Des gens formidables [English translation]

We could be great people 1

Perfect beings

Charming and generous singers

Humble and discreet

Against all the injustices

And all the battles

But we are usually selfish

And it’s everyone for themself

We could make eternal songs

And in a few couplets

We would make the world more beautiful

Mankind less bad

That would make us into rare beings

And like immortals

But we make little songs that fade

And we fade with them

And we fade with them

We fade with them

We could make songs that are

Useful to society

To denounce its downward spiral

And the absurdities

Like shooting at a singing bird

Emptying a cartridge right into its heart

But we make timid little songs

And we look away

We could talk of essential things

And of things of great beauty

As we would be born with wings

It would not be complicated

We’d have words that strike and pierce through

The traitors and the liars

But we make little songs for profit

And we tremble with fear

We tremble with fear

And we tremble with fear

We could be huge artists

Divinities

Seen as a ray of hope

For humanity

It would just take us appearing

To make everyone happy

But in fact, the people love us

And then leave us

And it is no doubt for the best

1. This whole song uses the conditional tense throughout - We would be/we would make etc. However, it seems to me the meaning here is more expressing a possible and desirable future so I have used "could be" to start each verse as that works rather better in English.