Cavale Lyrics in English by Coeur De Pirate

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Below, I translated the lyrics of the song Cavale by Coeur De Pirate from French to English.

These lyrics have verified word for word translations. Click any lyric word to see the translation and hear the pronunciation!

Verse 1

I often think back to moments past

Putting on glitter, getting myself noticed

By you and those in neon tights

Who shouted your name loudly from afar

I spent hours on the commute

To love you, to finally be able to find you again

And spend even just a moment

In your parents' house

Prechorus 1

But as soon as you found out

That my heart had gone on the run

You grabbed the chance and headed for your layover

Chorus 1

But where

Where will you go, where will you go

When the regrets return?

What are you becoming, what are you becoming

If you still deny the end?

More than once, next to nothing

Verse 2

Your blue eyes, blunt-cut bangs

You seemed like a mountain in the middle of the tides

And you stayed icy in front of me

While my whole being melted before you

Prechorus 2

But as soon as you found out

That my heart had gone on the run

You grabbed the chance and headed for your layover

Chorus 2

But where

Where will you go, where will you go

When the regrets return?

What are you becoming, what are you becoming

If you still deny the end?

More than once, next to nothing

Postchorus 1

But who

Who will you be, who will you be

When the memories return?

How much shame, how much shame

For what we would have become

If you had wanted me?

Verse 3

And when I see you again

You come to take me in your arms

You tell me how well I seem to be doing

And I know you blame yourself

For having let that chance to kiss me slip away

Chorus 3

But where

Where will you go, where will you go

When the regrets return?

What are you becoming, what are you becoming

If you still deny the end?

More than once, next to nothing

Postchorus 2

But who

Who will you be, who will you be

When the memories return?

How much shame, how much shame

For what we would have become

If you had wanted me

Did you like this lyrics translation?

cavale — on the run / escape

Cavale literally means an 'escape' or 'flight', often used to describe a prisoner who is on the run. It's a dramatic and slightly edgy word that you won't hear every day.

In this song, Coeur de Pirate uses it in a beautiful metaphor: "mon coeur partait en cavale" (my heart was going on the run). This paints a vivid picture of her feelings as wild, unstoppable, and breaking free, adding a powerful layer of emotion to the story.

Canadian pop artist Cœur de Pirate looks straight back at the awkward, sparkling mess of teenage longing in "Cavale". She remembers coating herself in glitter ("mettre des paillettes" [putting on glitter]) just to catch the eye of someone with bright blue eyes and a blunt bob hairstyle ("Tes yeux de bleu, frange au carré"). Back then, she would ride public transit for hours just to spend a few minutes at their parents' house, competing for attention against girls in neon tights who screamed this person's name across the crowd. While she was melting with devotion, her crush acted as chilly and unmoving as an iceberg.

The turning point comes when feelings get real. In French, the title word cavale comes from the slang phrase en cavale, which means "on the run" like an escaped fugitive. The moment the crush realised her heart was bolting ("dès que tu as su / Que mon coeur partait en cavale"), they treated it like an excuse to jump ship ("saisi l'occas'", short for saisi l'occasion [grabbed the chance]) and slip away. Years later, they cross paths again. The former crush acts friendly, offers a hug, and marvels at how great she looks. But the tables have turned: now they are the one stuck wondering what could have been, left holding the bag of regret while pretending the spark was never there.

Did you know?

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Yes, including Cavale by Coeur De Pirate!

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Coeur De Pirate Cavale Lyrics