Ensemble in English
Reviewed/Translated by John Elkhoury
COMPREHENSION DIFFICULTY:  HARD


Côte contre côte nos corps vibrent par temps
One (side) against another our bodies vibrate in time
Et dans cette course sans dérive
And in this race without drifting
On tombe presque hors-champ
We almost fall out of sight
Et dans tes rires qui défonce, plus que l’ego qui te prends
And in your destructive laughter,  your ego is the problem
Tu nous réduis à l’impossible dans tes tourments
You reduce us to the impossible, in your torments 

Et sans gêne tu te défonces, tu ne comprends pas
And without shame you break down, you don’t understand
Car nous avions une belle histoire tu ne le nierais pas
Because we had a beautiful story – you can’t deny it
Par contre tes cris défoncent les murs de ton appartement
On the other hand, your screams destroy the walls of your apartment 
Pour atteindre mon cœur qui meurt un peu plus à chaque instant
In order to reach my heart which dies with each passing moment

Car ensemble rime avec désordre
Because “together” rhymes with “chaos”
Et l’homme que tu es n’est plus que discorde
And the man that you are is nothing but strife
Car ce que tu es rime avec regret
Because what you rhyme with is “regret”
Pour ma part je n’ai que ceux qui restent à jamais
With me, I just want those who will stay forever

Tête contre tête tu m’as vaincue juste à temps
Head against head you beat me just in time
Et quand tu es revenu, tu n’étais plus comme avant
And when you came back, you were no longer like before (you changed)
Et tes mensonges ternissent l’homme que tu pourrais être
And your lies tarnish the man that you could be
Et mes plaies s’ouvrent un peu plus à chaque fois que tu t’entêtes
And my wounds open up a little more each time you persist

Et sans gêne tu te défonces, tu ne comprends pas
And without shame you break down, you don’t understand
Que tu détruis une belle histoire et je ne le nierai pas
Because we had a beautiful story – you can’t deny it
Pas contre nos cris détruisent les murs de ton appartement
On the other hand, your screams destroy the walls of your apartment
Pour atteindre l’amour qui meurt un peu plus à chaque instant
In order to reach my heart which dies with each passing moment

Car ensemble rime avec désordre
Because “together” rhymes with “chaos”
Et l’homme que tu es n’est plus que discorde
And the man that you are is nothing but strife
Car ce que tu es rime avec regret
Because what you rhyme with is “regret”
Pour ma part je n’ai que ceux qui restent à jamais
With me, I just want those who will stay forever
(Repeat)

Here’s my explanation for certain portions of the translation:
Qu’est-ce qui te prend = What’s wrong with you (literally what is it who takes you)
L’ego qui te prend = The ego is wrong with you
Se défoncer = “to go berserk” or “freak out” which I translated to having a mental sort of break down.

The piano riff begins the song strong then the instrumental follows shortly after. The music is rather jolly when compared to the lyrics of the song, which is probably why I like it so much. Our singer explains a situation where her lover’s ego and out-of-control personality destroy their perfect love. We are introduced into a world of competitive nature, where destructive laughter torments the singer, and lies tarnish the relationship. When confronted, the lover breaks down, he doesn’t seem to understand what’s wrong.


Béatrice Martin (cœur de pirate) is a Canadian singer and songwriter who falls into a genre of Indie Pop. She is one of my favorite French singers, and will definitely be featured heavily on this blog.

For the complete list of Reviewed French Songs, please 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.

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