Please Help (not urgent) French speakers for song meaning

So I heard this song in the movie Dead Man Down and I thought it was beautiful. It seems so evocative, almost pained. I know anything other than the basic meaning is getting lost in translation. So I was wondering if anyone could shed a little light on it for me?

The song is Eblouie Par La Nuit by Zaz

Dazzled by the Night

Dazzled by the night's mortal lights
With cars driving close by me and my pupils thin as pins
I waited for you 100 years long in the black-and-white streets
You came over, whistling

Dazzled by the night's mortal lights
Kicking the cans on the ground, as lost as a ship
If I lost my mind, I loved you and even worse
You came over, whistling

Dazzled by the night's mortal lights
Will you love life at last, or just watch it pass by?
There's almost nothing left of our nights of smoking
But your ashes in the morning

At this subway station, full of life and dizziness
At the next top, called Petit Européen
Run your hand all the way down my chest

Dazzled by the night's mortal lights
A last lap, stretching out my hand
I waited for you 100 years long in the black-and-white streets
You came over, whistling

[Or]

Blinded in the night by fatal flashes of light
just missing the cars, with pupils like pinheads.
I've waited a hundred years for you on black and white roads
you came whistling past

Blinded in the night by fatal flashes of light
kicking around tin cans, as clueless as a ship
if I've blown my mind, I love you and even worse
you came whistling past

Blinded in the night by fatal flashes of light.
will you love life or just watch it go by?
Our nights smoked, almost nothing's left
but your cinders in the morning

On this train filled with life's headaches
At the next station, young european
lay your hand out, sink it to the bottoms of my heart

Blinded in the night by fatal flashes of light.
one final lap, with the hand stretched out.
I've waited a hundred years for you on black and white roads
you came whistling past

Thanks for posting, I am always open to new music tracks and I do like that one, will have to do a download now...............cheeeeeers

Thanks. I'm actually looking for more of an analysis than a translation. i guess what i mean is I want to know what a french speaker thinks the song means. What are the emotions being expressed through the usage of the particular word choice and not just their simple direct translation?

reply to post by unb3k44n7


Urrrgghhh, i was halfway through translating that and then had another ATS window up and saw your reply.

Zaz is a fantastic artist, i fell in love with her voice the first time i heard her...

She actually was born not far from where i live

The song depicts her first real love and the way that it ended painfully, however, some poeple also think over here that the song also portraits the life of homeless people on the streets.

Kindest respects et bonne soirée.

Rodinus

I really like that song even though I don't understand it. Many times it is the tone and partial word structure that makes the song. I see that someone posted the words. I think the song sounds better not knowing the words. When an artist puts some of themselves into the art it is so much better. I think she did a good job putting feeling into the song.

Originally posted by rickymouse
I really like that song even though I don't understand it. Many times it is the tone and partial word structure that makes the song. I see that someone posted the words. I think the song sounds better not knowing the words. When an artist puts some of themselves into the art it is so much better. I think she did a good job putting feeling into the song.

It's a bit like the song by Gainsbourg "Je t'aime moi non plus"



And NO i am NOT going to translate this particular song as it is against T and Cs

Kindest respects

Rodinus

This song (words ) is about unrequited love.... I felt just like it myself once many years ago