Jalouse in English
Reviewed/Translated by John Elkhoury
Like all my music reviews, I start with a French to English translation then critique the lyrics and style.
COMPREHENSION DIFFICULTY: MEDIUM
Jalouse, jalouse
Jealous, jealous
Des fleurs et du vent
Of the flowers and the wind
Des danses andalouses
Of Andalousian danses
Et des goélands
And (envious) of gulls
Jalouse, jalouse
Jealous, jealous
Comme les enfants
Like children
De ce qui me prend ton cœur un instant
Envious of anything that takes your heart in an instant

Cet oiseau de passage, qui chante et qui est sourd
This passer-by bird, who sings and who’s is deaf
Vient les soirs d’orage, pour te parler d’amour
Come the stormy nights, to talk to you about love
Ce brillant dans tes yeux que t’allumes parfois
The brilliant diamond in your eyes which you light sometimes
Pour un rien pour un jeu que j’allume moi
For nothing is a game when I light myself
Ces femmes qui te mac d’un mouvement de hanche
These women who you hustle into moving their hips
Parc’qu’elles ont lu dimanche, écrit dans leurs zodiaque
Because they had read Sunday, written in their zodiacs
La nuit des bleus pétrole, quand passent au aveux
The petrol-blue nights, whenever passing through confessions
Ces filles dont les feus ne brulent que par l’alcool
These girls, the fires only burn by alcohol

Jalouse, jalouse
Jealous, jealous
Des fleurs et du vent
Of the flowers and the wind
Des danses andalouses
Of Andalousian danses
Et des goélands
And (envious) of gulls
Jalouse, jalouse
Jealous, jealous
Comme les enfants
Like children
De ce qui me prend ton cœur un instant
Envious of anything that takes your heart in an instant

Des parfums de l’été que tu cherches dans la rue
The perfumes of summer which you look for on the streets
Comme un refrain perdu que tu veux retrouver
Like a forgotten refrain that you want to find
Tous ce rouge carmin sur des lèvres gourmandes
All this red lipstick on the gourmands’ lips
Quand les miennes ne commande que des baisers copains
When mine do not request that they kiss friends
Les regards amoureux de tes vielles idylles
The loving looks from your old love affairs
Quand elle mendient tes yeux d’un battement de cils
When she begs for you with a flutter of the eyelashes
La foule qui n’a pas vu que tu tenais ma main
The crowd who hasn’t seen that you had held my hand
Et qui me mêle quand elle est encore trop loin
And those who meddle with me when she’s still far away

Jalouse, jalouse
Jealous, jealous
Des fleurs et du vent
Of the flowers and the wind
Des danses andalouses
Of Andalousian danses
Et des goélands
And (envious) of gulls
Jalouse, jalouse
Jealous, jealous
Comme les enfants
Like children
De ce qui me prend ton cœur un instant
Envious of anything that takes your heart in an instant

[Musique]

Jalouse, jalouse
Jealous, jealous
Des fleurs et du vent
Of the flowers and the wind
Des danses andalouses
Of Andalousian danses
Et des goélands
And (envious) of gulls
Jalouse, jalouse
Jealous, jealous
Comme les enfants
Like children
De ce qui me prend ton cœur un instant
Envious of anything that takes your heart in an instant

Jalouse, jalouse, jalouse
Jealous, jealous, jealous

I really like this song because it sounds like a more “traditional”, classic French song. Raphaele Lannadere’s voice is absolutely lovely. I would like to say that everywhere I used the word “jealous” in the English translation above can be also identified as “envious” and vis versa.

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.