Saturday, May 1, 2010
A Ostende
BIG BIG thanks to Zoé Law for her excellent editing assistance: all these obscure
places and meanings! A real mind bender for an American. :>>)) xoxoxox
Words: Alain Bashung and Jean Fauque
Music: Alain Bashuing
À Ostende¹ j'aime Gibraltar²
In Ostend I like Gibraltar
Ses rochers qui s'ingénient
Its rocks that do their utmost
À me faire du plat
To make me flat
Its rocks that do their utmost
À me faire du plat
To make me flat
À Ostende
In Ostend
Je tire au stand
I do target practice
Je gagne des otaries
I win sea lions
In Ostend
Je tire au stand
I do target practice
Je gagne des otaries
I win sea lions
La mer se retire
The sea retires
Cache ses rouleaux
Hides its breakers
À l'ombre des digues
In the shadow of the dikes
Elle et moi on s'ennuie
She and I get bored
The sea retires
Cache ses rouleaux
Hides its breakers
À l'ombre des digues
In the shadow of the dikes
Elle et moi on s'ennuie
She and I get bored
Nos souvenirs
Our memories
Font des îles flottantes
Make floating islands
À Ostende
In Ostend
J'ai la hantise de l'écharpe
I am haunted by the scarf
Qui s'effiloche à ton cou
That is fraying at your neck
Our memories
Font des îles flottantes
Make floating islands
À Ostende
In Ostend
J'ai la hantise de l'écharpe
I am haunted by the scarf
Qui s'effiloche à ton cou
That is fraying at your neck
À Ostende j'aime Epinal³
In Ostend I like the idealized
Ses ondées lacrymales
Its lacrymal waves
À l'arrivée du ferry
At the arrival of the ferry
In Ostend I like the idealized
Ses ondées lacrymales
Its lacrymal waves
À l'arrivée du ferry
At the arrival of the ferry
Un soupçon de fadeur
A hint of blandness
Un rien de tragédie
A tragedic nothing
Et je pleure
And I cry
Mon collyre
My collyrium
Ma colère
My anger
A hint of blandness
Un rien de tragédie
A tragedic nothing
Et je pleure
And I cry
Mon collyre
My collyrium
Ma colère
My anger
Flottez hippocampes
Float, sea horses
Droits comme des i
Straight like an i (straight as an arrow)
Laissez vous porter
Let yourself be carried away
Par l'extrême obligeance
By extreme obligation
Float, sea horses
Droits comme des i
Straight like an i (straight as an arrow)
Laissez vous porter
Let yourself be carried away
Par l'extrême obligeance
By extreme obligation
Faites fi
Say fie
De la géographie
To the geograpy
Des petits ensembles
The little outfits
Des grands amphis
The great amphitheaters
Say fie
De la géographie
To the geograpy
Des petits ensembles
The little outfits
Des grands amphis
The great amphitheaters
À Ostende j'aime Gibraltar
In Ostend I like Gibraltar
À Ostende j'appréhende
In Ostende I apprehend
Les forces en présence
The presence of forces
In Ostend I like Gibraltar
À Ostende j'appréhende
In Ostende I apprehend
Les forces en présence
The presence of forces
Je paye en yens
I pay in yen
Des offrandes carabinées
The excessive offerings
À des païennes indifférentes
To indifferent pagan women
À mes palabres
To my palavers
I pay in yen
Des offrandes carabinées
The excessive offerings
À des païennes indifférentes
To indifferent pagan women
À mes palabres
To my palavers
À Ostende
In Ostend
Tout me navre
Everything breaks my heart
In Ostend
Tout me navre
Everything breaks my heart
À Oslo j'aime Agadir⁴
In Oslo I like Agadir*
Son brouhaha
Its brouhaha
In Oslo I like Agadir*
Son brouhaha
Its brouhaha
À Java j'aime La Villette⁵
In Java I like the Villette
À l'Alma je soupire⁶
In the Alma I sigh
En Ukraine j'aime le fado
In the Ukraine I like the fado
In Java I like the Villette
À l'Alma je soupire⁶
In the Alma I sigh
En Ukraine j'aime le fado
In the Ukraine I like the fado
À Ostende
In Ostend
In Ostend
Flottez hippocampes
Float, sea horses
Droits comme des i
Straight as i's (straight as an arrow)
Laissez vous porter
Let yourself be carried away
Par l'extrême obligeance
By extreme obligation
Float, sea horses
Droits comme des i
Straight as i's (straight as an arrow)
Laissez vous porter
Let yourself be carried away
Par l'extrême obligeance
By extreme obligation
Faites fi
Say fie
De la géographie
To the geography
Des petits ensembles
The little outfits
Des grands amphis
The great amphitheaters
Say fie
De la géographie
To the geography
Des petits ensembles
The little outfits
Des grands amphis
The great amphitheaters
À Ostende j'aime Gibraltar
In Ostend I love Gibraltar
Ses rochers qui s'ingénient
Its rocks are engineered
À me faire du plat
To make me flat
In Ostend I love Gibraltar
Ses rochers qui s'ingénient
Its rocks are engineered
À me faire du plat
To make me flat
La mer se retire
Hides its breakers
À l'ombre des digues
In the shadow of the dikes
Elle et moi on s'ennuie
She and I get bored
The sea withdraws
Cache ses rouleauxHides its breakers
À l'ombre des digues
In the shadow of the dikes
Elle et moi on s'ennuie
She and I get bored
Nos souvenirs
Our memories
Font des îles flottantes
Make floating islands
Our memories
Font des îles flottantes
Make floating islands
À Ostende
In Ostend
J'ai la hantise de l'écharpe
I'm haunted by the scarf
Qui s'effiloche à ton cou
that is fraying at your neck
In Ostend
J'ai la hantise de l'écharpe
I'm haunted by the scarf
Qui s'effiloche à ton cou
that is fraying at your neck
¹ Ostende - Belgian resort town in which to see and be seen, where Flemish is the principal language. The country of Belgium has an historical struggle betwen Flemish and French speakers, and Ostend is Flemish. Bashung doesn't appear to be having a good time in Ostend.
² Gibraltar - A British colony, located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula and Europe at the entrance of the Mediterranean. Metaphorically, Gibraltar has its big Rock, but Ostend does not make the narrator feel flattened. He'd rather be elsewhere in every verse of the song. (Thank you to Zoé for helping me with this insight!)
³ Epinal - A town in northern France that in the 18th century came to be known for making simplified "maps" to explain events and sites. The expression "image d'Epinal" came to mean something that simplifies or stereotypes.
⁴ À Oslo j'aime Agadir - It appears that people fly from Oslo to Agadir to go shopping.
⁵ À Java j'aime La Villette - Java is in word play here, I believe. Java is a dance and La Villette a dance club in Paris.
⁶ Alma - A bridge in Paris
⁶ Alma - A bridge in Paris
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2 comments:
Hi Laura,
This blog is becoming increasingly interesting for me. I'm also visitor of Monsieur Bashung.com where I can find that amazing creativity of the image in complicity with the texts of Bashung.
Here I can deepen Bashung texts in an extraordinary way, in French and English, from the Spanish I speak. It's very interesting how resonates in our ears, our souls, every word said in a given language ... there is so much to discover and Bashung send us multiple messages!
thank you, marcella, that is so encouraging. i find that my good grasp of english grammar helped me so much with french, so i can relate to what you're saying about spanish.
i always check in with monsieur bashung too... i love what they are doing. and the official forum where some posts have deepened my understanding of the songs. love to you! bisous d'oregon xoxooxoxx
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