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Heavy Guitar

Translation of Puits Sans Fond by Vulgaires Machins

April 21, 2010

I was asked to translate this song in a comment from a previous Vulgaires Machins translation. In the run-up to the UK election I had wanted to keep things reasonably topical, and luckily this fits well (excuse the pun), the title summing up the attitude of some of our politicians’ spending plans for the future, [...]

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Translation of Ça Sent L’été by Mademoiselle K

June 30, 2009

It’s baking here in London – I’ve just been driving with my elbow out the window (I opened it first) and with this song belting out as I got home and figured that was a good a reason as any to choose it as the next translation. And happily the title is Ca Sent L’été which means “feels like summer” – too hot if you ask me, but then I’m British.

You’ll learn some good vocabulary here on the subject of stuffing your face with food…

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Translation of Pensées malsaines by La Ruda

June 11, 2009

24 images/second is the most played of all my French language albums and this is the third La Ruda track from that album that I have translated here. It’s a bit bonkers, both in French and English – hopefully the translation manages to convey some of the imagery.

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Translation of Paris en bouteille by La Ruda

April 6, 2009

This is the second song I have posted from the album 24 Images / Second by La Ruda. The title of this song comes from the expression Avec des si, on mettrait Paris en Bouteille “With ‘ifs’ you can put Paris in a bottle” – meaning that anything is possible if you create enough conditions (Ifs). “If wishes were horses, then beggars would ride.”

The whole song is, by design, packed with little French expressions and this makes it interesting (I should really say here “impossible”) to translate.

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Translation of L’homme pressé by Noir Désir

March 29, 2009

This is quite a heavy song from the album En Route Pour La Joie – this one’ll wake you up in the morning!

Je suis un homme pressé – “I’m a busy man” or “I’m a man in a hurry”. A long song in terms of the number of words! Plenty of useful phrases.

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Translation of Travers by La Ruda

March 26, 2009

Travers is the last song on one of my favourite French albums – 24 Images / Second by La Ruda. This album is the first album by the band since they changed their name from the original La Ruda Salska and the first album on which the group changed to a much more rocky style than their previous albums which were more influenced by ska and salsa music.

Travers translates as fault or failing here as in “Malgré mes travers” – “Depsite my faults”.

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