh, my body, oh, so tired. Mouth is dry, hardly speak Holy spirit, rise in me Here, I swear Forever is just a minute to me And I'll take everything in this life I'll join everyone when I die J'ai compris ce qui allait pas d'ou venait le mal dans nos ZUP Que les voitures qui prenaient feu ne rentraient pas dans vos urnes Que tous les jours des amis meurts au cachot Comment certains sont prêts à tout pour obtenir un plat chaud J'ai compris que l'être humain ne fait rien d'autres que saigner Que dans la vie se faire du mal est plus facile que s'aimer Que les voisins c'est pas "les filles d'à coté" Que dans le pays des droits de l'homme des familles vivent à l'hotel Comprenais le poids des mots, des fois la vie fout le cafard Les voleurs se font coincer mais les violeurs ont le BAFA Que dans la vie j'ai toujours senti ce gêne A quel point j'ai grave du mal a dire je t'aime à ceux que j'aime And I'll take everything in this life I'll join everyone when I die Oh, and understand Cos all men die

I've realised that the years pass quickly; it's worrying I'm aware that Kelissa will be seven on the 20th of September That each day men self-destruct at axe-point And to escape, the strongest swim oceans I've seen the difference between beauty and the beast Here the war is in shape but peace is in danger In the street you know that men profit from crime In ten years a kilo of junk will be the price of a kilo of apples I was late to realise that regrets hold me back And it hurts when I notice that so few dreams come true That I'm getting nowhere, that justice is slowing That France is not so beautiful, my history teacher lied That in life making peace is not profitable I've realised that making peace is the nightmare of the arms dealer I know about racing cars at night in the streets But having no fear because death is just the result of life And I'll take everything in this life I'll join everyone when I die Oh, these feet carry me far Oh, my body, oh, so tired. Mouth is dry, hardly speak Holy spirit, rise in me Here, I swear Forever is just a minute to me And I'll take everything in this life I'll join everyone when I die I knew what wasn't going to come from the place that came the wrongs in our streets That the cars that caught fire did not fit in your ballot boxes That every day friends die in prison cells How some people will stop at nothing to get a hot meal I've realised that a human being does nothing but bleed That in life doing wrong is easier than loving each other That your neighbour is not "the girl next door" That in the land of human rights families live in hotels Understanding the weight of words, sometimes life gets you down Thieves get caught, but rapists get the BAFA In life I have always felt this discomfort To the point where I have serious trouble saying "I love you" to those I love And I'll take everything in this life I'll join everyone when I die Oh, and understand Cos all men die

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