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Habanera From Carmen
Georges Bizet Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Que nul ne peut apprivoiser
Et c'est bien in vain qu′on l'appelle
S'il lui convient de refuser
Rien n′y fait, menace ou prière
L′un parle bien, l'autre se tait
Et c′est l'autre que je préfère
L'amour! L′amour! L'amour! L'amour!
L′amour est enfant de Bohême
Il n′a jamais jamais connu de loi
Si tou ne m'aimes pas, je t′aime
Si je t'aime, prends garde à toi!
Si tou ne m′aimes pas, si tou ne m'aimes pas, je t′aime
Mais si je t'aime, si je t'aime, prends garde à toi!
L′oiseau que tu croyais surprendere
Battit d′aile et s'envola
L′amour est loin, tu peux l'attendre
Tu ne l′attends pas, il est là
Tout atour de toi, vite vite
Il vient, s'en va, puis il revient
Tu crois le tenir, il t′evite
Tu crois l'eviter, il te tient
The lyrics to Georges Bizet's song "Habanera" from the opera Carmen speak about the elusive nature of love. The singer describes love as a rebellious bird that cannot be tamed or controlled by anyone. It refuses to be summoned and does not yield to threats or prayers. The singer confesses a preference for the silent one, the one who hasn't said anything but still captivates her.
The song continues to explore the unpredictable and lawless nature of love. Love is depicted as a Bohemian child who has never known any rules or boundaries. It states that if you do not love me, I love you, but if I love you, be careful. Love is portrayed as a force that cannot be contained or predicted.
The lyrics also emphasize the fleeting nature of love. The bird of love that one thought they had caught suddenly flaps its wings and flies away. Love is always distant, even when one waits for it. It comes and goes, teasing and eluding those who try to hold onto it. Love seems to play a game of avoidance and pursuit, always slipping through one's grasp.
Overall, the lyrics of "Habanera" convey the idea that love is a wild and untamed force that cannot be controlled or fully understood. It is both captivating and elusive, capable of bringing joy or causing harm.
Line by Line Meaning
L′amour est un oiseau rebelle
Love is a rebellious bird
Que nul ne peut apprivoiser
That no one can tame
Et c'est bien in vain qu′on l'appelle
And it is in vain that we call it
S'il lui convient de refuser
If it is suitable for it to refuse
Rien n′y fait, menace ou prière
Nothing works, neither threat nor prayer
L′un parle bien, l'autre se tait
One speaks well, the other remains silent
Et c′est l'autre que je préfère
And it is the other one that I prefer
Il n′a rien dit mais il me plait
He hasn't said anything but I like him
L'amour! L′amour! L'amour! L'amour!
Love! Love! Love! Love!
L′amour est enfant de Bohême
Love is a child of Bohemia
Il n′a jamais jamais connu de loi
It has never, never known any law
Si tou ne m'aimes pas, je t′aime
If you don't love me, I love you
Si je t'aime, prends garde à toi!
If I love you, beware!
Si tou ne m′aimes pas, si tou ne m'aimes pas, je t′aime
If you don't love me, if you don't love me, I love you
Mais si je t'aime, si je t'aime, prends garde à toi!
But if I love you, if I love you, beware!
L′oiseau que tu croyais surprendre
The bird that you thought you could surprise
Battit d′aile et s'envola
Flapped its wings and flew away
L′amour est loin, tu peux l'attendre
Love is far away, you can wait for it
Tu ne l′attends pas, il est là
You don't expect it, it is there
Tout autour de toi, vite vite
All around you, quickly, quickly
Il vient, s'en va, puis il revient
It comes, goes away, then it returns
Tu crois le tenir, il t'evite
You think you have it, it avoids you
Tu crois l'eviter, il te tient
You think you avoid it, it holds you
Writer(s): Georges Bizet
Contributed by Julian N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@felipemizael
L'amour est un oiseau rebelle
Que nul ne peut apprivoiser
Et c'est bien en vain qu'on l'appelle
S'il lui convient de refuser
Rien n'y fait, menace ou prière
L'un parle bien, l'autre se tait
Et c'est l'autre que je préfère
Il n'a rien dit; mais il me plaît
L'amour! L'amour! L'amour! L'amour!
L'amour est enfant de Bohême
Il n'a jamais, jamais connu de loi
Si tu ne m'aime pas, je t'aime
Si je t'aime, prend garde à toi!
Si tu ne m'aime pas
Si tu ne m'aime pas, je t'aime!
Mais, si je t'aime
Si je t'aime, prend garde à toi!
L'oiseau que tu croyais surprendre
Battit de l'aile et s'envola
L'amour est loin, tu peux l'attendre
Tu ne l'attend plus, il est là!
Tout autour de toi vite, vite
Il vient, s'en va, puis il revient!
Tu crois le tenir, il t'évite
Tu crois l'éviter, il te tient!
L'amour, l'amour, l'amour, l'amour!
L'amour est enfant de Bohême
Il n'a jamais, jamais connu de loi
Si tu ne m'aime pas, je t'aime
Si je t'aime, prend garde à toi!
Si tu ne m'aime pas
Si tu ne m'aime pas, je t'aime!
Mais, si je t'aime
Si je t'aime, prend garde à toi!
@powpow4793
I think it’s the first time I understand EVERY SINGLE WORD. Her diction is incredible and all of that while playing her role magnificently, WOW.
@operationrpt6314
哈哈哈哈i love jennie too
@steflupr7766
The worst is that she’s romanian and sings in perfect French without being French like dude chill out we understood you’re talented x)
@RC-xo6et
Yes! Her diction is incredible.
@marialuizep.7872
@stef lupr Actually, she is Italian, which probably helped with the diction. And I agree with you, her diction is very clear as if she pronounced each word carefully.
@gastonmichel1981
@stef lupr Romanian is a romance language. France is very widespread there.
@arielleleung
To answer all the corset stuff, corsets actually help the singer cuz it forces you to have correct posture and therefore is easier to sing in. Hope that helps :)
@keyd4211
They help with posture, and also are useful to press the diaphragm, but they also restrict breathing. Everyone who has worn a corset knows how hard is to breath with that thing on.
Sorry for my spelling mistakes, English is not my mother tongue.
@arielleleung
Key Delgado that’s right, but other than that corsets actually help the singer.
@danemanton86
@Key Delgado Your English grammar and spelling are actually very good. Very well done! 👍
Let me help you out with a couple of things..
The word your looking for is 'Diaphragm' (tough one to spell correctly even for fluent English speakers) but we know what you meant.👌🏽
Also, when you referred to the corset as "breath taking" you were very close and elaborated on it with your next sentence which was also nicely done. But I believe you meant to say "restricts breathing"👍🏼
One more thing, you don't need to use the word "is" after the word "It's" as the word "It's" combines the words "It & is" to create "It's"👍🏼
English is my mother tongue and I had no problem whatsoever understanding you so you did very well!👌🏽👍🏼
Out of curiousity, what is your mother tongue? (I'm going to guess a Mediterranean language, perhaps Portuguese/Spanish/Italian etc?)