Yesterday I pointed you in the direction of the new release from Vulgaires Machins, an album of eleven acoustic songs, available for the donation of your choice from their website.
I’ve listened to the album half a dozen times since downloading it and I love it – I don’t need to review it for you – download a copy and check it out for yourself.
Here is a translation of “A”, originally released on the 2006 album “Aimer Le Mal” which you can sample using the Amazon widget on the right.
I don’t know what “cady” means – the best I can discover is that it is a make of motorbike. If you know, please share.
Verbs
| Chicaner | To squabble, to object |
La tondeuse pis les chicanes de famille | |
The lawnmower and the family squabbles | |
| Mouler | To mold |
Au primaire dans ma classe avec toé, on était des morveux qu'on a moulés | |
At primary school in my class with you, we were brats that were molded | |
| Concretiser | To make real |
Concretiser la haine qui nous habite, mais y'est déjà trop tard | |
To realise the hate that lived in us, but it was already too late | |
Vocabulary
| La tondeuse | Lawnmower |
La tondeuse pis les chicanes de famille | |
The lawnmower and the family squabbles | |
| La souffleuse | Leaf blower |
La souffleuse pis les dîners congelés | |
The snow-blower and frozen meals | |
| L'emprise | Stranglehold |
Sous l'emprise de la sécurité, perdu dans l'illusion du bonheur matérialisé | |
Under the stranglehold of security, lost in the illusion of material happiness | |
| L'emprise | Stranglehold |
Sous l'emprise de la sécurité, perdu dans l'illusion du bonheur matérialisé | |
Under the stranglehold of security, lost in the illusion of material happiness | |
| Toé | Québécois equivalent for "toi" |
| Les morveux | Little brat |
Au primaire dans ma classe avec toé, on était des morveux qu'on a moulés | |
At primary school in my class with you, we were brats that were molded | |
| Goût | Taste, desire |
J'ai le goût qu'on aille dans le trafic, qu'on aille casser une couple de vitres | |
I felt like going and running into traffic, like going and breaking a couple of windows | |
Expressions
| Se casser le bicycle | To make a meal of something |
The expression Se Casser Le Bécycle (bicycle) means to find a difficult way of doing something that could be done more simply. | |
La vie est belle quand tu te casses pas l'bécycle | |
Life is beautiful when you don't make it tough for yourself | |
| S'en Venir | To arrive |
"S'en venir" is roughly equivalent to "arriver" and is rarely used in Europe but is quite common in Quebec. It can be thought of as the opposite to "s'en aller" which means "to leave". S'en venir can also be thought of as being equivalent to "venir" but with a connotation of simplicity or easiness about the action. | |
T'as vu les p'tits s'en venir | |
You saw the kids arrive | |
A - Vulgaires Machins | A (translation of A by Vulgaires Machins) |
| Dans ma société d'hypocrites | In my society of hypocrites | |
| C'est le chaos pis c'est l'injustice | There's chaos and injustice | |
| La vie est belle quand tu te casses pas l'bécycle | Life is beautiful when you don't make it tough for yourself | |
| Quand tu penses pas trop | When you don't think too much | |
| La queue entre les jambes dans le trafic | Tail between your legs in traffic | |
| Le silence est la clef de l'Amérique | Silence is the key of America | |
| T'as vu les p'tits s'en venir | You saw the kids arrive | |
| Le condo en banlieu | The condo in the suburbs | |
| La tondeuse pis les chicanes de famille | The lawnmower and the family squabbles | |
| Le câble, le weed-eater | The cable, the weed-eater | |
| Le cady pas payé | The unpaid-for cady | |
| La souffleuse pis les dîners congelés | The snow-blower and the frozen meals | |
| Congelé comme ton coeur | Frozen like your heart | |
| Sous l'emprise de la sécurité | Under the stranglehold of security | |
| Perdu dans l'illusion du bonheur matérialisé | Lost in the illusion of material happiness | |
| Je repense à mes années | I think of my years | |
| Au primaire dans ma classe avec toé | At primary school in my class with you | |
| On était des morveux qu'on a moulés | We were brats that were molded | |
| Sur le modèle imbécile | On the imbecile model | |
| Compétition de facultés | Faculty competitions | |
| On a jamais choisi, on a marché | We never chose, we walked | |
| J'ai le goût qu'on aille dans le trafic | I feel like going into traffic | |
| Qu'on aille casser une couple de vitres | Like going and breaking a couple of windows | |
| Concretiser la haine qui nous habite | To realise the hate that lives in us | |
| Mais y'est déjà trop tard | But it's already too late | |
| La terre dans son histoire tragique | The Earth in its tragic story | |
| En est déjà à son dernier chapitre | Is already at its last chapter | |
| On est tous à quelque part, le produit bon marché d'un riche | We are all in some way the cheap product of a rich man | |
| L'outil parfait du rêve économique | The perfect tool of the economic dream |
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
cady = Cadillac
Concretiser la haine qui nous habite = To materialize the hate within us
La souffleuse pis les dîners congelés = The snow blower and the frozen meals
On est tous à quelque part, le produit bon marché d’un riche = We are all in a sort, the cheap product of a rich man
souffleuse = snow blower
et, personnellement :
J’ai le goût qu’on aille dans le trafic = I feel like we have to go into traffic
Qu’on aille casser une couple de vitres = and break a couple of windows
Concretiser la haine qui nous habite = Put the hate that lives in us in action
Mais y’est déjà trop tard = But it’s already too late
No problem Chris…. I’m 100% on snow blower, there is no way it’s anything else….
p.s. you didn’t make the change
sympa de voir un autre blog dédié à diffuser la bonne musique française
I’ve just come across this website and this is the first article that I read. I love Vulgaires Machins and I am so happy to hear they’re still going strong!