Rosa
Brel Jaques Lyrics

Rosa rosa rosam
Repetition of the Latin noun 'rosa' in different cases: accusative, singular, feminine. It means 'rose' and refers to the first declension noun in Latin.

Rosae rosae rosa
Repetition of the Latin noun 'rosa' in different cases: nominative and vocative, singular, feminine. It means 'rose' and refers to the first declension noun in Latin.

Rosae rosae rosas
Repetition of the Latin noun 'rosa' in different cases: nominative and vocative, plural, feminine. It means 'roses' and refers to the first declension noun in Latin.

Rosarum rosis rosis
Repetition of the Latin noun 'rosa' in different cases: genitive, plural, feminine. It means 'of roses' and refers to the first declension noun in Latin.

C'est le plus vieux tango du monde
'This is the oldest tango in the world.' The singer is introducing the song as a traditional and classic tango.

Celui que les têtes blondes
'The one that fair-haired heads.' The singer suggests that the song is well-known to young people.

Ânonnent comme une ronde
'In which they mumble like a circle dance.' The singer is describing the way that young people learn and recite the song, almost like a chant or game.

En apprenant leur latin
'While learning their Latin.' The singer is referencing the fact that the lyrics of the song are in Latin and that students might learn it in a Latin course.

C'est le tango du collège
'This is the tango of the high school.' The singer is specifying that the song is related to school and education.

Qui prend les rêves au piège
'That traps dreams.' The singer suggests that the song is somehow restrictive or limiting, capturing the imagination of young people in a certain way.

Et dont il est sacrilège
'And that it is sacrilege.' The singer is emphasizing the importance of knowing the song and the severe consequences of not knowing it.

De ne pas sortir malin
'To not come out clever.' The singer is suggesting that knowing the song is a key component of succeeding in school or society.

C'est le tango des bons pères
'This is the tango of good fathers.' The singer is referencing the role that parents or authority figures play in the education or upbringing of young people.

Qui surveillent l'oeil sévère
'Who watch with a severe eye.' The singer is emphasizing the strictness of these figures and their expectations for young people.

Les Jules et les Prosper
'Jules and Prosper.' The singer is referencing common French names, likely of young people who would be learning this song in school.

Qui seront la France de demain
'Who will be the France of tomorrow.' The singer is highlighting the importance of education and the impact that young people will have on their country's future.

C'est le tango des forts en thème
'This is the tango of the strong in the theme.' The singer is describing the song as being popular among high-achieving students or intellectuals.

Boutonneux jusqu'à l'extrême
'Pimply to the extreme.' The singer is using a humorous or self-deprecating tone to describe the appearance of these young intellectuals.

Et qui recouvrent de laine
'And who cover themselves in wool.' The singer is referencing the stereotype of intellectual students as being nerdy or unfashionable.

Leur cœur qui est déjà froid
'Their heart, which is already cold.' The singer suggests that these students may be socially isolated or disengaged from their peers.

C'est le tango des forts en rien
'This is the tango of the strong in nothing.' The singer contrasts this group with the previous one, suggesting that some students might not be academically talented or interested.

Qui déclinent de chagrin
'Who decline with sadness.' The singer is emphasizing the struggles that some students might face in school or in life more generally.

Et qui seront pharmaciens
'And will become pharmacists.' The singer is referencing a common career path for students who are not academically successful or motivated.

Parce que papa ne l'était pas
'Because their father was not one.' The singer is suggesting that many students might follow in their parents' footsteps and take on similar careers to theirs.

C'est le temps où j'étais dernier
'This is the time when I was last.' The singer is using a personal anecdote to connect to the song and its themes of education and youth.

Car ce tango rosa rosae
'Because of this tango rosa rosae.' The singer is highlighting the role that the song played in their own experiences as a student.

J'inclinais à lui préférer
'I inclined to prefer it.' The singer suggests that they personally enjoyed the song and found it meaningful or memorable.

Déjà ma cousine Rosa
'Already my cousin Rosa.' The singer makes a personal reference to someone in their family, connecting the song to their own experiences and relationships.

C'est le tango des promenades
'This is the tango of walks.' The singer is suggesting that the song was popular among young couples who might have walked together while listening to it.

Deux par seul sous les arcades
'Two by themselves under the arcades.' The singer is referencing a specific type of architecture or space that might have been common in France, possibly romantically associated.

Cerclés de corbeaux et d'alcades
'Surrounded by crows and arches.' The singer is using imagery to evoke a specific mood or atmosphere, possibly related to Gothic or medieval themes.

Qui nous protégeaient des pourquoi
'That protected us from the whys.' The singer is acknowledging the feeling of being young and naive, when it was easier to simply enjoy the moment without questioning it.

C'est le tango de la pluie sur la cour
'This is the tango of the rain on the courtyard.' The singer is describing a specific location or setting in which the song might have been popular.

Le miroir d'une flaque sans amour
'The mirror of a loveless puddle.' The singer is using metaphor to suggest that the song reflects a certain mood or feeling, possibly related to loneliness or heartbreak.

Qui m'a fait comprendre un beau jour
'That made me understand one beautiful day.' The singer is referencing a personal realization or insight that they had while listening to the song.

Que je ne serai pas Vasco de Gama
'That I will not be Vasco de Gama.' The singer is referencing a famous Portuguese explorer, using hyperbole to suggest that they had a moment of clarity or perspective about their own life and potential.

Mais c'est le tango du temps béni
'But this is the tango of blessed times.' The singer contrasts the previous lines with a more positive sentiment, perhaps suggesting that the song can evoke a variety of emotions or memories.

Où pour un baiser trop petit
'Where for a kiss too small.' The singer is referencing a specific moment or experience from their past, that might have been associated with the song.

Dans la clairière d'un jeudi
'In the clearing of a Thursday.' The singer is using specific details to conjure a sense of time and place, almost like a memory or dream.

A rosi cousine Rosa
'To blushing cousin Rosa.' The singer completes the reference to their cousin, suggesting that the song might have been associated with a romantic or familial relationship.

C'est le tango du temps des zéros
'This is the tango of the time of zeros.' The singer is referencing a specific period in their life, possibly their experience in school or as a young person more generally.

J'en avais tant des minces des gros
'I had so many of them, thin and fat.' The singer is referencing the different types of grades or accomplishments that they might have had during this time in their life.

Que j'en faisais des tunnels pour Charlot
'That I made tunnels for Charlot.' The singer is using humor or exaggeration to describe their own experiences, perhaps suggesting that they did not take themselves too seriously.

Des auréoles pour Saint François
'Halos for Saint Francis.' The singer is using religious imagery to describe their own experiences, possibly referencing their own faith or upbringing.

C'est le tango des récompenses
'This is the tango of rewards.' The singer is referencing the expectations and rewards that are associated with educational achievement, or perhaps with life more generally.

Qui allaient à ceux qui ont de la chance
'That went to those who are lucky.' The singer is contrasting the idea of skill or ability with the role that luck can play in determining outcomes in life.

D'apprendre dès leur enfance
'To have learned from their childhood.' The singer is emphasizing the role that early education and experiences can play in shaping future opportunities and success.

Tout ce qui ne leur servira pas
'All that will not serve them.' The singer is suggesting that some educational experiences might not be practical or useful in the real world.

Mais c'est le tango que l'on regrette
'But this is the tango that one regrets.' The singer is referencing a sense of nostalgia or longing that can be associated with reflecting on the past.

Une fois que le temps s'achète
'Once time is bought.' The singer is referencing a sense of regret or loss that can be associated with growing older and realizing that certain opportunities are no longer available.

Et que l'on s'aperçoit tout bête
'And that one realizes, feeling foolish.' The singer is acknowledging the feeling of regret or foolishness that can accompany these realizations.

Qu'il y a des épines aux Rosa
'That there are thorns on the roses.' The singer is using metaphor to suggest that life is not always easy, and that even experiences or memories that seem beautiful or perfect can have hidden challenges or difficulties.