c'est la vie
Chely Wright Lyrics


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It was a teenage wedding
And the old folks wished them well
You could see that Pierre
Did truly love the mademoiselle
Now the young monsieur and madame
Have rung the chapel bell
"C'est la vie" say the old folks
It goes to show you never can tell

They furnished off an apartment
With a two room Roebuck sale
The coolerator was crammed
With TV dinners and gingerale
But when Pierre found work
The little money comin' worked out well
"C'est la vie" say the old folks
It goes to show you never can tell

They had a Hi-Fi phono
And boy did they let it blast
Seven hundred little records
All rock rhythm and jazz
But when the sun went down
The rapid tempo of the music fell
"C'est la vie" say the old folks
It goes to show you never can tell

They bought a souped-up jitney
Was a cherry-red '53
Drove it down to Orleans
To celebrate their anniversary
It was there that Pierre
Was wedded to the lovely mademoiselle
"C'est la vie" say the old folks




It goes to show you never can tell
It goes to show you never can tell

Overall Meaning

Chely Wright's song "C'est La Vie" tells the story of a young couple, Pierre and his beloved Mademoiselle, who get married at a young age. Despite the doubts and apprehension of the old folks, who have seen the trials and tribulations of life, Pierre and the Mademoiselle are able to make their marriage work. The couple starts off with little money and basic furnishings, but they are able to make ends meet. Pierre finally finds work and they are able to live comfortably. The couple enjoys their youth by playing their music loud on their HiFi phono and taking a road trip to celebrate their anniversary in a "souped-up jitney."


The phrase "c'est la vie" is repeated throughout the song and is used as a way to acknowledge that life is unpredictable and full of surprises. It encapsulates the idea that despite our efforts, we never know what the future holds. The song is a homage to young love and the idea that young couples can make it through their journey together, despite the obstacles they may face.


Line by Line Meaning

It was a teenage wedding
The couple got married when they were teenagers


And the old folks wished them well
The elder people present at the wedding wished the couple well


You could see that Pierre
It was obvious that Pierre


Did truly love the mademoiselle
Loved the young lady very much


Now the young monsieur and madame
The couple (Pierre and the young lady)


Have rung the chapel bell
They have gotten married


"C'est la vie" say the old folks
"That's life," say the elderly people


It goes to show you never can tell
This story shows that you can never predict what will happen in life


They furnished off an apartment
They decorated their apartment


With a two room Roebuck sale
They furnished their apartment on a budget with furniture from a department store


The coolerator was crammed
The refrigerator was full


With TV dinners and gingerale
They had stocked up on microwavable dinners and soda


But when Pierre found work
But when Pierre got a job


The little money comin' worked out well
Their income improved


They had a Hi-Fi phono
They had a high-quality music player


And boy did they let it blast
And they played the music very loud


Seven hundred little records
They had a large collection of records


All rock rhythm and jazz
Their music collection was made up of rock, rhythm, and jazz genres


But when the sun went down
But when it got dark outside


The rapid tempo of the music fell
They stopped playing loud music


"C'est la vie" say the old folks
"That's life," say the elderly people


It goes to show you never can tell
This story shows that you can never predict what will happen in life


They bought a souped-up jitney
They bought a high-performance car


Was a cherry-red '53
It was a 1953 model in cherry-red color


Drove it down to Orleans
They took a road trip to New Orleans


To celebrate their anniversary
To celebrate their wedding anniversary


It was there that Pierre
It was at New Orleans that Pierre


Was wedded to the lovely mademoiselle
Renewed his vows to the lovely young lady


"C'est la vie" say the old folks
"That's life," say the elderly people


It goes to show you never can tell
This story shows that you can never predict what will happen in life


It goes to show you never can tell
This story shows that you can never predict what will happen in life




Contributed by Levi R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Comments from YouTube:

franckely

fantastic!! merci partager!!!