Corbeau

Et deux par deux san competer nos morts Qu'on laisse derrière des ébauches fanées Des secrets de carrière Et trois par trois nos cœurs essouflés Des secousses folles on réfléchit plus tard Maintenant il faut rêver

Et je ne sais plus à quoi penser C'est dur d'être libre comme toi Et je ne sais plus à qui penser C'est fini rhabille-toi

Et deux par deux on avale nos mots C'est dur d'oublier ce que l'on connaît et ce qui imprègne nos peaux Et trois par trois nos cœurs de la partie On joue aux couteaux et on peut partager le même lit

Et je ne sais plus à quoi penser C'est dur d'être libre comme toi Et je ne sais plus à qui penser C'est fini rhabille-toi

Et deux par deux On avale nos mots C'est dur d'oublier ce que l'on a connu qui a imprégné nos peaux Et trois par trois nos cœurs de la partie On joue aux couteaux et on peut partager le même lit

Rough translation:

And two by two ......? our deaths That one leaves behind wilted preliminary sketches of The secrets of career And three by three our hearts ......? Of the crazy tremors one reflects later Now it is necessary to dream

And I no longer know what to think it IS hard to be free as you And I no longer know what to think This is finished, dress you again

And two by two one downhill our words it is hard to forget what one knows and what impregnates our skins And three by three our hearts on the part One plays with knives and one can divide the same reads

And I no longer know what to think it IS hard to be free as you And I no longer know that to think This is finished, dress you again

And two by two one downhill our words it is hard to forget what one knew that impregnated our skins And three by three our hearts on the part One plays with knives and one can divide the same reads

Oops, substitute 'reads' for 'bed' in the above translation. I KNEW that....

I think the chorus is supposed to portray the end of a relationship. She's basically saying, "We're done, now put your clothes back on." The other person didn't have as many obligations as her ("it's hard to be as free as you") and she's breaking up with him because she has too many obligations and ties of her own.

I'm not sure what the two by two/three by three parts are supposed to mean. It made me think of a funeral at first because the mood of the song is sort of sad and regretful, and people might march two by two at a funeral? I dunno. Any ideas?

Also, is Corbeau a place?

Et deux par deux san competer (compter?) nos morts - Two by two, without counting our deaths Qu'on laisse derrière des ébauches fanées - That we leave behind wilted rough drafts Des secrets de carrière - career's secrets Et trois par trois nos cœurs essouflés - And three by three, our hearts left breathless Des secousses folles on réfléchit plus tard - Wild tremors, we reflect later Maintenant il faut rêver - Now we must dream.

Et je ne sais plus à quoi penser - And I don't know what to think about C'est dur d'être libre comme toi - It's hard to be free like you Et je ne sais plus à qui penser - And I don't know who to think about C'est fini rhabille-toi - It's over, get dressed.

Et deux par deux on avale nos mots - And two by two, we swallow our words C'est dur d'oublier ce que l'on connaît et ce qui imprègne nos peaux - It's hard to forget what we knew, and what soaked our skin. Et trois par trois nos cœurs de la partie - And three by three our hearts in the game On joue aux couteaux et on peut partager le même lit - We play with knives and can share the same bed.

Et je ne sais plus à quoi penser - And I don't know what to think about anymore C'est dur d'être libre comme toi - It's hard to be free like you Et je ne sais plus à qui penser - And I don't know who to think about anymore C'est fini rhabille-toi - It's over. Get dressed.

Et deux par deux - And two by two, On avale nos mots - We swallow our words C'est dur d'oublier ce que l'on a connu qui a imprégné nos peaux - It's hard to forget what we knew and what soaked our skin Et trois par trois nos cœurs de la partie - And three by three, our hearts in the game On joue aux couteaux et on peut partager le même lit - We play with knives and can share the same bed

Un corbeau = a raven.

However, thanks to a 1943 French film, it's also rather famously associated with a poison-pen writer who destroys a doctor/town, and I interpreted this song as referring to that film/idea.

Film: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0035753/

Rhabiller means literally to put your clothes back on, which could figuratively mean to recover one's dignity, to act properly.

It should be "sans compter" in the first line :)

I think the song is about loss and not being able to properly cope with it.

Et deux par deux san compter nos morts Qu'on laisse derrie¨re des ebauches fanees

Meaning that two by two, with her new partner, she has not counted dead in her mind yet the person she has lost, because there are still images of him/her in her head (the faded sketches) of whomever it was.

Et trois par trois nos ce“urs essoufles Des secousses folles on reflechit plus tard Maintenant il faut rever

She is worrying about the third person in her heart (three by three) only after she has begun her new relationship (the dream she is trying to live).

Et je ne sais plus à quoi penser (I don't know what to think anymore) C'est dur d'être libre comme toi (It's hard to be as free as you are) Et je ne sais plus à qui penser (I no longer know what to think) C'est fini rhabille-toi (It's over, get dressed)

When she and the person she is presently with are together, she doesn't know who she should be thinking about any more when they are making love and so she decides to end it all together which I think is expressed really well in the chorus. She understands that the person she is with now loves her (because he/she is able to be free) but she is realizing now that she is not ready to move on.

C'est dur d'oublier ce que l'on connaÃt et ce qui imprègne nos peaux Et trois par trois nos cÅ“urs de la partie On joue aux couteaux et on peut partager le même lit

This part is speaking about how it's hard to forget the memories of the past...the things that got into our skin, like the love she has lost. They are playing a game of knives (a very hard game) trying to get their hearts to match, but she can't win.

One of the most beautifully honest songs I have heard in a long time. Just my interpretation. I hope you enjoyed it =]