Face À La Mer Lyrics in English Calogero , Passi

Below, I translated the lyrics of the song Face À La Mer by Calogero from French to English.
Nobody chooses their origin or their skin color
Like dreaming of a castle life when you live in the ghetto
Born with a vise round your neck, like Hugo's Cosette
Born in fatigues in a war, praying to the Most High
Son of the C.O.N.G.O, I've got this hate on the M.I.C.R.O
I've got the weight of words
Get out from the bottom, dream of ripping that canvas apart
Made of arms and tears
Made of blood and sobs
Facing the sea
I should've grown up
Face down on the ground
I could've died
I get back up
I grab my last dream
We both have the same hunger and we're both let down
I grab my last dream
It's drought on land where we never stop sowing
Sadness in eyes that can't cry
I've got many distant dreams, I've rebelled so much
I've swallowed loads of bullsh*t and it got me too sick
In life there are blows that hit deep and blows that glance
From the 'got a euro?' to the snatch-and-run blow
There's the State, the welfare crowd, the 'just go work'
If you're down low you gotta grind, you just can't quit
You never knew it, wanting to bag the dough
Throwing left-rights facing the sea, far from troubles
You never knew it, the urge to break out, dishing out the blows
Left-rights with a menacing look
Facing the sea
I should've grown up
Face down on the ground
I could've died
I get back up
I grab my last dream
We both have the same hunger and we're both let down
I grab my last dream
Facing the sea
You're the one who resists
Face down on the ground
Your name on the list
With all your being
Summoned to appear
It's the story of this pen choking in the tar
That gray matter the country never bought
We get back up, we floor it, aiming for the Pantheon
A shout-out to those who got it, who dream of consecration
The hunger, the drive, I've got it like my pals do
We wanna touch the starry sky without dropping our pants
Too few fairy godmothers and too many Cinderellas
Calo, Passi 2.0.0.4 action
Facing the sea
I should've grown up
Face down on the ground
I could've died
I get back up
I grab my last dream
Both with the same hunger, we're both disappointed
I grab my last dream
Both with the same hunger, we both aim higher
I grab my last dream
Outro
Nobody chooses their origin or their skin color
Like dreaming of a castle life
When you live in the ghetto
Born with a vise round your neck, like Hugo's Cosette
Born in fatigues in the conflict
And pray to the Most High
Outro
Son of the C.O.N.G.O
I've got this hate on the M.I.C.R.O
I've got the weight of words
Outro
Facing the sea we all wanna grow up
Calo, Passi too young to die
Lyrics and Translations Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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SONG MEANING

Face À La Mer pairs Calogero’s soaring pop-rock vocals with Passi’s grounded rap, creating a vivid dialogue between dreams and harsh reality. The title means “Facing the Sea,” an image of standing on the shoreline where the past is behind you and an open horizon beckons. Through lines like “On ne choisit ni son origine, ni sa couleur de peau,” the song highlights how none of us choose our birthplace or skin color, yet we all share the instinct to look beyond our circumstances. Calogero (a French singer with Italian roots) brings melodic hope, while Passi’s verses paint the concrete details of life in the ghetto: tight finances, social labels, and the constant push to “cravacher” (work like crazy) just to stay afloat.

Despite the gritty snapshots—torn dreams, empty pockets, fists clenched in frustration—the chorus keeps lifting its head “face à la mer,” insisting on resilience, ambition, and unity. Each repetition of “Je me relève, je prends mon dernier rêve” is a refusal to stay face-down in the dirt. The sea becomes a metaphor for escape and limitless possibility; turning toward it means choosing hope over resignation. In just three and a half minutes, the song celebrates those who keep hustling for a better view of the horizon, transforming anger into art and hunger into forward motion.

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