Long time, no see! Many apologies to those who have left comments over the past three months – a combination of not being involved with the site and the fact that my ISP had decided that the notification emails were spam has meant that I’ve only just approved them all!
Vulgaires Machins latest album, Requiem Pour Les Sourds was released on March 3rd. Compter Les Corps is one of my favourite rock albums and I’d been looking forward to the band’s next release for months. It was worth the wait, but it may be a while longer before it will overtake their previous offering in my list of top francophone albums.
I’m going to dive straight in and translate the first track on the album, Presque Complet “Almost Complete”.
Verbs
| être comblé | To be fulfilled |
Je suis presque comblé, sur le point de dormir en paix | |
I'm almost fulfilled, ready to sleep in peace | |
| Couler | To cast (metal) |
Merci pour l'Histoire, un tissu de mensonges, la statue d'un fasciste coulé dans le bronze | |
Thanks for history, a tissue of lies, the statue of a fascist cast in bronze | |
Vocabulary
| La bienséance | Propriety, decorum, decency |
| Les sans-abris | Homeless (without shelter) |
Merci pour la morale et la bienséance, merci pour les sans-abris, j'avais besoin d'exemples | |
Thanks for morality and decency, thanks for the homeless, I needed examples | |
| Un calmant | Sedative |
Je suis presque comblé, manque plus que ma dose de calmant | |
I have almost fulfilled, only need my dose of sedative | |
Phrases / Idioms
| Un tissu de mensonges | A tissue of lies |
Merci pour l'Histoire, un tissu de mensonges, la statue d'un fasciste coulé dans le bronze | |
Thanks for history, a tissue of lies, the statue of a fascist cast in bronze | |
| Il s'agit de | It consists of, it's about |
Merci pour les excès, il s'agit d'être riche, merci de mettre un prix sur tout ce qui existe | |
Thanks for the excess, it's about being rich, thanks for putting a price on everything that exists | |
| Les idées reçues | Accepted beliefs |
Presque Complet - Vulgaires Machins | Almost Complete (translation of Presque Complet by Vulgaires Machins) |
| Merci pour l'existence et les contradictions | Thanks for existence and the contradictions | |
| Les croyances qui triomphent sur la réflexion | The beliefs that triumph over reflection | |
| Merci pour les frontières, les lignes et les règles | Thanks for the borders, the lines and the rules | |
| Merci pour la guerre, j'avais besoin de haine | Thanks for the war, I needed to hate | |
| Merci pour l'histoire, un tissu de mensonges | Thanks for the story, a tissue of lies | |
| La statue d'un fasciste coulé dans le bronze | The statue of a fascist cast in bronze | |
| Merci pour l'amnésie quand me revient le doute | Thanks for amnesia when I start to doubt | |
| Les idées reçues qui ont pavé ma route | The accepted beliefs that showed me the way | |
| Je suis presque comblé, sur le point de dormir en paix | I'm almost fulfilled, ready to sleep in peace | |
| Je suis presque complet, manque plus que ma dose de Valium | I'm almost complete, only need my dose of Valium | |
| Presque comblé | Almost fulfilled | |
| Merci pour les excès, il s'agit d'être riche | Thanks for the excess, it's about being rich | |
| Merci de mettre un prix sur tout ce qui existe | Thanks for putting a price on everything that exists | |
| Merci pour la morale et la bienséance | Thanks for morality and decency | |
| Merci pour les sans-abris, j'avais besoin d'exemples | Thank you for the homeless, I needed examples | |
| Je suis presque complet, manque plus que ma dose de Valium | I'm almost complete, only need my dose of Valium | |
| Je suis presque comblé, manque plus que ma dose de calmant | I have almost fulfilled, only need a dose of sedative | |
| Presque comblé | Almost fulfilled | |
| Je suis presque comblé, j'ai integré l'art de l'absurde | I'm almost fulfilled, I integrated the art of the absurd | |
| Sur le point d'être complet, manque plus que ma dose de Valium | About to be complete, only need my dose of Valium | |
| Pour espérer | To hope | |
| Pour exister | To exist | |
| Presque complet | Almost complete |
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Merci beaucoup pour recommencer à traduire des textes. J’ai trouvé tant de belle musique ici
Merci!
Est-ce que vous pouvez traduire “Puits sans fond” de cette groupe? Je kiffe cette chanson, mais je ne peux pas comprendre tous.
Hi Robert,
I will make a post for that translation over the next couple of days – in the meantime, here is a rough translation…
I don’t want to know anything about the quality
I want loads of pages
I collect books about housekeeping
I stuff myself with endless random facts until I’m ill
I’m misinformed, the media are so right
I’m like a bottomless pit
I’m like a bottomless pit
It has become dramatic, I don’t know what I should do
I know all about Celine and her life in Vegas
To fill the void in my world view
I have all the stupid arguments on the medical system
I subscribe to the Montreal newspaper
I subscribe to the newspaper …
Twenty worthless singers launch twenty similar albums
A man sews up his ass and shits through his ears
A lesbian wears a metal dick
We record a drop in overall IQ
I subscribe to the newspaper Montreal
I subscribe to the newspaper Montreal
I’m like a bottomless pit
I’m like a bottomless pit