Clip realized by Jean-Baptiste Mondino
Words: Alain Bashung and Jean Fauque
Music: Alain Bashung
A l'arrière des berlines
In the back of the berlines
On devine
On devine
One can divine
Des monarques et leurs figurines
Des monarques et leurs figurines
Monarchs and their figurines
Juste une paire de demi-dieux
Juste une paire de demi-dieux
Just a pair of demigods
Livrés à eux
Livrés à eux
Left to their own devices
Ils font des p'tits
They're making babies
Ils font des envieux
Ils font des envieux
They're making envious people
A l'arrière des dauphines
In the back of the dauphines
Je suis le roi des scélérats
Je suis le roi des scélérats
I am the king of villains
A qui sourit la vie
A qui sourit la vie
At whom life is smiling
Marcher sur l'eau
To walk on water
Eviter les péages
Eviter les péages
To avoid the toll booths
Jamais souffrir
Jamais souffrir
Never to suffer
Juste faire hennir
Juste faire hennir
Just to whinny
Les chevaux du plaisir
Les chevaux du plaisir
Like horses of pleasure
Osez osez Joséphine
Dare, dare, Josephine
Osez osez Joséphine
Osez osez Joséphine
Dare, dare, Josephine
Plus rien n's'oppose à la nuit
Plus rien n's'oppose à la nuit
Nothing more is opposed to the night
Rien ne justifie
Rien ne justifie
Nothing justifies it
Usez vos souliers
Wear out your shoes
Usez l'usurier
Usez l'usurier
Use the usurer
Soyez ma muse
Soyez ma muse
Be my muse
Et que ne durent que les moments doux
Et que ne durent que les moments doux
And may only sweet moments endure
Durent que les moments doux
Durent que les moments doux
Only sweet moments endure
Et que ne doux
Et que ne doux
And only sweet
Osez osez Joséphine
Dare, dare, Josephine
Osez osez Joséphine
Osez osez Joséphine
Dare, dare, Josephine
Plus rien n's'oppose à la nuit
Plus rien n's'oppose à la nuit
Nothing more is opposed to the night
Rien ne justifie
Rien ne justifie
Nothing justifies it
Osez osez
Dare, dare
Osez osez
Osez osez
Dare, dare
Osez osez Joséphine
Osez osez Joséphine
Dare, dare, Josephine
Osez osez Joséphine
Osez osez Joséphine
Dare, dare, Josephine
Plus rien n's'oppose à la nuit
Plus rien n's'oppose à la nuit
Nothing more is opposed to the night
Rien ne justifie
Rien ne justifie
Nothing justifies it
Examples of berlines
13 comments:
A great track that I have loved for years, taken from an amazing album that will live on for decades to come. My French is not good enough to understand more than a handful of words from the song but thank you for this very insightful translation
one of the greatest pleasures of my life, these years in translation. i thank you so much for leaving comments! ~laura oxoxoox
Danke aus Deutschland! So schön...
One of my favourite songs by one of my favourite musicians in any language. Cheers for translating his wonderful lyrics.
(Currently listening to his brilliant cover of Le Sud)
I'm exploring Bashung now and realise I have heard many of his songs already.
I see a contrast in this song between rich people in 'berlines' which are big, expensive cars and himself in a (Renault) Dauphine which would have been a cheap, little car when the song was released.
There's certainly plenty to think about and much ambiguity in his lyrics, thanks for taking on the challenge of translation.
unknown, i love your comment, thank you! ~L xooxox
You're welcome... FYI my interest in Bashung has been sparked by someone posting this cover of La Nuit Je Mens on my Facebook feed.
https://vimeo.com/114479137
Emouvant!!
i've discovered Bashung very recently and became a fan. but i can't quite understand what this song is about...
Bruno, Crazy youth, not much money but plenty to be envious of! Youthful energy, daring each other to be free. Here's my freeform take on it. :>>)) ~Laura oxox
Makes a lot of sense, Laura. Thank you!
Good translation!
This was actually meant to sound like a Joy Division song (check out the demo), but then if I remember things correctly they fooled around with the drums in Cubase (or in their Atari or whatever) and this weird rhythm (that sounds like a horse, hence the videoclip… but the lyrics already evoked a horse as well) came out… and then they went to Memphis and the song got a totally different vibe.
It was in part written for a young, shy girl called Joséphine (and the wordplay with Osez/José[phine]), but it explores other themes, such as female independence. It's an obvious nod to Joséphine de Beauharnais as well.
He's got a very lazy French pronunciation at times here, with an unusual American accent. There's the pun in "que ne DURENT que les moments DOUX" ("may the sweet moments last" but also dur/doux "hard/soft"). But then he says "et que ne doux" (which isn't a verb) just like a French person would try to pronounce "and gonna do".
(I'd probably just translate "Ils font des p'tits" as "they're successful", though).
Listen to Christine and the Queens homage ...brilliant
It's about young people doing it in the back seats of cars(literally)& all the crazy pleasures of youth. All tied to the background music/sounds of "Les cheveaux du plaisir" ...the racing horses of pleasure, as it were. In the video clip, Bashung stands in the center of a circus ring, with a horse galloping around him in the circle. Berlines, I believe, are station wagons. Dauphines, very small inexpensive cars. He's urging Josephine to "go all the way." Many of his lyrics have fabulous "doubles entendres", double meanings & playing on the words, some similar sounding & some, not at all the same definitions. It's often poetic, like Dylan. I believe Bashung was somewhat influenced by Dylan. A lot of his songs have extremely sensual undertones.
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