As you can see, top right, Eiffel’s 2007 Album Tandoori is one of my Top 10 French language albums of the last five years.
Their latest release, A Tout Moment, released in October this year is contained within the Amazon widget to the left. I’ve just bought this album today and as I write this have not yet listened to it – this is today’s motivation to get to the gym. A treadmill full of Eiffel awaits me once I’ve published this post. Or should that be “an Eiffel of treadmill?”.
UPDATE: I’ve had my first listen to the album and there are a two or three tracks that sound great – in particular there is some blinding drumming and some truly dramatic sections of the film soundtrack kind. The clean guitar on Mort J’Appelle put me in mind of the acoustic sections that intersperse W.A.S.P.’s The Crimson Idol, an album which is one of my guilty pleasures and is currently coming nostalgically through my computer’s speakers. God, I’d forgotten how much I loved that damn album. When it finishes I am going to listen to Eiffel’s offering again and see if I can’t write a readable review.
The song I am going to translate here is A Tout Moment La Rue which you can listen to in its entirety online on their website where you can also find the lyrics.
We find another left-wing reference à la this song. Thanks to the community at the Word Reference Forums I now know that the “trois cent familles” is a reference to the concept that a small number of privileged and wealthy families are running the country.
We have a problem in the translation. Avoir pignon sur rue means to be well-established. In the lyric “ces trois cent familles qui sur la rue ont pignon à tout moment elle peut aussi dire non” the “elle” refers to “la rue” so we have to keep the word street in the translation of the expression. Which frankly isn’t possible so the translation is rather a hack. Ideas welcome.
| Perler | To appear (sweat, tear) |
C'est un pincement de lèvres et la peur qui perle d'un front, la faune et la flore à cran en haillons | |
It's a pinching of the lips and the fear which wets your brow, the fauna and flora on edge, in rags | |
| Des bas-fonds | Slums |
Au moindre murmure des bas-fonds c'est dans l'air comme un chant qui s'étrangle | |
At the slightest murmur from the slums it's in the air like a song that chokes | |
| Un tintamarre | Racket, din |
| Un pavé | Cobblestone |
Que d'un pavé de fortune contre le tintamarre du pognon | |
Just a makeshift pad against the racket of cash | |
| Marteau pilon | Sledgehammer |
Et l'éclat de nos palpitants dans l'ombre du marteau pilon | |
And the breaking of our hearts in the shadow of the sledgehammer | |
| Arbres chevelus | Willow Trees |
Non comme un oui aux arbres chevelus à tout ce qui nous lie quand la nuit remue | |
No meaning yes to willow trees, to all that binds us when the night stirs | |
| Une déesse | Goddess |
Aux astres et aux Déesses qui peuplent nos rêves et quand le peuple rêve à tout moment la rue peut aussi dire... | |
To the stars and the Goddesses who populate our dreams and when the people dream at any time the street can also say ... | |
| Un astre | Star |
Aux astres et aux Déesses qui peuplent nos rêves | |
To the stars and the Goddesses which populate our dreams | |
| De fortune | Makeshift |
Que d'un pavé de fortune contre le tintamarre du pognon | |
Just a makeshift pad against the racket of cash | |
| à cran | On edge |
| En haillons | In rags |
C'est un pincement de lèvres et la peur qui perle d'un front, la faune et la flore à cran en haillons | |
It's a pinching of the lips and the fear which wets your brow, the fauna and flora on edge, in rags | |
| Disposer de soi-même | To make one's own choice |
Et quand le peuple rêve il aime, disposer de lui même | |
And when the people dream they like to make their own choice | |
| Avoir pignon sur rue | To be well-established |
A bien compter le monde est x fois plus nombreux que ces trois cent familles qui sur la rue ont pignon | |
Truly counting the population is many times more numerous than those three hundred established families on The Street | |
À Tout Moment La Rue - Eiffel | At any moment the street (translation of À Tout Moment La Rue by Eiffel) |
| A chacun de nos souffles | With each of our breaths | |
| Au moindre murmure des bas-fonds | At the slightest murmur from the slums | |
| C'est dans l'air comme un chant qui s'étrangle | It's in the air like a song that chokes | |
| Que d'un pavé de fortune | Just a makeshift pad | |
| Contre le tintamarre du pognon | Against the racket of cash | |
| A tout moment la rue peut aussi dire non (x2) | At any time the street can also say no (x2) | |
| C'est un pincement de lèvres | It's a pinching of the lips | |
| Et la peur qui perle d'un front | And the fear which wets your brow | |
| La faune et la flore à cran en haillons | The fauna and flora on edge, in rags | |
| Et l'éclat de nos palpitants | And the breaking of our hearts | |
| Dans l'ombre du marteau pilon | In the shadow of the sledgehammer | |
| A tout moment la rue peut aussi dire non (x2) | At any time the street can also say no (x2) | |
| Non comme un oui | No meaning yes | |
| Aux arbres chevelus | To willow trees | |
| A tout ce qui nous lie | To all that binds us | |
| Quand la nuit remue | When the night stirs | |
| Aux astres et aux Déesses | To the stars and the Goddesses | |
| Qui peuplent nos rêves | Who populate our dreams | |
| Et quand le peuple rêve | And when the people dream | |
| A tout moment la rue peut aussi dire... | At any time the street can also say ... | |
| Et si quelques points noirs | And if a few black spots | |
| En cols blancs poivrent nos cieux | In white collars pepper our skies | |
| D'ondes occultes en tubes longs et creux | With secret waves in long hollow tubes | |
| A bien compter le monde | Truly counting, the population | |
| Est x fois plus nombreux | Is many times more numerous | |
| Que ces trois cent familles qui sur la rue ont pignon | Than those three hundred established families on the Street | |
| A tout moment elle peut aussi dire non | At any moment she can also say no | |
| Comme un oui | Like a yes | |
| Aux arbres chevelus | To willow trees | |
| A tout ce qui nous lie | To all that binds us | |
| Quand la nuit remue | When the night stirs | |
| Aux astres et aux Déesses | To the stars and the Goddesses | |
| Qui peuplent nos rêves | Who populate our dreams | |
| Et quand le peuple rêve il aime | And when the people dream they like | |
| Disposer de lui même (x2) | To make their own choice... | |
| Non comme un oui | No meaning yes | |
| Aux arbres chevelus | To willow trees | |
| A toutes ces nuits qui nous lient | To all those nights that bind us | |
| Et même si elles ont trop bu | And even if they have drunk too much | |
| C'est aux astres et aux Déesses | It's to the stars and the Goddesses | |
| Qui peuplent nos rêves | That populate our dreams | |
| Et quand le peuple crève | And when the people die | |
| A tout moment la rue peut aussi dire... | At any time the street can also say ... | |
| A chacun de nos souffles | With each of our breaths | |
| Au moindre murmure des bas fonds | At the slightest murmur from the slums | |
| C'est dans l'air comme un chant qui s'étrangle | It's in the air like a song that chokes | |
| Que d'un pavé de fortune | Just a makeshift pad | |
| Contre le tintamarre du pognon | Against the racket of cash | |
| A tout moment la rue peut aussi dire non | At any time the street can also say no |
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Great selection of french albums… Fortunatly we still have great musicians in france… Strange that there no album of Noir desir in your blog… Have you ever listened to “des visages des figures”, the last album of this incredible band…
Hasta luego
Que le vent te porte
Personally I think French Ska music is the best in the world. There is a Noir Desir song here, but I’ve not yet made a post about a whole album – something I should do soon!
http://www.greatfrenchsongs.com/2009/03/noir-desir-lhomme-presse/
Thank you for this great translation. Now, I have to find the song! But I will. I look forward to more of this because I have been studying French for a couple years, when I can, and need to HEAR the language. And I LOVE music. So thank you!