Translation of A Tout Moment La Rue by Eiffel

December 6, 2009 at 4:45 pm

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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.

Verbs

• 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

Vocabulary

• 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

Que d'un pavé de fortune contre le tintamarre du pognon

Just a makeshift pad against the racket of cash

• 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

Phrases / Idioms

• 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

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

• 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

Expressions

• 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

A chacun de nos souffles
Au moindre murmure des bas-fonds
C'est dans l'air comme un chant qui s'étrangle
Que d'un pavé de fortune
Contre le tintamarre du pognon
A tout moment la rue peut aussi dire non (x2)

C'est un pincement de lèvres
Et la peur qui perle d'un front
La faune et la flore à cran en haillons
Et l'éclat de nos palpitants
Dans l'ombre du marteau pilon
A tout moment la rue peut aussi dire non (x2)

Non comme un oui
Aux arbres chevelus
A tout ce qui nous lie
Quand la nuit remue
Aux astres et aux Déesses
Qui peuplent nos rêves
Et quand le peuple rêve
A tout moment la rue peut aussi dire...

Et si quelques points noirs
En cols blancs poivrent nos cieux
D'ondes occultes en tubes longs et creux
A bien compter le monde
Est x fois plus nombreux
Que ces trois cent familles qui sur la rue ont pignon
A tout moment elle peut aussi dire non

Comme un oui
Aux arbres chevelus
A tout ce qui nous lie
Quand la nuit remue
Aux astres et aux Déesses
Qui peuplent nos rêves
Et quand le peuple rêve il aime
Disposer de lui même (x2)

Non comme un oui
Aux arbres chevelus
A toutes ces nuits qui nous lient
Et même si elles ont trop bu
C'est aux astres et aux Déesses
Qui peuplent nos rêves
Et quand le peuple crève
A tout moment la rue peut aussi dire...

A chacun de nos souffles
Au moindre murmure des bas fonds
C'est dans l'air comme un chant qui s'étrangle
Que d'un pavé de fortune
Contre le tintamarre du pognon

A tout moment la rue peut aussi dire non

(translation of À Tout Moment La Rue by Eiffel)

With each of our breaths
At the slightest murmur from the slums
It's in the air like a song that chokes
Just a makeshift pad
Against the racket of cash
At any time the street can also say no (x2)

It's a pinching of the lips
And the fear which wets your brow
The fauna and flora on edge, in rags
And the breaking of our hearts
In the shadow of the sledgehammer
At any time the street can also say no (x2)

No meaning yes
To willow trees
To all that binds us
When the night stirs
To the stars and the Goddesses
Who populate our dreams
And when the people dream
At any time the street can also say ...

And if a few black spots
In white collars pepper our skies
With secret waves in long hollow tubes
Truly counting, the population
Is many times more numerous
Than those three hundred established families on the Street
At any moment she can also say no

Like a yes
To willow trees
To all that binds us
When the night stirs
To the stars and the Goddesses
Who populate our dreams
And when the people dream they like
To make their own choice...

No meaning yes
To willow trees
To all those nights that bind us
And even if they have drunk too much
It's to the stars and the Goddesses
That populate our dreams
And when the people die
At any time the street can also say ...

With each of our breaths
At the slightest murmur from the slums
It's in the air like a song that chokes
Just a makeshift pad
Against the racket of cash

At any time the street can also say no