Tournent les violons - Jean-Jacques Goldman

In Tournent les Violons, from his best-selling 1991 album Chansons pour les pieds (Songs for the feet), French singer-songwriter Jean-Jacques Goldman turns into a troubadour-style narrator to tell us a story of hope, desire and disillusion against a medieval-like background. Enjoy this heady melody and sing along with our bilingual transcript below!

After listening to the song, scroll down for the transcript in our bilingual reader, where you can click any French phrase for the English translation and related grammar lessons.

How this exercise works

  1. Choose your setup
    Use the tick box above the text to turn translations and grammar tips on or off. When they're on, click on any phrase to see them.
  2. Read the text
    Work through the Interactive Reader at your own pace
  3. Answer the questions
    When you're ready, start the comprehension exercise

Answer in English: we're testing your understanding of the text, not your grammar or expression, so nothing you write here will be marked for accuracy. To get feedback on how you write, try one of our writing exercises.

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