Thursday, February 18, 2010

Noir de monde



Words: Alain Bashung/Jean Fauque
Music: Alain Bashung/Mobile in Motion 

Note: "Noir de monde" is a French expression meaning "flooded (black) with people".



En moi gronde une ville
In me rumbles a city
Grouille la foule dessaoulée

The crowd swarms, sobered up
Ses envies au hachoir
Its desires in the meat grinder


À moi s'agrippent des grappes de tyrans
To me cling the clusters of tyrants
Des archanges aux blanches canines

Archangels with white canines

Qu'on me disperse*
May I be dispersed
Je suis noir de monde

I am black with people
Qu'on me dispense

May I be spared
Du son des leçons

The sound, the lessons
Qu'on me dissipe

May I be dissipated

En moi se vautrent des divans
Couches wallow in me
De l'aorte à la carotide

From the aorta to the carotid
Circulent des rumeurs

Rumors circulate
À faire pâlir

That would make one pale

Qu'on me disperse
May I be dispersed
Je suis noir de monde

I am black with people
Qu'on me dispense

May I be spared
Du son des leçons

The sound, the lessons
Qu'on me distribue

May I be distributed
À tous les Jésus

To all the Jesuses

Je voudrais t'aimer comme un seul homme
I would like to love you like one man (sound: a'salaam)
Arrêter d'inonder la Somme

To stop flooding the Somme
Avoir l'amour en bandoulière

To have love slung over my shoulder
L'amour en bandoulière

Love slung over my shoulder

En moi gronde une ville
In me rumbles a city
Grouille la foule dessaoulée

The crowd swarms, sobered up
Ses envies au hachoir

Its desires in the meat grinder

À moi s'agrippent des grappes de tyrans
To me cling the clusters of tyrants
Des archanges aux blanches canines

Archangels with white canines
Tueurs de mémoire à la conscience obèse

Killers of memory with obese consciousnesses
Jouent du Varèse* 

They play from the Varese

Qu'on me disloque
May I be dislocated
Qu'on me dispatche

May I be dispatched
Qu'on m'évapore

May I be evaporated

Qu'on me disperse
May I be dispersed
Je suis noir de monde

I am black with people
Qu'on me dispense

May I be spared
Du son des leçons

The sound, the lessons
Qu'on me distribue

May I be distribued
À tous les Jésus

To all the Jesuses

Je voudrais t'aimer comme un seul homme
I would like to love you like one man (sound: a'salaam)
Arrêter d'inonder la Somme

To stop flooding the Somme
Avoir l'amour en bandoulière

To have love slung over my shoulder
L'amour en bandoulière

Love slung over my shoulder

Qu'on me disloque
May I be dislocated
Qu'on me disperse

May I be dispersed
Qu'on m'évapore

May I be evaporated
Qu'on me disperse

May I be dispersed


 * Varèse has two possibilities: an Italian town and lake, and composer Edgard Varèse. Just an aside, there is also a Varese Sarabande CD club which has for its mission to preserve the music of hollywood films (now in its 30th yr)...





A video I made for this song, interpreted by the singer Oy. See the youtube page for more information.



3 comments:

Kath said...

Such a delicate sensibility, a tragic loss.

Stirling Davenport said...

Incredible. What a talent, that carries us through his soulful thoughts like leaves tumbled on the surface of the river.

Laura Tattoo said...

so nice to see you were here, stirling. i am updating the translation today. i made a new video for this song. it is really quite beautiful, i think, with the evocative photography of my Indonesian friend Mukti. It was an emotional experience to work with the music (this interpretation) and her photographs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqlDM36DJs4&list=UU6Z3Lq4Apj2K8Yw8iV8NesA&index=0&feature=plcp