Are you curious what Cendrillon lyrics in French actually means and what’s the English translation of the song?
This song is one of the best French songs of all time and considered one of the best works of Télephone.
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Cendrillon Lyrics in French ( With English Translation)
About the song
Télephone is the French group behind the song “Cendrillon,” which was written by Louis Bertignac. The song was included on the album Dure Limite, which was released in 1982.
The lyrics of the song recount the events of a young woman’s life during three distinct phases:
First, we hear about the young woman aa a dreamy and passionate 20 years old. She has a foolish expectation that the love she shares with a certain man will last a lifetime.
Next, we hear about the same woman, now 30 years old. She has aged, has become a mother, and is depressed. Her children were taken away from her after her spouse cheated on her with another woman and left her.
In the opening stanza, the song speaks of her being unable to close her eyes to “forget the time” that has passed because she is by herself and feels abandoned.
Next, the same woman is now a heroin addict and a prostitute at the age of 40. She has spent the previous ten years living a life of debauchery.
She had an overdose and in the last part of the song, we hear she’s in the ambulance where paramedics are attempting to save her life.
This song illustrates the dissonance that might exist between the utopias of young adults and the lived reality. The real world is not like a fairy tale at all.
The song also touches on the dangers of substances like alcohol and narcotics, as well as illusions and the passage of time. “Cendrillon” presents an argument against consumption culture.
Furthermore, the song illustrates that human beings are inherently sociable creatures that are unable to tolerate being alone. It also discusses how becoming older might be a disadvantage.
This is true in a culture that holds the belief that one must remain physically appealing and youthful to be successful in life.
As a result, Cinderella would rather die than look at her reflection in a mirror when she was 20 years younger than she is now.
This version of the Cinderella story, which was altered by Telephone and symbolizes reality, has a tragic ending, in contrast to the version, written by Charles Perrault and the Grimm brothers.
Louis Bertignac admits that his fascination with the actress Romy Schneider, with whom he had a crush in the past, was the source of his creative drive.
He mentioned that at first, he scribbled down a wide variety of items in his notepad. He envisioned a plot with protagonists who were flawed to some extent. He wrote stories about Mickey, Grendizerl, and other characters, but in the end, he only maintained Cinderella.
At the time, Romy Schneider, who had recently passed away, was best known for her role as the misunderstood Austrian Princess Sissi..
Like all the other popular French songs, there have been many versions of this song since. On their album Cache ton machin, released in 1997, Cendrier performed a parody of this song and called it Cendrier.
Meanwhile, Les Enfoirés covered the song in 2004 on the album Les Enfoirés dans l’espace. In 2011, as part of the commemoration, Joyce Jonathan sang a cover of Cendrillon as well.
However, it is the song by Telephone that is still the most popular even to this day. Among French songs, “Cendrillon” has one of the most plays on the listening sites Spotify and Deezer. It also ranks in third place on the scrobbling site Last FM.
Cendrillon French Lyrics
Cendrillon, pour ses 20 ans
Est la plus jolie des enfants
Son bel amant, le prince charmant
La prend sur son cheval blanc
Elle oublie le temps
Dans ce palais d’argent
Pour ne pas voir qu’un nouveau jour se lève
Elle ferme les yeux, et dans ses rêves
Elle part
Jolie petite histoire
Elle part
Jolie petite histoire
Cendrillon, pour ses 30 ans
Est la plus triste des mamans
Le prince charmant a foutu le camp
Avec la belle au bois dormant
Elle a vu 100 chevaux blancs
Loin d’elle emmener ses enfants
Elle commence à boire
À traîner dans les bars
Emmitouflée dans son cafard
Maintenant elle fait le trottoir
Elle part
Jolie petite histoire
Elle part
Jolie petite histoire
10 ans de cette vie ont suffi
À la changer en junkie
Et dans un sommeil infini
Cendrillon voit finir sa vie
Les lumières dansent
Dans l’ambulance
Et elle tue sa dernière chance
Tout ça n’a plus d’importance
Elle part
Fin de l’histoire
Notre Père, qui êtes si vieux
As-tu vraiment fait de ton mieux?
Car sur la terre et dans les cieux
Tes anges n’aiment pas devenir vieux
Check out the video here.
Cendrillon English Lyrics and Translation
Cinderella, for her twenty years,
Is the prettiest of all children.
Her handsome lover,
Prince Charming,
Takes her away on his white horse.
She forgets time,
In his palace of riches
Not noticing a new day dawning,
She shuts her eyes,
And in her dreams,
She goes.
Pretty little story.
Cinderella, for her thirty years,
Is the saddest of all mothers.
Prince Charming
Has fucked off
With Sleeping Beauty.
She saw a hundred white horses
Taking her children far from her.
She begins to drink,
Frequent the bars
Wrapped up in her despair,
She wanders the streets.
She goes.
Pretty little story.
Ten years of this life were enough
For her to become a junkie.
And in a neverending sleep,
Cinderella sees the end of her life.
The lights dance
In the ambulance
But she kills her last chance
None of it is important anymore.
She goes.
End of story.
Our Father who is so old,
Have you really done your best?
For when the land is in the sky,
Hi, I’m Christine – a full-time traveler and career woman. Although I’m from the Philippines, my location independent career took me to over 40 countries and lived in 4 continents in the last 10 years, including France. A self-proclaimed Francophile, I love everything France.