Learn French With Claudio Capéo with these 10 Song Recommendations (Full Translations Included!)

Claudio Capéo
LF Content Team | Updated on 2 February 2023
Learning French with Claudio Capéo's music is fun, engaging, and includes a cultural aspect that is often missing from other language learning methods. It is also great way to supplement your learning and stay motivated to keep learning French!
Below are 10 song recommendations by Claudio Capéo to get you started! Alongside each recommendation, you will find a snippet of the lyric translations with links to the full lyric translations and lessons for each of the songs!
CONTENTS SUMMARY
T'en Aller (Go Away)
Il te dit qu'il t'aime
Et que tu es belle
Il te caresse avec
Des épines de roses
He tells you he loves you
And that you're beautiful
He strokes you with
Rose thorns

France’s Claudio Capéo turns his powerful voice toward a dark but important topic: the trap of an abusive relationship disguised as grand romance. The lyrics paint a chilling picture of a partner who whispers “I love you” while wounding with “thorns of roses,” blames his victim when he “explodes,” and keeps her locked in a cycle of apologies and fear. Over an urgent folk-pop beat, Capéo’s accordion swells like storm clouds, matching the tension between honey-sweet promises and the harsh reality of control.

Throughout the chorus, the repeated command “tu dois t’en aller” (you have to leave) becomes a lifeline. Capéo urges the listener to

  • jump off the “drunken ship” before it sinks,
  • “hoist words” and speak out so others can help,
  • believe that a clear horizon awaits once she escapes those “arms of hell.” The song ends on a note of hope: the wind will rise, the sky will clear, and though scars remain, freedom is possible. In short, “T’en Aller” is both a stark warning and an anthem of courage for anyone who needs to walk away from toxic love.
Mamma (Mom)
Mamma, sur mon cartable
J'ai dessiné mes plus belles idées
Mamma, il mondo fuori
Mi fa pausa se non ci sei
Mamma, on my schoolbag
I've drawn my best ideas
Mamma, the world outside
Scares me if you're not there

Mamma is Claudio Capéo’s warm love letter to his mother, sung in a playful mix of French and Italian. With the innocent image of a cartable (schoolbag) covered in his “most beautiful ideas,” the singer captures a childlike moment when dreams are still sketched in bright colors and a parent’s presence makes the outside world less scary. He confesses that the chaos of grown-ups “doesn’t make him dream,” so he slows down, savors imagination, and keeps his mother close in his thoughts.

The chorus rings like a promise: life is waiting, but he will face it “con coraggio a testa alta”—with courage and head held high—so that one day he can return, embrace her, and make her proud. This tender anthem celebrates the comfort of family, the bravery of following one’s own path, and the timeless bond between a son and the mamma who believes in him.

Ma Jolie (But Jolie)
Petite fille a les yeux mouillés ce matin
Mais ce n'est pas la pluie
Ce sont ses p'tits copains
Qui lui disent qu'elle est grosse
Little girl has tear-filled eyes this morning
But it's not the rain
It's her buddies
Who tell her she's fat

“Ma Jolie” paints the portrait of a sensitive schoolgirl who hides her tears behind rain-soaked eyes. Classmates tease her for being “grosse” or “moche,” and the playground feels more like a courtroom than a place to laugh. When words wound, she slips into her notebook, filling page after page with poems, mirages, and far-off voyages. Her guitar becomes a ticket to another world where kind princes wait and problems melt away.

Yet the song is anything but gloomy. Claudio Capéo becomes a gentle guardian, whispering a promise: “Tu verras, ma jolie… le bonheur est un présent que l’on retrouve quand on s’oublie.” In other words, joy comes when we stop judging ourselves through others’ eyes. The chorus rings like a pep-talk: soon she will laugh so loudly that the whole earth will “tremble with envy.” “Ma Jolie” is an uplifting hymn to creativity, self-belief, and the idea that even the most fragile child can grow into a force of nature—if she only dares to smile and step forward without fear.

Ta Main (Your Hand)
Elles sont liées bien souvent et parfois elles sont libres
Elles font des cerf-volants, elles écrivent des livres
Parfois elles sont ouvertes, parfois elles sont courantes
Y a des gens qui les ferment et des gens qui les tendent
They're often joined and sometimes they're free
They make kites, they write books
Sometimes they're open, sometimes they're filed
Some people close them and some people stretch them out

Ta Main (Your Hand) is Claudio Capéo’s warm invitation to look at our hands not just as body parts but as storytellers of humanity. Throughout the song, he lists the incredible things hands can do: launch kites, write books, dry tears, hold weapons, build playgrounds. By mixing gentle images with harsher realities, Capéo reminds us that every palm carries both the power to hurt and the power to heal.

The chorus breaks into a playful call: “Donne-moi ta main, gamin” – Give me your hand, kid. Capéo envisions a simple gesture that becomes a living chain, a joyful circle where no one is left out and everyone’s hands are “plein” – full of possibility. The message is clear and uplifting: when we choose to reach out, we transform loneliness into connection, fear into solidarity, and empty hands into tools for change.

Ça Va Ça Va (It's Okay.)
A toi la fille qui me rend si
Dur et si tendre
Qui sait m'parler
Quand j'suis barré
To you, the girl who makes me so
Hard and so tender
Who knows how to talk to me
When I'm gone

“Ça Va Ça Va” is Claudio Capéo’s lively way of saying “I’m fine… sort of.” Behind the upbeat accordion and sing-along chorus, the French artist opens his heart to three groups of people: the girl who softens his rough edges, the loyal friend who never lets go of his hand, and everyone he may have overlooked along the way. To each of them he confesses that life can feel like a stormy sea, where beer tastes flat, joy hides, and his soul gets tangled in gloomy nets. Yet when they ask the classic French question “Ça va ?”, he reflexively answers “Ça va, ça va, ça va” – a triple-layered smile that only partly masks the weight he carries.

The song’s real message is tucked inside its refrain: “As long as the heart keeps beating, it’s going to be OK.” Capéo reminds us that even when we feel adrift, love, friendship, and simple human warmth keep us afloat. The tune celebrates vulnerability, gratitude, and resilience all at once – turning a casual greeting into an anthem of honest emotion and quiet hope.

C'est Une Chanson (It's A Song)
C'est une chanson que me chantait ma mère
Qui parle d'amour et d'Italie
Je la porte en moi c'est comme une prière
Pour les jours où je n'aime pas la vie
It's a song my mother used to sing to me
That talks about love and Italy
I carry it inside me, it's like a prayer
For the days when I don't like life

C’est Une Chanson feels like opening an old family photo album that sings back to you. Claudio Capéo remembers the lullaby his mother used to hum, a gentle blend of French warmth and Italian nostalgia. The lyrics celebrate simple treasures: love, soil beneath your feet, and pride in shaping your future with your own hands. Instead of chasing gold, the song urges you to treasure what really matters and to keep your roots close to your heart.

Capéo then wraps those lessons in a comforting Italian refrain — “Presto tutto sarà più bello… Addormentati bambino e sogni d’oro” (“Soon everything will be better… Fall asleep child and dream of gold”). It is a promise that pain passes, dreams protect, and life can be a party even when days are dark. Whenever the world feels heavy, this song becomes a small personal prayer whispering: keep dreaming, keep dancing, I’m always here.

Tour De France
J'aime tes vins de Bourgogne
Qui m'racontent des histoires
Tes petites piquettes qui collent
Et sentent bon le terroir
I love your Burgundy wines
That tell me stories
Your little cheap wines that stick
And smell of the terroir

“Tour De France” is Claudio Capéo’s heartfelt postcard to his homeland. Through vivid snapshots – the Bourgogne wines that “tell stories,” lazy games of pétanque in sunny squares, the scent of mint syrup on a café terrace – he invites us on a sensory road-trip across France. Each line celebrates a different flavor, sound, or landscape: tropical dreams in overseas territories, circus tents in the countryside, fireworks on 14 July. Capéo reminds us that in France you feel libre, égal, fraternel – free, equal, brotherly – even when the nation argues or raises its fist in protest.

The chorus delivers the core message: you can circle the globe, fall for Vienna or Florence, brunettes or blondes, yet “on n’fait jamais le tour de France” – you can never truly finish touring France. Its regions are endless mosaics of character, always leaving a “little piece” still to discover and love. The song is both patriotic anthem and travel diary, blending affection, humor, and pride to say: wherever you roam, France’s smile keeps calling you home.

Laisse Aller (Let It Go)
Elle me dit dépêche-toi
T'es encore en retard pour travailler
Tout le monde t'attend c'est pas le moment d'hésiter
Je lui dis laisse aller, laisse aller
She tells me, hurry up
You're late for work again
Everybody's waiting for you, it's not the time to hesitate
I tell her, let it go, let it go

Claudio Capéo serves up a feel-good anthem that tells everyday worries to take a hike. From the morning rush and gloomy office chatter to break-up blues at lunch and a chaotic living room after work, everyone around him is stressing out. His answer is always the same: “laisse aller”let it go. The catchy refrain becomes a musical shrug, turning each small drama into a reason to smile and keep moving.

Beneath the playful accordion and sing-along chorus, the song offers a simple life lesson: choose joy on purpose. Capéo reminds us that every day can be a party if we tune out the noise and listen to that upbeat voice in our heads. So next time someone tells you the sky is falling, just press play, hum the chorus and … laisse aller!

Un Homme Debout (A Man Standing)
Si je m'endors, me réveillerez-vous?
Il fait si froid dehors, le ressentez-vous?
Il fut un temps où j'étais comme vous
Malgré toutes mes galères, je reste un homme debout
If I fall asleep, will you wake me up?
It's so cold outside, do you feel it?
There was a time when I was like you
Despite all my troubles, I stay a man standing

Picture this: a bustling French sidewalk, footsteps echoing, everyone hurrying past… until a raspy accordion and a warm voice pull you in. Un Homme Debout (“A Man Still Standing”) slips you into the worn shoes of someone living on the streets. Claudio Capéo sings from the perspective of a modern troubadour who asks simple, heartbreaking questions: “Will you wake me if I fall asleep? Do you feel how cold it is?” Despite the chilly nights, empty pockets, and polite indifference he meets, the narrator keeps his dignity and hope alive.

The song’s core message is a rallying cry for empathy. Capéo reminds us that homelessness can happen to anyone, that every passer-by holds the power of a smile, a coin, or even just a “Bonjour.” With its catchy la-la-las and upbeat accordion, the track turns a difficult topic into an anthem of resilience—showing that, no matter the hardship, “je reste un homme debout” – “I’m still standing.”

Si J’avais Su (If I Had Known)
Je t'aurais dit toutes les choses
Que je ne t'avais jamais dites
Que ta peau a l'odeur des roses
Que j'adore le prénom Edith
I'd have told you everything
That I'd never told you before
That your skin smells like roses
That I love the name Edith

Si J’avais Su is Claudio Capéo’s moving reminder that time never stops, so our words of love shouldn’t wait either. Through nostalgic images — from comparing a loved one’s wrinkles to ocean waves to imagining laughter echoing in a hospital room — the singer rewinds the clock and lists everything he would have said or done if he had known this was their final goodbye. Each line feels like a heartfelt post-it note stuck to moments we often take for granted.

The song blends warmth, humor and sorrow to teach a powerful lesson: speak up, cherish people, and share affection today, because life rarely warns us when it is the “first time we see someone for the last time.” It is both a gentle hug and a playful nudge, encouraging listeners to swap silence for sincerity, and to turn everyday encounters into unforgettable memories.

We have more songs with translations on our website and mobile app. You can find the links to the website and our mobile app below. We hope you enjoy learning French with music!