What is the song about?
The meal is over, and it has been a lovely evening. The narrator calls the waiter, asks for l'addition (the bill), pays by card, and leaves a pourboire (tip). In the bridge, he tells his friend to put his wallet away: tonight, the treat is on him.
Useful words and expressions
- L'addition, s'il vous plaît: the classic phrase for asking for the bill at a restaurant ("The bill, please").
- les espèces / la carte: cash / bank card. Espèces ou carte ? ("Cash or card?") is a common question at the checkout.
- la carte bleue: in France, the everyday name for a bank or debit card.
- le sans contact: contactless payment (tapping the card on the terminal).
- le ticket: the receipt.
- le pourboire: the tip left for the waiter.
- le portefeuille (wallet), ne pas sortir un sou (not to take out a penny): not spending any money.
- C'est moi qui vais payer ("I'm the one who's going to pay") / c'est pour moi ("it's on me"): used to treat someone.
- Bonne soirée !: a standard way to say "Have a good evening!" when leaving at night.
Grammar
- Passé simple (literary past): la soirée fut belle, ce fut délicieux, le serveur fut pro. This is mainly a written and literary tense. In spoken French, people say la soirée a été belle instead.
- Passé composé: le café est bu (passive: the coffee is drunk), le temps a couru (time flew by).
- Futur proche (near future): c'est moi qui vais payer.
- Emphasis (la mise en relief): c'est moi qui… ("it's me who…") to emphasize the person doing the action.
- Imperative: range ton portefeuille ("put your wallet away"), ne sors pas un sou ("don't take out a penny") (using the informal tu between friends).
- Il me faut + noun: il me faut le ticket = I need the receipt (j'ai besoin du ticket).
Watch out: do not copy
- Garçon ! to call the waiter is outdated and can sound rude today. Say Excusez-moi or S'il vous plaît, monsieur/madame instead.
- Je paie le grand tout is not a real French expression: it is only there for the rhyme. People say je paie tout or c'est pour moi.
- C'est pour ma pomme is informal (pour ma pomme = for me / on me); this expression is mostly used when stuck with something unpleasant.
- Sans faire de couac (a couac is a sour note or a small hiccup) and pour mon petit sac ("for my little bag") are chosen for the rhyme.
- C'est bien agréable ("it's very pleasant") right after nous voulons payer ("we want to pay") sounds a bit odd: it is also there for the rhyme.
- Pro (short for professionnel) is informal and clashes here with the very formal passé simple.