Édith Piaf
L’Homme de Berlin lyrics with English translation
- Language
- French
- Level
- Intermediate
- Released
- 1968
- Genre
- Ballad, French Pop
- Length
- 3:04
Sous le ciel crasseux qui pleurait d'ennui
Beneath the grimy sky that cried out of boredom
Sous la petite pluie qui tombait sur lui
Under the light rain that fell on him
Lui, l'homme de Berlin
He, the man from Berlin
Dans le vieux faubourg, au milieu de la nuit
In the old suburb, in the middle of the night
Il se tenait là, je n'ai vu que lui
He stood there, I saw only him
Lui, l'homme de Berlin
He, the man from Berlin
Etrangère à Berlin, où j'venais d'arriver
A stranger in Berlin, where I had just arrived
Quand on n'attend plus rien
When you're no longer expecting anything
Quand on veut tout changer
When you want to change everything
Berlin vaut bien Berlin
Berlin is worth all of Berlin
Moi, il m'en faut peu pour croire, dans la vie
For me, it takes little to believe, in life
Que tout peut changer, et pourquoi pas lui?
That everything can change, and why not him?
Lui, l'homme de Berlin
Him, the man from Berlin
J'me voyais déjà, aimer pour la vie
I saw myself already, loving for life
J'recommençais tout, c'était avec lui
I was starting over, it was with him
Lui, l'homme de Berlin
Him, the man from Berlin
Ne me parlez pas de hasard de ciel, ni de fatalité
Don't talk to me about chance of the sky, nor of fate
De prochains retours, ni d'espoir, de destin, ni d'éternité
Of future returns, nor of hope, of destiny, nor of eternity
Ne me parlez pas de Berlin
Don't talk to me about Berlin
Puisque Berlin n'est rien pour moi
Since Berlin means nothing to me
Ne me parlez pas de Berlin
Don't talk to me about Berlin
Même si Berlin, c'est tout pour moi
Even if Berlin is everything to me
Sous le ciel crasseux qui pleurait d'ennui
Under the grimy sky that wept with boredom
Sous la petite pluie qui tombait sur lui
Under the little rain that fell on him
Lui, l'homme de Berlin
Him, the man from Berlin
J'l'ai pris pour l'amour, c'était un passant
I took him for love, he was just a passerby
Une éternité de quelques instants
An eternity of just a few moments
Lui, l'homme de Berlin
Him, the man from Berlin
Car lui, l'homme de Berlin, cherchait aussi l'oubli
For he, the man from Berlin, was also seeking forgetfulness
Il est parti trop loin
He went too far away
Car, pour user sa vie il n'y a pas que Berlin
For living his life, it’s not just Berlin
Dans chaque visage, je ne vois que lui
In every face, I see only him
Et, dans chaque nuit, je dors avec lui
And, in every night, I sleep with him
Lui, l'homme de Berlin
Him, the man from Berlin
Sous quel ciel crasseux, passe-t-il sa vie
Under what filthy sky, does he spend his life
Et dans quel Berlin traîne-t-il sa vie
And in which Berlin does he linger his life
Lui, l'homme de Berlin
Him, the man from Berlin
Mais y'a pas qu'un homme dans c'foutu pays
But there’s not just one man in this damned country
Ici ou ailleurs
Here or elsewhere
Il n'y a pas que lui
He’s not the only one
Il n'y a pas que lui
It's not just him
Il n'y a pas que lui
It's not just him
Il n'y a pas que lui
It's not just him
Il n'y a pas que lui
It's not just him
Il n'y a pas que lui, que lui, que lui
It's not just him, him, him
Lyrics powered by www.musixmatch.com
Key vocabulary
- peu
- fewA1
- plus
- moreA1
- rien
- nothingA1
- tout
- allA1
- vie
- lifeA1
- tenait
- held
- là
- thereA1
- vu
- seen
- venais
- was coming
- arriver
- arrive
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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.