Stromae - Papaoutai (English Translation)
Tell me where he comes from
At last I'll know where to go
Mommy says that when you look hard
You always find something
She says he's never very far away
He leaves very often for work
Mommy says, “Working is good”
Better than being in bad company
Right?
[Pre-Chorus]
Where's your dad?
Tell me where's your dad?
Without even having to talk to him
He knows what's wrong
Oh beloved dad
Tell me where you're hiding
I must've counted my fingers
At least a thousand times
[Chorus]
Where are you? Dad, where are you?
Where are you? Dad, where are you?
Where are you? Dad, where are you?
Where, where are you, where are you dad?
Where are you? Dad, where are you?
Where are you? Dad, where are you?
Where are you? Dad, where are you?
Where, where are you, where are you dad?
Even if we believe it or not
There'll be a day we won't believe it anymore
One day we'll all be dads
And from one day to the other we'll disappear
Will we be hated?
Will we be admired?
Just passing on genes or geniuses?
Tell us who gives birth to these irresponsible people?
Tell us who, look
Everyone knows how to make babies
But no one knows how to make dads
Mr. Know-It-All must've inherited it
Maybe you need to wing it or something?
Tell us where they're hiding
We must've bitten our fingers at least
A thousand times
[Chorus]
Where are you? Dad, where are you?
Where are you? Dad, where are you?
Where are you? Dad, where are you?
Where, where are you, where are you dad?
[Pre-Chorus]
Where's your dad?
Tell me where's your dad?
Without even having to talk to him
He knows what's wrong
Oh beloved dad
Tell me where you're hiding
I must've counted my fingers
At least a thousand times
Where's your dad?
Tell me where's your dad?
Without even having to talk to him
He knows what's wrong
Oh beloved dad
Tell me where you're hiding
I must've counted my fingers
At least a thousand times
About
Dad, Where Are You?
“Papaoutai”, the lead single from Racine Carrée, was Stromae’s return to fame, after a three-year hiatus. The world last saw him skyrocketing the charts with “Alors On Danse” back in 2010.
While “Alors On Danse” was about the dangers of nightlife, “Papaoutai” (which isn’t a real word but a malapropism of Papa où t'es) seems to be inspired by a particular line from “Alors On Danse”:
Stromae reveals his relationship with his late father, or rather lack thereof. Stromae later revealed that his dad, who was Rwandan, was killed in the 1994 Rwandan genocide when Stromae was a little kid. Stromae’s father’s absence was the inspiration for writing this song, which is about the struggles of growing up without a father figure.
British duo CUT_ recorded an English version (not translation) of “Papaoutai” which charted in France.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vy84qfcXY1U
- 2.Stromae - Papaoutai (English Translation)
nooo the whole french/english side by side’s ruined
this shit making me cry fr
Yup, I Was like 🥺
ugh to many ads
