La Vie en Rose lyrics and translation articulate timeless themes of love, romance, and resilience – it’s one of Edith Piaf’s most famous and beloved songs. It has been covered and interpreted by many famous artists, including Louis Armstrong (who sang an English interpretation of the lyrics) and Lady Gaga, who sang it in French in “A Star is Born.” La Vie en Rose is about finding new love after a trying time, and many people saw it as an anthem of hope as it was released shortly after the end of World War 2. French lyrics and English translation below.
Vocabulary and an explanation of the translation and phrases will follow the video and lyrics translation. Enjoy!
Below the translation you will find an analysis of the song and translation, a breakdown of the vocabulary, and a video of Edith Piaf performing “La Vie en Rose” live.
La Vie en Rose Lyrics and Translation
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Des yeux qui font baisser les miens | A gaze that make me lower my own |
| Un rire qui se perd sur sa bouche | A laugh that is lost on his lips - |
| Voila le portrait sans retouches | That is the un-retouched portrait |
| De l'homme auquel j'appartiens | Of the man to whom I belong |
| Quand il me prend dans ses bras | When he takes me into his arms |
| Il me parle l'a tout bas | He speaks to me softly |
| Je vois la vie en rose | And I see life through rose-colored glasses |
| Il me dit des mots d'amour | He speaks words of love to me |
| Des mots de tous les jours | They are every day words |
| Et ça m' fait quelque chose | And they do something to me |
| Il est entré dans mon coeur | He has entered into my heart |
| Une part de bonheur | A bit of happiness |
| Dont je connais la cause | That I know the cause of |
| C'est lui pour moi | It's only him for me |
| Moi pour lui dans la vie | And me for him, for life |
| Il me l'a dit, l'a jure pour la vie | He told me, he swore to me, for life |
| Et, dès que je l'aperçois | As soon as I notice him |
| Alors je sens en moi | I feel inside me |
| Mon coeur qui bat | My heart beating |
| Des nuits d'amour à plus en finir | Endless nights of love |
| Un grand bonheur qui prend sa place | Bring great happiness |
| Les ennuis, les chagrins, s'effacent | The pain and bothers fade away |
| Heureux, heureux à mourir | Happy, so happy I could die |
| Quand il me prend dans ses bras | When he takes me into his arms |
| Il me parle tout bas | He speaks to me softly |
| Je vois la vie en rose | And I see life through rose-colored glasses |
| Il me dit des mots d'amour | He speaks words of love to me |
| Des mots de tout les jours | They are every day words |
| Et ça m' fait quelque chose | And they do something to me |
| Il est entré dans mon coeur | He has entered into my heart |
| Une part de bonheur | A bit of happiness |
| Dont je connais la cause | That I know the cause of |
| C'est lui pour moi | It's only him for me |
| Moi pour lui dans la vie | And me for him, for life |
| Il me l'a dit, l'a jure pour la vie | He told me, he swore to me, for life |
| Et, dès que je l'apercois | As soon as I notice him |
| Alors je sens en moi | I feel inside me |
| Mon coeur qui bat | My heart beating |
| Lalalala, lalalala | Lalalala, lalalala |
| La, la, la, la | La, la, la, la |
La Vie en Rose Vocabulary, Analysis, and Explanation
The great thing about this song is that it uses relatively simple vocabulary to convey the very deep and heartfelt experience of new love. This song captures so many of the small gestures that we associate with falling in love: feeling your heart race as soon as you spot your new love, looking away when they look at you, etc.
baisser: to lower
Des yeux qui font baisser les miens: literally “eyes that make me lower my own”
I’ve chosen to translate that as “a gaze that makes me lower my own” because in the context she is talking about the way he looks at her, rather than his actual eyes. I think we all know the feeling: when someone you really like looks at you and you look away because it’s just too uncomfortable to hold their gaze (even though you want to).
Un rire qui se perd sur sa bouche – this is a tough line to translate.
un rire: a laugh
se perdre: to lose itself (oneself)
la bouche: mouth
I’ve chosen to translate this as “a laugh that is lost on his lips;” literally it would be translated “a laugh that loses itself on his lips.” I think that she is referring to the moment when someone laughs a short, fleeting laugh that seems to dance across their lips.
retouche: a correction, amendment, or as we would translate it for a photo “retouching”.
tout bas: literally “all low” but in this context it means “softly” or “quietly”.
OK and now for the chorus/title – how to best translate “la vie en rose”? We use this phrase occasionally in English, and my preference would be to leave it in French since there isn’t a saying in English that is as elegant. However we do have the saying “to see life through rose-colored glasses.” I feel that this sounds a bit awkward, and not nearly as nice as saying “I see la vie en rose,” which would literally translate as “I see life in pink” or “I see life in rosy-hues.”
Il me dit: He speaks to me or he tells me
les mots d’amour, les mots de tous les jours: words of love, everyday words
Here Édith is telling us that her love whispers sweet nothings to her, but also every day words. I like the way she pairs these two lines. By coupling them she seems to be suggesting that both words of love and everyday words are equally precious when they come from the man she loves. How romantic is that?
jurer: to promise, to swear
dès que je l’aperçois: From the moment I perceive him (am aware of him)
Dès que (time): When (time), or as soon as
Dès translates as “from” in the sense that it marks the beginning of a period of time. Dès que means “as soon as” (in French you can also say “aussitôt que”).
à plus finir: endless
I believe this is a shortened version of the more correct: à n’en plus finir, which means “endless”. Often in songs some syllables are dropped (I’m sure you can think of many examples of this in English songs as well.)
s’effacer: to fade
Edith Piaf Performing La Vie en Rose Live
This is from the TV show “La joie de vivre” where Edith Piaf performed live on March 4, 1954. Enjoy!
What do you think of this translation? Do you have any additional questions? Leave them in the comments below! Thank you. 🙂