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Tous Les Mêmes (French Lyrics & English Translation)

Tous Les Mêmes (French Lyrics & English Translation)

Tous Les Mêmes” (Pronunciation: tus le mɛm; Meaning: all the same) is song by French-speaking Belgian singer Stromae, released in 2013 on the album, Racine Carrée. The song was a big hit in Europe, reaching the top of the charts. In a nutshell, the song deals with the stereotypes women have towards men in long-term relationships.

Song synopsis

In the YouTube video, which has had over 250 million views (see end of post), Stromae is dressed as a woman. Stromae wakes up between a man an a women.

She (Stromae in the video and song) then proceeds to complain about typical female stereotypes towards men: “You’re all the same” (Vous êtes tous les mêmes), bunch of unfaithful people (Bande de mauviettes infidèles).

The video ends with Stromae dancing in front of a café both a group of dancers then a female dancer.

Tous Les Mêmes – song title meaning

The word tous means all. In this song title, the -s is pronounced. When saying “Je les aime tous” (I like all of them), for example, the -s is also pronounced. However, when saying “tous les jour”, the -s is silent.

The word “les” means “the” in French. This is a definite article. This page on our site covers the French definite article (le, la, les meaning “the”) in detail.

The words même has multiple translations including “same” and “even”. “Les mêmes” means “the same”. In the context of the song, all men are “les mêmes” (the same).

Lyrics analysis

In the following section we have selected lines from from the song of interest which we think offer interesting insights in to French grammar and vocabulary.

Vous les hommes vous êtes tous les mêmes

This line translates to “You men are all the same”. “Vous êtes” in French means “you are”. This is the third-person plural form of verb “être” (to be). This page on our site covers être in detail.

There are two ways to say “you” in French: “tu” for somebody you know or a child, or “vous” for a stranger or group of people. This page on our site covers “you” in French.

Macho mais cheap, bande de mauviettes infidèles

This line translates to “Macho but cheap, bunch of cheating wimps”. The word bande translates to “group” or “gang”. “Bande de + noun” translates to “bunch of + noun”.

The word “mauviette” is highly derogatory and translates to “wimp” or “sissy”. The adjective “infidèle” translates to “unfaithful”, “disloyal” and cheating.

Si prévisibles, non je ne suis pas certaine, que-que-que tu l’mérites

This line translates to “So predictable, no, I’m not certain that you deserve it”. The adjective prévisible translates to “predictable” or “foreseeable”. The adjective “certain” is in the feminine form, “certaine” because Stromae is singing the lyrics from the point of view of a female.

“Que tu l’mérites” translates to “that you deserve it. The “l'” is a shortening of “le”, which in this situation is a direct object pronoun, meaning “it”. This page on our site covers object pronouns in detail.

Z’avez d’la chance qu’on vous aime

This line translates to “You’re lucky that we love you”. “Z’avez” is a shortening of “Vous avez”, which is the third-person plural form of the verb “avoir” (to have). This page on our site covers “avoir” in detail.

The expression “avoir de la chance” means “to be lucky”. This fun post on our site covers fun ways to say “good luck” in French.

Dis-moi “merci”

This line translates literally to “Tell me, thank you”. There is a verb for “to thank” in French: remercier. This page on our site covers 20 ways to say ” thank you” in French.

Rendez-vous au prochain règlement / sûrement aux prochaines règles

This line translates to “meeting” or “see you at the next time of the month (woman’s menstruation cycle)”. Rendez-vous can translate to “meeting”, “appointment” or “see you…”. The feminine plural noun, règles translates to menstrual period.

Cette fois c’était la dernière, tu peux croire que c’est qu’une crise

This line translates to “This time was the last, you can believe that it’s only a crisis”. The wordfoismeans “time” as in how many times. This is compared to temps, which means both weather and time (as in “I have lots of time today”). This page on our site explores temps vs. fois.

“Tu peux croire” means “you can believe”. This is “pouvoir” (can, to be able) conjugated in the “tu” form. This page on our site covers the conjugation of pouvoir with example sentences.

Mate une dernière fois mon derrière, il est à côté de mes valises

This line translates to “Take one last look at my behind, it’s next to my suitcases”. The verb matermeans “to subdue” or “to quell”. However, another translation is “to look at”. The word derrière is both a preposition for “behind” and a noun for buttocks.

Tu diras au revoir à ta mère, elle qui t’idéalise

This line translates to “You’ll say goodbye to your mom, who idealizes you”. “Tu diras” is the future tense of “dire” (to say). This page on our site covers the French future tense.

“Au revoir” is the more formal way of saying “goodbye”. This page on our site covers both formal and informal ways of saying goodbye in French.

Tu n’vois même pas tout c’que tu perds avec une autre ce serait pire

This line translates to “You don’t even see everything you’ll use with another, it will be worse”. “N’vois meme pas” is shortening of “ne + verb + pas”, which is the standard French negation. This page on our site covers all of the French negation rules.

“Ce serait pire” means “this would be worse”. This is “être” (to be) in the conditional (would) tense. This page on our site explores the French conditional tense in detail.

Quoi toi aussi tu veux finir maintenant? C’est l’monde à l’envers

This line translates to “What you also want to finish now? The world is turned upside down”. The French word quoi means “what” This page on our site explores the versatile usages of quoi.

The wordenvers can cause some confusion. As a noun it means “underside” or “back”. As a preposition it means “to” or “towards”. The preposition vers means “to” or “in the direct of”. For example, “Je marche vers la plage” (I’m walking towards the beach).

Moi, je l’disais pour t’faire réagir seulement, toi t’y pensais

This line translates to “I just said it to get a reaction, you meant it”. “Y” is an indirect pronoun. It can translate to “there”. The other main usage is to refer back to a previously spoken topic for verbs followed by the preposition “à” (to, at). Usages of “y” are covered on our object pronoun page.

Facile à dire, je suis gnangnan

This line translates to “It’s easy to say I’m a wussy”. The informal adjective gnangnan (pronounced ɲɑ̃ɲɑ̃) has multiple meanings including, “wussy”, “feeble” and “soppy”.

Et que j’aime trop les bla-bla-bla, mais non, non, non, c’est important

This line translates to “And that I like talking too much, but no, it’s not important”. The word trop translates to “too” or “too much”. “Trop de + noun” means “to much”. For example, “J’ai trop de pommes” (I have too many apples).

Ce que t’appelles les ragnagnas, tu sais la vie, c’est des enfants

This line translates to “What will you call my time of the month, You know life is for having kids”. Ragnagnas is a slang term used to refer to the menstruation cycle.

Mais comme toujours, c’est pas l’bon moment

This line translates to “But like always, it’s never the right time”. The expression, Ce n’est pas le moment translates to “It’s not the right time”. The word “bon” (literally “good”) is added to give emphasis to “the right”. “La bonne adresse”, for example, means “the right address”.

Ah oui pour les faire là, tu es présent, mais pour les élever y aura qu’des absents

This line translates to “For making babies you’re here, but for raising them you’re gone”. “Y aura” is the future tense of “il y a”, which translate to “there is”, “there are” and “ago”. Frenchtoday.com covers “il y a” in detail.

Lorsque je n’serais plus belle ou du moins au naturel

This line translates to “When I’m not beautiful anymore or at least without makeup”. The word “lorsque” means “when” and is used as a connecting word, or conjunction. This page on our site explains how to use “lorsque”.

Arrête je sais que tu mens, il n’y a que Kate Moss qui est éternelle

This line translates to “Stop! I know you’re lying. Only Kate Moss will stay beautiful forever”. The adjective “éternel” in French has the same meaning as it has in English: “eternal” or “everlasting”. We got our translation “beautiful forever” from this YouTube video of Tous Les Mêmes.

Moche ou bête (c’est jamais bon)

This line translates to “Ugly or stupid (it’s never good)”. The words moche and laid both mean ugly. Bête can translate to both “silly” and “stupid”.

“C’est jamais bon” omits the “ne” infront of “est” for a slang effect. Jamais means never.

Tous Les Mêmes – French lyrics and English translation

Vous les hommes vous êtes tous les mêmes
Macho mais cheap, bande de mauviettes infidèles
Si prévisibles, non je ne suis pas certaine, que-que-que tu l’mérites
Z’avez d’la chance qu’on vous aime
Dis-moi “merci”

You men are all the same
Macho but cheap, bunch of cheating wimps
So predictable, no, I’m not certain that you deserve it
You’re lucky that we love you
Thank me

Rendez-vous, rendez-vous, rendez-vous au prochain règlement
Rendez-vous, rendez-vous, rendez-vous sûrement aux prochaines règles

Meeting, meeting, meeting, see you at the next time of the month
Meeting, meeting, meeting, certainly at the next times of the month

Cette fois c’était la dernière, tu peux croire que c’est qu’une crise
Mate une dernière fois mon derrière, il est à côté de mes valises
Tu diras au revoir à ta mère, elle qui t’idéalise
Tu n’vois même pas tout c’que tu perds avec une autre ce serait pire
Quoi toi aussi tu veux finir maintenant? C’est l’monde à l’envers
Moi, je l’disais pour t’faire réagir seulement, toi t’y pensais

This time was the last, you can believe that it’s only a crisis
Take one last look at my behind, it’s next to my suitcases
You’ll say goodbye to your mom, who idealizes you
You don’t even see everything you’ll use with another, it will be worse
What you also want to finish now? The world is turned upside down
I just said it to get a reaction, you meant it

Rendez-vous, rendez-vous, rendez-vous au prochain règlement
Rendez-vous, rendez-vous, rendez-vous sûrement aux prochaines règles

Meeting, meeting, meeting, see you at the next time of the month
Meeting, meeting, meeting, certainly at the next times of the month

Facile à dire, je suis gnangnan
Et que j’aime trop les bla-bla-bla, mais non, non, non, c’est important
Ce que t’appelles les ragnagnas, tu sais la vie, c’est des enfants
Mais comme toujours, c’est pas l’bon moment
Ah oui pour les faire là, tu es présent, mais pour les élever y aura qu’des absents

It’s easy to say I’m a wussy
And that I like talking too much, but no, it’s not important
What will you call my time of the month, You know life is for having kids
But like always, it’s never the right time
For making babies you’re here, but for raising them you’re gone.

Lorsque je n’serais plus belle ou du moins au naturel
Arrête je sais que tu mens, il n’y a que Kate Moss qui est éternelle
Moche ou bête (c’est jamais bon)
Bête ou belle (c’est jamais bon)
Belle ou moi (c’est jamais bon)
Moi ou elle (c’est jamais bon)

When I’m not beautiful anymore or at least without makeup
Stop! I know you’re lying. Only Kate Moss will stay beautiful forever
Ugly or stupid (it’s never good)
Ugly or stupid (it’s never good)
Me or here (t’s never good)

Rendez-vous, rendez-vous, rendez-vous au prochain règlement
Rendez-vous, rendez-vous, rendez-vous sûrement aux prochaines règles

Meeting, meeting, meeting, see you at the next time of the month
Meeting, meeting, meeting, certainly at the next times of the month

Tous les mêmes, tous les mêmes, tous les mêmes et y’en a marre
Tous les mêmes, tous les mêmes, tous les mêmes et y’en a marre
Tous les mêmes, tous les mêmes, tous les mêmes et y’en a marre
Tous les mêmes, tous les mêmes, tous les mêmes

All the same, all the same, all the same and I’ve had it
All the same, all the same, all the same and I’ve had it
All the same, all the same, all the same and I’ve had it
All the same, all the same, all the same

Listen to Tous Les Mêmes

This is the official video for Tous Les Memes on YouTube.

You can also listen on Spotify:

Become an expert in French song lyrics!
One of the most fun and exciting way to learn French is with song lyrics. For Stromae, we have pages covering the lyrics of “Alors on Danse“, “Formidable” and “Papaoutai” and “La Solassitude“.

For Indila, a leading French female singer, we have pages covering the lyrics of “Ainsi Bas La Vida“, “Tourner Dans Le Vide” and “Dernière Danse“.

For some older French songs, we have pages covering the lyrics of “La Vie En Rose” and “Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien” by Edith Piaf, “La Bohème” by Charles Aznavour, “La Mer” by Charles Trenet, “Les Champs Elysées” by Joe Dassin and “Je T’aime…Moi Non Plus” by Serge Gainsbourg.

Discover more:

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David Issokson

David Issokson is a lifelong language enthusiast. His head is swimming with words and sounds as he speaks over six languages. Of all the languages he speaks, he's the most passionate about French! David has helped hundreds of students to improve their French in his private online lessons. When procrastinating working on his site, FrenchLearner.com, David enjoys his time skiing and hiking in Teton Valley, Idaho.

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