Édith Piaf
L’Homme à la moto lyrics with English translation
- Language
- French
- Level
- Intermediate
- Released
- 1956
- Genre
- French Pop, Ballad
- Length
- 2:01
Il portait des culottes, des bottes de moto
He wore shorts, motorcycle boots
Un blouson de cuir noir avec un aigle sur le dos
A black leather jacket with an eagle on the back
Sa moto qui partait comme un boulet de canon
His motorcycle roared off like a cannonball
Semait la terreur dans toute la région
Spreading terror throughout the region
Jamais il ne se coiffait, jamais il ne se lavait
He never combed his hair, he never washed himself
Les ongles pleins de cambouis mais sur le biceps il avait
His nails were full of grease but on his bicep he had
Un tatouage avec un coeur bleu sur la peau blême
A tattoo with a blue heart on pale skin
Et juste à l'intérieur, on lisait "Maman je t'aime"
And just inside, it read 'Mom, I love you'
Il avait une petite amie du nom de Marie-Lou
He had a girlfriend named Marie-Lou
On la prenait en pitié, une enfant de son âge
People felt sorry for her, a child of his age
Car tout le monde savait bien qu'il aimait entre tout
For everyone knew well that he loved above all
Sa chienne de moto bien davantage
His damn motorcycle much more
Il portait des culottes, des bottes de moto
He wore leather pants, motorcycle boots
Un blouson de cuir noir avec un aigle sur le dos
A black leather jacket with an eagle on the back
Sa moto qui partait comme un boulet de canon
His motorcycle took off like a cannonball
Semait la terreur dans toute la région
Spreading terror throughout the region
Marie-Lou la pauvre fille l'implora, le supplia
Poor Marie-Lou implored him, begged him
Dis, ne pars pas ce soir, je vais pleurer si tu t'en vas
Please, don't leave tonight, I'll cry if you go away
Mais les mots furent perdus, ses larmes pareillement
But the words were lost, her tears just the same
Dans le bruit de la machine et du tuyau d'échappement
In the noise of the machine and the exhaust pipe
Il bondit comme un diable avec des flammes dans les yeux
He jumped like a devil with flames in his eyes
Au passage à niveau, ce fut comme un éclair de feu
At the level crossing, it was like a flash of fire
Contre une locomotive qui filait vers le midi
Against a locomotive that sped toward the south
Et quand on débarrassa les débris
And when they cleared away the debris
On trouva sa culotte, ses bottes de moto
They found his underwear, his motorcycle boots
Son blouson de cuir noir avec un aigle sur le dos
His black leather jacket with an eagle on the back
Mais plus rien de la moto et plus rien de ce démon
But nothing remained of the motorcycle and nothing of that demon
Qui semait la terreur dans toute la région
Who spread terror throughout the region
Lyrics powered by www.musixmatch.com
Key vocabulary
- feu
- fireA1
- juste
- fairA1
- maman
- momA1
- midi
- noonA1
- monde
- worldA1
- mots
- wordsA1
- noir
- blackA1
- pars
- leaveA1
- pleurer
- cryA1
- plus
- moreA1
About this song
Édith Piaf was a French chanteuse in the French chanson tradition, remembered for the signature recordings “La vie en rose” and “Non, je ne regrette rien” during the mid-20th century. She was known for her prominence in Paris cabarets and international acclaim.