Annie in English
Reveiwed/Translated by John Elkhoury
COMPREHENSION DIFFICULTY: EASY


Annie
Annie
Tombe par hasard sur des amis
Stumbles upon some friends
Il y a déjà bien longtemps 
It’s already been a long time
Qu’elle n’a vu personne
That she has seen somebody
Pas depuis l’automne
Not since autumn

Annie
Annie
Tombe amoureuse, un petit ami
Falls in love, she has a boyfriend
Ça prend beaucoup trop de temps
It takes up far too much time
Alors elle abandonne
So she abandons
Ce gentil bonhomme
This kind gentleman

Le temps passe et prend la petite Annie
The time passes and takes little Annie
Mais bien vite elle oublie
But quickly she forgets
Elle n’a vraiment pas le temps
She doesn’t really have time
Pourtant elle s’ennuie
Yet she’s (always) bored
La petite Annie
Little Annie

Annie
Annie
Tombe par malheur dans les escaliers
Unfortunately falls on the stairs
Son important rendez-vous attendra
Her important meeting waits
Je crois, elle ne se réveille pas
I believe, she doesn’t wake up

Annie
Annie
Sa tombe est bien rangée près des pissenlits
Her tomb is well placed near the dandilions
Il n’y a vraiment pas grand monde qui viendra, en somme
There aren’t many people who come, in total
Pour ne pas dire personne
For nobody told anyone

Le temps passe et prend la petite Annie
The time passes and takes little Annie
Mais bien vite elle oublie
But quickly she forgets
Elle n’a vraiment pas le temps
She doesn’t really have time
Pourtant elle s’ennuie
Yet she’s (always) bored
La petite Annie
Little Annie

This is a sad little song about Annie, a girl who never really has time for anyone. Yet we are constantly reminded that Annie is bored! The song unfolds and we realize the problem isn’t Annie’s time, but the fact that she doesn’t want to interact with others. When Annie dies, we are told that not many people visit her grave… In the end, we should learn to enjoy ourselves and our time on earth with other human beings. Humans are social creatures, could you imagine not seeing friends for an entire year? Annie, she hasn’t seen anybody since autumn, now I’m assuming it’s been a year – I could be wrong… but that doesn’t change the antisocial factor.

I decided this song is notably easy. Simon sings slowly and clearly, most words can be understood by an intermediate French learner. My favorite part of the song happens during the final verse, where Emilie Simon’s voice overlaps as it sings the first line: “Sa tombe est bien rangée…“. I enjoy the heavy bass line and various synths. Emilie Simon will be featured again.

For the complete list of reviewed French songs, click HERE.
All songs and lyrics are owned by their respective owners. Any discrepancies with translations can be posted below. Please note that translations are not always word for word, I strive to make the statements sound fluent in English.