Charles Trenet
Chanson pour Noël lyrics with English translation
- Language
- French
- Level
- Intermediate
- Released
- 1953
- Genre
- French Pop, Tradicional
- Length
- 2:05
Ils sautent et dansent les joyeux bergers
They jump and dance, the joyful shepherds
Sous le ciel immense, il peut neiger
Under the vast sky, it may snow
Vers l'étoile s'avancent les rois étrangers
Towards the star advance the foreign kings
Ils sautent et dansent les petits bergers
They jump and dance, the little shepherds
Les vieux se souviennent des anges musiciens
The old remember the musical angels
Ah, vite, que reviennent les Noëls anciens
Ah, quickly, let the old Christmases return
Mais les jeunes s'élancent, ivres de courir
But the young leap forward, drunk on running
Vers la plaine immense, dans l'avenir
Towards the vast plain, into the future
La cloche a sonné, l'enfant Jésus est né
The bell has rung, baby Jesus is born
La vache et le veau lui disent "Bonjour, bravo"
The cow and the calf say to him 'Hello, well done'
Un coq a chanté, l'enfant Jésus est né
A rooster crowed, the child Jesus is born
L'oiseau a répété "Depuis longtemps je l'attendais"
The bird repeated, 'I've been waiting for this for so long'
Ils sautent et dansent dans la nuit d'Noël
They jump and dance in the Christmas night
Sur les routes de France, les anges du ciel
On the roads of France, the angels from heaven
Et chacun s'enchante de les voir ainsi
And each one rejoices to see them like this
Le poète les chante, les enfants aussi
The poet sings of them, the children too
C'est une jolie ronde de joie et d'amour
It's a beautiful round of joy and love
La ronde du monde, dans son plus beau jour
The world's round, on its most beautiful day
Sous le ciel immense, il est revenu
Under the vast sky, he has returned
Noël recommence, bonjour petit Jésus
Christmas begins again, hello little Jesus
Lyrics powered by www.musixmatch.com
Key vocabulary
- veau
- calfB1
- sautent
- jump
- dansent
- dance
- bergers
- shepherdsB1
- peut
- can
- neiger
- to snowB1
- étoile
- star
- avancent
- advance
- souviennent
- remember
- anges
- angelsB1
About this song
Charles Trenet was a French singer-songwriter associated with French chanson, active for more than 60 years. He wrote both music and lyrics for nearly 1,000 songs, including “La Mer,” and collaborated with musicians Michel Emer and Léo Chauliac.