I’m surprised I didn’t take advantage of the Pope’s visit to my home town last month to post a translation of this song from my favourite French album.
Le Fils Caché Du Pape, written for the group by Mickaël Furnon (Mickey 3D) is one of the slower, creeping songs on La Belle Étoile, perhaps not with the instant rampant appeal of a Nina, a Perdu or a Sista but still a winner.
One of only three tracks on the album that contains no English lyrics at all (if you don’t include the instrumental Valsamourette). The others are L’envol and La Cigarette.
I’d like to translate La Belle Étoile in its entirety so over the next few weeks I’ll try to post one translation per week from the album.
Verbs
| Sermonner | To lecture |
Je suis le fils caché du pape et je ne comprends pas, papa passe son temps à sermonner les gens | |
I'm the pope's secret love child and I don't understand, dad spends his time lecturing people | |
| Maquiller | To make up (cosmetics) |
Je comprends tes faiblesses comme quand tu les maquilles, on voit bien que tu stresse là quand tu les bénie | |
I understand your weaknesses like when you made them up, we can see that you're stressed when you bless them | |
Vocabulary
| La messe | Mass (religious) |
Que dimanche à la messe tu regardais les filles, tu leur faisais confesse avec les yeux qui brillent | |
That Sunday Mass you were watching the girls, you made them confess, with shining eyes | |
| Une faiblesse | Weakness |
Je comprends tes faiblesses comme quand tu les maquilles, on voit bien que tu stresse là quand tu les bénie | |
I understand your weaknesses like when you made them up, we can see that you're stressed when you bless them | |
| Un scélérat | Scoundrel / Villain |
Papa ne me vois pas, le vieux scélérat, il mériterait des claques | |
Papa doesn't sees me, the old scoundrel, he deserves a slap | |
Phrases / Idioms
| On ne se refait pas | A person can't change |
| S'en vouloir | To blame (someone) |
Je ne lui en veux pas, je sais bien qu'à son age on ne se refait pas | |
I don't blame him, I know that at his age a person can't change | |
| Se passer de | To do without |
Il faut tourner la page, oui mais papa tu vois il me faut du courage à me passer de toi | |
We must turn the page, yes but you see dad, it takes courage to live without you | |
| Avoir tous les droits | To be able to do what one likes |
Le Fils Caché Du Pape - Babylon Circus | The Pope's Secret Love Child (translation of Le Fils Caché Du Pape by Babylon Circus) |
| Je suis le fils caché du pape | I'm the Pope's secret love child | |
| Et je ne comprends pas | And I don't understand | |
| Papa passe son temps | Dad spends his time | |
| A sermonner les gens | Lecturing people | |
| Je ne lui en veux pas | I don't blame him | |
| Je sais bien qu'à son age | I know that at his age | |
| On ne se refait pas | A person can't change | |
| Il faut tourner la page | We must turn the page | |
| Oui mais papa tu vois | Yes but you see Dad | |
| Il me faut du courage à me passer de toi | It takes courage to live without you | |
| Il faut que tu me crois | You must believe me | |
| Regarde mon visage et dieu te le dira | Look at my face and god will tell you | |
| Que dimanche à la messe | That at Sunday Mass | |
| Tu regardais les filles | You were watching the girls | |
| Tu leur faisais confesse | You made them confess | |
| Avec les yeux qui brillent | With shining eyes | |
| Je comprends tes faiblesses | I understand your weaknesses | |
| Comme quand tu les maquilles | Like when you made them up | |
| On voit bien que tu stresse | It's clear that you're stressed | |
| Là quand tu les bénie | When you bless them | |
| Et le ciel est amer | And the sky is bitter | |
| Je suis le fils caché du pape | I'm the Pope's secret love child | |
| Et je ne comprends pas | And I don't understand | |
| Papa ne me vois pas | Papa doesn't see me | |
| Le vieux scélérat | The old scoundrel | |
| Il mériterait des claques | He deserves a slap | |
| Mais ça ne se fait pas de corriger le pape | But that's not enough to change the Pope | |
| Le pape a tous les droits | The Pope can do what he likes | |
| Oui mais papa tu vois | Yes but you see dad | |
| Il me faut du courage à me passer de toi | It takes courage to live without you | |
| Tu dis que je ne suis pas | You say I don't exist | |
| Que je ne suis qu'un mirage | That I'm just a mirage | |
| Et pourtant je suis là | And yet here I am | |
| Et dimanche à la messe | And at Sunday Mass | |
| Tu regardais les filles | You were watching the girls | |
| Tu leur faisais confesse | You made them confess | |
| Avec les yeux qui brillent | With shining eyes | |
| C'est pour ça que ma mère | That's why my mother | |
| A eu pitié de toi | Took pity on you | |
| Le temps d'une prière | During prayer time | |
| Elle s'est jetée sur toi | She threw herself at you | |
| Et le ciel est amer... | And the sky is bitter ... |
