What is the song about?

The singer presents his family as a large tree with strong roots. He first mentions his parents, his brother and his sister. Next come his wise grandparents, followed by his uncle, aunt and cousins gathered for a celebratory meal. He finishes with his nephew, his niece and his wife. For him, family is his identity and a bond that lasts forever.

Useful vocabulary

  • la mère, le père, le frère, la sœur: immediate family
  • la grand-mère, le grand-père, les grands-parents
  • l'oncle, la tante, le cousin, la cousine
  • le neveu, la nièce, l'épouse (the married woman)
  • un arbre généalogique: the diagram of an entire family over several generations
  • les racines: the part of the tree underground, and figuratively our origins
  • défier le temps: to resist the passage of time
  • raconter le passé: to talk about past events
  • un repas de fête: a big meal for a special occasion
  • donner de la voix: to sing or speak loudly
  • les traits du visage: the shape of the nose, eyes, and mouth

Idiomatic expression

Les chiens ne font pas des chats: children resemble their parents, physically or in character.

Grammar

  • Possessive adjectives: mon père, ma mère, mes cousins. Before a feminine noun starting with a vowel, we use mon instead of ma: mon identité. Before a masculine noun starting with a vowel, we also keep mon: mon oncle, mon arbre.
  • Bel instead of beau before a vowel: mon bel arbre, but un beau tableau.
  • Near future (aller + infinitive): Mon oncle et ma tante vont venir ce soir.
  • Savoir + infinitive: Mon grand-père sait m'encourager.
  • On = nous in spoken French: on rit, on boit, on parle.
  • Reciprocal reflexive verbs: on s'écoute, on s'aide (each other).

Note: poetic license

  • C'est ma famille qui jamais ne s'use: this word order is poetic. In everyday French, you say qui ne s'use jamais. Furthermore, the verb s'user is usually used for an object (shoes wearing out). Here, it is chosen to rhyme with épouse.
  • En toute amitié is a phrase written at the end of a letter to a friend. For family, one would rather speak of amour or affection. It is used here to rhyme with identité.
  • J'adore écouter ces grands-parents: you would normally say mes grands-parents. Ces is chosen for the rhythm of the line.