Whilst watching Acoustic on TV5 Monde on Saturday night, I heard the music of Ben L’Oncle Soul for the first time and I was massively impressed both by the stage performance and the music. The self-titled debut album was released on May 17th.
Unfortunately the album is not yet available to purchase from Amazon of iTunes in the UK or the USA so the widgets to the left are both from the French departments of those stores.
The album contains a roughly half and half mixture of English and French lyrics, including, incidentally, a cover of The White Stripes’ Seven Nation Army.
My favourite track on the album is probably “Ain’t off to the back.” but my first translation is of the first French track on the album, “Soulman“.
I will take this opportunity to plug my work-in-progress at FrenchVerbTest.com to which I will soon be adding a section related the vocabulary charts which are included with each song translation on GreatFrenchSongs.com.
Vocabulary
| La science infuse | Innate knowledge |
| Le savoir-fair | Knowledge, expertise |
J'ai pas la science infuse, le savoir-faire de Bocuse | |
I don't have any innate knowledge, the expertise of Bocuse | |
| La bonté | Goodness, kindness |
| Une âme | Soul |
J'ai pas l'âme d'un gangster, la bonté de l'Abbé Pierre, ni l'aura de Guevara | |
I don't have the soul of a gangster, the goodness of the Abbé Pierre, nor the aura of Guevara | |
| Les délires | Delusions, crazy thoughts |
Juste moi, mes délires, je n'ai rien d'autre à offrir, mais je sais qu'en vrai c'est déjà ça | |
Just me, my delusions, I have nothing else to offer, but in truth I know at least that's something | |
| La carrure | Build, stature |
J'ai pas la chance de Neil Armstrong, j'ai pas la carrure de King Kong | |
I don't have the luck of Neil Armstrong, I don't have the stature of King Kong | |
Phrases / Idioms
| Avoir les pieds sur terre | To have one's feet on the ground |
J'ai pas le regard de Spike Lee, j'ai pas le génie de De Vinci, j'ai pas les pieds sur terre | |
I don't have the looks of Spike Lee, I don't have the genius of Da Vinci, I don't have my feet on the ground | |
| Avoir plusieurs cordes à son arc | To have several strings to one's bow |
J'ai pas la chance de Neil Armstrong, j'ai pas la carrure de King Kong, plusieurs cordes à mon arc, la ferveur de Rosa Parks | |
I don't have the luck of Neil Armstrong, I don't have the stature of King Kong, several strings to my bow, the fervour of Rosa Parks | |
| Hors du commun | Exceptional |
Moi j'aurais aimé être comme eux,être hors du commun | |
I would have liked to be like them, to be out of the ordinary | |
| C'est déjà ça! | At least that's something! |
Juste moi, mes délires, je n'ai rien d'autre à offrir, mais je sais qu'en vrai c'est déjà ça | |
Just me, my delusions, I have nothing else to offer, but in truth I know at least that's something | |
| Faire de son mieux | To do one's best |
| Quoi que je fasse | Whatever I do |
J'ai fait de mon mieux mais quoi que je fasse à la fin je suis q'un soulman | |
I did my best but whatever I do, in the end I'm just a soulman | |
Soulman - Ben L'oncle Soul | Soulman (translation of Soulman by Ben L'oncle Soul) |
| J'ai pas le regard de Spike Lee | I don't have the look of Spike Lee | |
| J'ai pas le génie de De Vinci | I don't have the genius of Da Vinci | |
| J'ai pas les pieds sur terre | I don't have my feet on the ground | |
| La patience de ma banquière | The patience of my banker | |
| J'ai pas ces choses-là | I don't have those things | |
| J'ai pas la sagesse de Gandhi | I don't have the wisdom of Gandhi | |
| L'assurance de Mohammed Ali | The confidence of Mohammed Ali | |
| J'ai pas l'âme d'un gangster | I don't have the soul of a gangster | |
| La bonté de l'Abbé Pierre | The goodness of the Abbé Pierre | |
| Ni l'aura de Guevara | Nor the aura of Guevara | |
| Je ne suis qu'un soul man | I'm just a soul man | |
| Écoute ça baby | Listen to this baby | |
| Je suis pas un superman | I'm no Superman | |
| Loin de là | Far from it | |
| Juste moi, mes délires | Just me, my wild dreams | |
| Je n'ai rien d'autre à offrir | I have nothing else to offer | |
| Mais je sais qu'en vrai c'est déjà ça | But in truth I know at least that's something | |
| J'ai pas le physique des magazines | I don't have the physique of the magazines | |
| J'ai pas l'humour de Charlie Chaplin | I don't have the humour of Charlie Chaplin | |
| J'ai pas la science infuse | I don't have any innate knowledge | |
| Le savoir-faire de Bocuse | The expertise of Bocuse | |
| Non je n'ai pas ces choses-là | No I don't have those things | |
| J'ai pas la chance de Neil Armstrong | I don't have the luck of Neil Armstrong | |
| J'ai pas la carrure de King Kong | I don't have the stature of King Kong | |
| Plusieurs cordes à mon arc | Several strings to my bow | |
| La ferveur de Rosa Parks | The fervour of Rosa Parks | |
| Ni le courage de Mandela | Nor the courage of Mandela | |
| Moi j'aurais aimé être comme eux | I would have liked to be like them | |
| Être hors du commun | To be out of the ordinary | |
| J'ai bien essayé | I really tried | |
| J'ai fait de mon mieux | I did my best | |
| Mais quoi que je fasse | But whatever I do | |
| à la fin... | In the end.. | |
| Je ne suis qu'un soul man, etc... | I'm just a soul man, etc... |
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
“le regard” (l.1) doesn’t mean “the looks”, but “the eyes”.
“mes délires” (l.15) doesn’t mean “my delusions”. “délirer” is a French way of saying “to have a blast”, “to have fun”. So someone’s “délires” are the crazy little things he does for fun. I can’t find a word for it right now, but “delusions” is not right, here…
Otherwise, the translation’s good I think.
le regard is in this sentence Looks and not eyes
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