Formidable - Stromae

Formidable - Stromae

  • Album: Racine Carrée

  • Year of release: 2013
  • Language: French
  • Duration: 3:34

Below is the lyrics of the song Formidable , artist - Stromae with translation

Lyrics " Formidable "

Original text with translation

Formidable

Stromae

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Original text

Formidable, formidable

Tu étais formidable, j'étais fort minable,

Nous étions formidables,

Formidable,

Tu étais formidable,

J'étais fort minable,

Nous étions formidables.


Eh, l'bébé, oups : mademoiselle,

Je vais pas vous draguer, promis, juré,

J'suis célibataire et depuis hier putain,

J'peux pas faire d'enfants, mais bon, c'est pas... eh, reviens !

5 minutes quoi, j't'ai pas insulté, j'suis poli, courtois,

Et un peu fort bourré et pour les mecs comme moi

Vous avez autre chose à faire, vous m'pourriez vu hier

Où j'étais


Formidable, formidable

Tu étais formidable, j'étais fort minable,

Nous étions formidables,

Formidable,

Tu étais formidable, j'étais fort minable,

Nous étions formidables.


Eh tu t'es regardé, tu t'crois beau

Parce que tu t'es marié ?!

Mais c'est qu'un anneau, mec, t'emballes pas,

Elle va t'larguer comme elles font chaque fois,

Et puis l'autre fille, tu lui en a parlé ?

Si tu veux je lui dis, comme ça c'est réglé,

Et au p'tit aussi, enfin si vous en avez,

Attends 3 ans, 7 ans et là vous verrez

Si c'est


Formidable, formidable,

Tu étais formidable, j'étais fort minable,

Nous étions formidables,

Formidable,

Tu étais formidable, et j'étais fort minable,

Nous étions formidables.


Et, petite, oh, pardon : petit,

Tu sais dans la vie y'a ni méchant ni gentil,

Si maman est chiante, c'est qu'elle a peur d'être mamie,

Si papa trompe maman, c'est parce que maman vieillit, tiens !

Pourquoi t'es tout rouge? Beh, reviens, gamin,

Et qu'est-ce que vous avez tous

A me regarder comme un singe, vous ?

Ah, oui, vous êtes saints, vous,

Bande de macaques !

Donnez moi un bébé singe, il sera


Formidable, formidable

Tu étais formidable, j'étais fort minable,

Nous étions formidables,

Formidable,

Tu étais formidable, j'étais fort minable,

Nous étions formidables

Literary translation

Formidable, formidable

You were amazing, I was pretty pathetic,

We were amazing,

Formidable,

You were amazing,

I was pretty pathetic,

We were amazing.


Hey, baby— oops, sorry, miss,

I'm not gonna hit on you, I swear, I promise,

I'm single, and as of yesterday, damn it,

I can't have kids, but hey, that's not... hey, come back!

Just five minutes, I didn't insult you, I'm polite, courteous,

And a little too drunk, and for guys like me

You've got better things to do, you might've seen me yesterday

Where I was


Formidable, formidable

You were amazing, I was pretty pathetic,

We were amazing,

Formidable,

You were amazing, I was pretty pathetic,

We were amazing.


Hey, take a look at yourself, you think you're handsome

Just because you got married?!

But it's only a ring, man, don't get ahead of yourself,

She's gonna dump you like they always do,

And that other girl, did you tell her about it?

If you want I'll tell her, that way it's settled,

And the kid too, well, if you've got one,

Wait three years, seven years, and then you'll see

If it's


Formidable, formidable,

You were amazing, I was pretty pathetic,

We were amazing,

Formidable,

You were amazing, and I was pretty pathetic,

We were amazing.


And, little girl— oh, sorry, little boy,

You know in life there's no bad guy or good guy,

If mom's a pain, it's 'cause she's scared of becoming a grandma,

If dad cheats on mom, it's because mom's getting older, there!

Why are you all red? Come on, come back, kid,

And what's wrong with all of you,

Looking at me like I'm some kind of monkey?

Oh, right, you're all saints, you,

Bunch of baboons!

Give me a baby monkey, and he'll be


Formidable, formidable

You were amazing, I was pretty pathetic,

We were amazing,

Formidable,

You were amazing, I was pretty pathetic,

We were amazing

About the song

"Formidable" is told from the perspective of a drunk, newly single man rambling through the street, addressing strangers with a mix of self-deprecation and biting sarcasm. The recurring line — "you were formidable, I was pretty pathetic, we were formidable" — frames the song as a hazy toast to a relationship now over, equal parts nostalgia and wounded pride.

Across its verses, the narrator turns his disillusionment outward: mocking a newly married man with false congratulations, warning him his happiness won't last, then pivoting to lecture a child about the everyday hypocrisies of adults — mothers who fear aging, fathers who stray. It's a portrait of someone using humor and confrontation to mask real heartbreak.

The song's power lies in its slurred, conversational realism — the way romantic disillusionment spills into strangers' lives, and tenderness keeps breaking through the bitterness. Beneath the drunken bravado is a simple, aching refrain about love that once felt bigger than both people in it.

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