Adieu – Coeur de Pirate / French lyrics and English translation

Coeur de Pirate has finally released her new single “Adieu” and I love it! French lyrics and English translation after the jump.

Vocabulary and explanation of the translation and phrases will follow the video and translation.

Check our the full track list of all Coeur de Pirate’s songs, lyrics, and translations.

French English
Tu ris si mal, tu ris de videYou laugh, ugly and hollow
Des taches de vin sur ta chemiseWine stains on your shirt
Qui a deux boutons éclatésWhich has two broken buttons
Sur ton corps qui me repoussaitOn your body that pushed me away
Tu fais l’amour en deux pousséesYour make love in two thrusts
L'amour, le manque, et la tournéeLove, lack, and turning sour
Et pendant que tu t’articulesAnd while you articulate yourself
Moi je soupire et toi tu meI sigh, and you...
Menaces de partirThreaten to leave me
Parce que je hurleBecause I yell
Quand tu chantes tes souvenirsWhen you sing your memories
Eh bien chériAlright then dear
Prends donc la porteThere's the door
Car tu sais que plus rien ne m'importeBecause you know that nothing matters to me anymore
Mais dis moi adieu demainBut tell me goodbye tomorrow
Mais dis moi adieu en cheminTell me goodbye on the way out
Va voir les autres, je n’en pense rienGo see other people, I won't think anything of it
Je t’ai aimé mais je t’assure que c’est la finI loved you, but I assure you it's the end
Crois-tu pouvoir enfin me direDo you really think you can say to me
Que tu veux bien qu’on reste amisThat you want to stay friends?
Non c’est gentil, ça va comme çaNo, that's nice, I'm good like this
Des amis j’en ai plein déjàI have plenty of friends already
Je n’aurai donc plus à t’entendreNow I won't have to hear you
Rentrer la nuit quand j’attends l’aubeComing home at night while I'm waiting for dawn
Qui arrive en poussant les heuresWhich comes by pushing through the hours
Moi je me lève et toi tu meI get up and you...
Menaces de partirThreaten to leave me
Parce que je hurleBecause I yell
Quand tu chantes tes souvenirsWhen you sing your memories
Eh bien chériAlright then dear
Prends donc la porteThere's the door
Car tu sais que plus rien ne me vaBecause you know that nothing matters to me anymore
Mais dis moi adieu demainBut tell me goodbye tomorrow
Mais dis moi adieu en cheminTell me goodbye on the way out
Va voir les autres, je n’en pense rienGo see other people, I won't think anything of it
Je t’ai aimé mais je t’assure que c’est la finI loved you, but I assure you it's the end
Mais dis moi adieu demainBut tell me goodbye tomorrow
Mais dis moi adieu en cheminTell me goodbye on the way out
Va voir les autres, je n’en pense rienGo see other people, I won't think anything of it
Je t’ai aimé mais je t’assure que c’est la finI loved you, but I assure you it's the end

Vocabulary and Explanation:

tache (des taches) (feminine noun): stain
des taches du vin = wine stains

boutons: buttons
éclater: to burst
boutons éclatés: broken buttons

repousser: the verb repousser can mean either “to push away,” “to push back” or to “reject or turn down.” I think in this context when she sings “ton corps qui me repoussait” she means “your body, which pushes me away.” In the next line she talks about how he makes love, so I’m guessing she means that he physically pushes her back, rather than rejecting her.

Tu fais l’amour en deux poussées: You make love in two thrusts. Yes, it’s what you think it is: our girl Coeur de Pirate is dealing with a one minute man! No woman could possibly be satisfied with just two thrusts, so is it any wonder that she says “adieu” to this guy??

**UPDATED**
This line is a bit cryptic:
L’amour, le manque, et la tournée
L’amour = love, le manque = lack (shortage), la tournée = turning (as in turning sour)

I wasn’t 100% sure what she was talking about here. But reader Jacquelyn pointed out that “la tournée” refers to something turning sour (like milk). So I think the speaker her is singing about three stages of love: the love, the loss (lack), and then the relationship turning sour.

Next line:
Et pendant que tu t’articules = and while you are articulating yourself
articuler = to articulate

The impression that I get is that this guy is always talking about himself, and that he repeats his stories a lot. Because the next line is:
Moi je soupire et toi tu me menaces de partir, parce que je hurle quand tu chantes tes souvenirs.
I sigh and you threaten to leave, because I yell when you sing your memories.

Sounds to me like this guy bores Coeur de Pirate with his stories and she isn’t having it. Because next she says:

Eh bien chéri prends donc la porte, car tu sais que plus rien ne m’importe.
Alright then dear, there’s the door, because you know that nothing matters to me anymore.

“Prends donc la porte” literally translates as “take/use the door.” So really what she is saying is: “There’s the door – USE IT.”

en chemin: on the way
Dit-moi adieu en chemin: Tell me goodbye on the way out

Va voir les autres, je n’en pense rien: Go see other people, I won’t think anything of it
Here she likely means “see” as in “date” or “be involved with.” Basically, “go ahead and date other girls, I don’t care!”

Je n’aurai donc plus à t’entendre
Rentrer la nuit quand j’attends l’aube
Qui arrive en poussant les heures

OK, so the first part is really simple:
I won’t have to hear you anymore
Coming home at night while I’m waiting for dawn

It took me AGES to figure out what “pousser les heures” meant. Literally the next line:
Qui arrive en poussant les heures

translates as:
Which happens by pushing the hours

I had to understand “pousser les heures.” I asked many, many francophones (Canadian and French) and no one had ever heard this saying. As far as I can tell, it is a poetic Quebecois saying that is not that popular, and is mostly used in songs or literature. As far as I can tell, in this context I think we can take it to mean that the dawn “pushes through the night.”

And then it’s back to the chorus!

If you found this translation useful, please share it on your preferred social network. Thank you!

More Coeur de Pirate Song Translations

Translation and analysis for Comme des Enfants
Translation and analysis for Ensemble – a single off Coeur de Pirate’s debut album

8 Comments

  1. Bill

    Thank you very much for this great work!

    I am just beginning to put together phrases in French and this work will add to my options for learning this beautiful language.

    About the phrase “pousser les heures”, taking all that you have said and the context of all the other lyrics to this song. My interpretation not as a linguist but a lover is that she means the dawn that tortuously arrives. Basically, time ticking away painfully slow as you wonder where they are, what are they doing, why aren’t the home yet, who are they with, and all these crazy random thoughts we think when we are in love with someone and they are not reciprocating that love.

    Thanks again!

    Bill

  2. Branden

    What a helpful translation! I am so glad to have come across this on the internet. You did a wonderful job. It seems as though you put a lot of hard work into this.

  3. Have you considered that maybe instead of “l’amour, la manque, et la tournée”, she is saying “blâmant la manque, et la tournée”?

  4. Jacquelyn

    I may have an answer to your translation problem with “la tournée.”
    In French, “la tournée” is used to describe the spoiling of food, particularly milk. I think what she means is the love is turning sour (like milk).

    • French2Music

      Hey Jacquelyn,

      Thank you! I’ll add that in. It makes sense that she would be spelling out three stages: the love, the loss, and the “turning sour.” Thanks again!

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