English translation of French lyrics sung by Czech band?

February 9, 2012 10:38 AM

What's the English translation of these French songs sung by the Czech band Miou Miou?

I love the music of Miou Miou, a Czech pop band that sings entirely in French. I want to sing along! But my high-school French is terrible and my Czech nonexistent, and I've found nothing through googling for lyrics in both those languages and English.

Could a French speaker please:
- transcribe the French lyrics of a song or two so I can tell what I'm hearing, AND/OR
- translate the French lyrics into English so I can tell what the words are saying?

Streaming Miou Miou for your convenience: Myspace, Grooveshark

I'm curious about all their music, but my favorite songs are these three, in descending order:
1. "Avant le voyage" / Myspace - their first song I heard and fell in love with, so the lyrics I'd like most.
2. "La chambre voisine" / Myspace -"something something tout de suite"?
3. "Le petit punk" / Myspace

I found one music video for the song "A l'été de la Saint-Martin '68".

And just for curiousity's sake, how well or badly are they singing in French? It could be French-flavored gibberish for all that I know.

Thank you!

posted by nicebookrack to media & arts (2 answers total)

Well, I wanted to try to translate it for you, but I have to say their french is pretty hard to understand. Couldn't find the lyrics online either.

Here's what I could make out of it :

Avant le voyage :
"Je me réveille le matin avant que le soleil se lève" - I wake up in the morning before the sun rises
I really don't understand the chorus for this one, sorry.

in La chambre voisine, they say :
"Viens me voir, tout de suite" - Come see me right away
"Passe par le mur" - Come through the wall (meaning : use the wall to come here, instead of the door)
"Touche moi, tout de suite" - Touch me right now
"Touche moi, je n'aurai pas peur(?)" - Touch me I won't be afraid?
"Je désire tout de toi?" - I want everything from you (not sure if that means "all of you")

Le petit punk :
"le futur ce n'est pas clair, le passé dans mes prières(?)" - Future is not clear, the past is in my prayers?
"Il n'y a pas de futur, pas pour nous" - There is no future, not for us


Btw, Miou-Miou is a 1970's French actress.
posted by domi_p at 2:16 PM on February 9, 2012

Yay, thank you so much! I can mumble along more confidently now.

I feel better about not understanding their French if a French speaker also has trouble with it. :) I once read an (English) interview with the band saying they sang in French because it sounded cool, less than their facility with the language. The music's still incomprehensible adorable.

I learned of Miou-Miou through searching for Miou Miou. I assume the band named itself after the actress. It makes the band much harder to google!
posted by nicebookrack at 5:31 PM on February 9, 2012