Tel Père Tel Fils
Serge Lama Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Il emmagasine, il se tait,
Il cherche chez l'autre la faille
Et la cible oщ ficher son trait.
Il observe, il dйtaille, il scrute,
Il fouille l'autre au plus profond,
Jusqu'а l'endroit oщ son oeil bute
Et oщ s'йteignent les violons.
Il me semble qu'il me ressemble
Comme deux gouttes de soleil,
Il me semble qu'il me ressemble,
Je le contemple, il me surveille,
Tel pиre, tel fils, on est pareils.
Il dйtaille, il scrute, il observe,
Il affыte son oeil qui luit
Jusqu'а ce que l'autre s'йnerve
Et se rйvиle malgrй lui.
Il fouille, il observe, il dйtaille,
Il dissиque d'un oeil glouton,
Effilochant maille aprиs maille
La laine а mкme le mouton.
Il me semble qu'il me ressemble
Comme deux gouttes d'eau du ciel,
Il me semble qu'il me ressemble,
Un peu de poivre dans du miel,
Tel pиre, tel fils pour l'essentiel.
Il observe, il dйtaille, il fouille
Et se dйsespиre en trouvant
Chez l'autre cette mкme trouille
Et ce mкme rкve mouvant.
Il me semble qu'il me ressemble
Comme deux gouttes d'au-delа,
Le pire et le meilleur de moi,
Tel pиre, tel fils, enfin, je crois.
The lyrics of Serge Lama's song Tel Père Tel Fils describe the similarities and differences between a father and son. The father is described as someone who scrutinizes, observes, and looks for faults in others, while keeping it all to himself. He is compared to an archer looking for a target to shoot at. The son sees himself in his father, claiming they are alike as "two drops of sunlight." He watches his father, who in turn watches him, and they are said to be similar in every way, as the song's refrain repeats "Tel pиre, tel fils, on est pareils."
The song goes on to describe how the father's scrutiny of others can sometimes lead to tension and frustration, but also how he dissects everything with a gluttonous eye. The son continues to see himself in his father, comparing them to "two drops of water from the sky," with a bit of spice added to the sweetness. The final verse describes how the father and son both have moments of fear and uncertainty, as well as moving dreams. The son once again sees his father in himself, describing him as the best and the worst of him.
Overall, Serge Lama's Tel Père Tel Fils explores the complex relationship between a father and son, highlighting their similarities and differences, as well as the gifts and flaws they share.
Line by Line Meaning
Il scrute, il observe, il détaille,
He examines and scrutinizes with great attention to detail.
Il emmagasine, il se tait,
He stores all the information he gathers and remains silent.
Il cherche chez l'autre la faille
He searches in others for their weaknesses.
Et la cible où ficher son trait.
To find the perfect place to strike.
Il observe, il détaille, il scrute,
He continuously observes, pays attention to the finer points, and closely examines.
Il fouille l'autre au plus profond,
He delves deeper into the other person.
Jusqu'à l'endroit où son œil bute
Until he reaches the point where he cannot gather any more information.
Et où s'éteignent les violons.
And where the music stops playing, metaphorically meaning the end of something or the end of their encounter.
Il me semble qu'il me ressemble
It seems to me that he is just like me in every way.
Comme deux gouttes de soleil,
Like two rays of sunshine, meaning they are very similar.
Il me semble qu'il me ressemble,
Again, it seems that he is very similar to me.
Je le contemple, il me surveille,
I look at him while he monitors me, implying they are watching each other closely.
Tel père, tel fils, on est pareils.
Like father, like son, we are alike, suggesting they are related or have a close relationship.
Il détaille, il scrute, il observe,
He pays attention to detail, examines closely and continuously observes.
Il affûte son œil qui luit
He sharpens his shining eye, meaning he is sharpening his observation and examination skills.
Jusqu'à ce que l'autre s'énerve
Until the other person becomes irritated or agitated.
Et se révèle malgré lui.
Revealing something unintentionally.
Il fouille, il observe, il détaille,
He probes, examines and dissects what he is observing, paying attention to the finer details.
Il dissèque d'un œil glouton,
He dissects with a greedy eye, implying he is not only observing, but also keen on finding something to his advantage.
Effilochant maille après maille
Unraveling each thread one by one.
La laine à même le mouton.
Examining the wool even when it is still on the sheep, meaning no detail is too small to go unnoticed.
Il me semble qu'il me ressemble,
Once again, it seems like he is just like me.
Comme deux gouttes d'eau du ciel,
Like two drops of water falling from the sky as rain, which are identical and alike.
Il me semble qu'il me ressemble,
It continues to appear that he and I are very similar.
Un peu de poivre dans du miel,
A little pepper in the honey, meaning there are subtle differences between them, but they are still alike in fundamental ways.
Tel père, tel fils pour l'essentiel.
Like father, like son, essentially they are very much alike.
Il observe, il détaille, il fouille
He watches, examines, and probes.
Et se désespère en trouvant
And he despairs when he finds.
Chez l'autre cette même trouille
The same fears in the other.
Et ce même rêve mouvant.
And the same moving dream, suggesting that they have similar aspirations and hopes.
Il me semble qu'il me ressemble,
Yet again, it seems as though he is just like me.
Comme deux gouttes d'au-delà,
Similar to two drops from the beyond, further conveying their great resemblance.
Le pire et le meilleur de moi,
The worst and the best parts of me, suggesting that he and his counterpart, perhaps his father or son, possess both good and bad attributes that are alike.
Tel père, tel fils, enfin, je crois.
Like father, like son, finally, I believe.
Contributed by Jayden I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.