Words: Boris Bergman and Daniel Tardieu
Music: Alain Bashung
Bijou, bijou
Bijou, bijou (endearment "precious","darling" - lit. gem or jewel)
Te réveille pas surtout
More than anything, don't wake up
Je vais pas faire de bruit, juste un café c'est tout
I won't make any noise, just a coffee that's all
Je peux plus rester ici
I can't stay here anymore
Je dormirai je sais pas où
Where I'll sleep, I don't know
Oh-ooooh, Bijou
Bijou, bijou
Bijou, bijou
Le temps ça pourrit tout
Time ruins everything
Les cheveux dans le lavabo, les mégots écrasés n'importe où
Hair in the washbasin, butts put out anywhere
Puis tu prends ton bain
Then you take your bath
Avec de drôles de joujoux
With your funny little toys
Oh-ooooh, Bijou
Bijou, bijou
Bijou, bijou
Y'a des feux rouges partout
There are red lights everywhere
Puis au coin de la rue l'Armée du Salut qui joue
Then there's the Salvation Army playing at the corner
À ma montre y'a plus de chaîne
There's no more chain on my watch
À mes cols de chemise plus de baleine
No more stiffener in my collar
Oh-ooooh, Bijou
Bijou, bijou
Bijou, bijou
Pense à tes rendez-vous
Think about your appointments
Rappeler le gynéco, passer à la banque prendre des sous
Remember to call the g-y-n, go to the bank and take out some cash
Trouver quelqu'un d'autre
Find someone else to love
Moi je mets les bouts
Me I'm movin' on
Oh-ooooh, Bijou
Bijou, bijou
Bijou, bijou
Je pourrai pas te dire au revoir, ce matin j'ai pas le bambou
I won't be able to tell you goodbye, this morning I'm too tired
Putain ce que t'as été belle
God, but you were beautiful
Quand tu te mettais à genoux
When you knelt on the floor
Oh-ooooh, Bijou
Bijou, bijou
Bijou, bijou
Je vais pas faire de bruit, juste un café c'est tout
I won't make any noise, just a coffee that's all
Je peux plus rester ici
I can't stay here anymore
Je dormirai je sais pas où
Where I'll sleep, I don't know
Oh-ooooh, Bijou
Bijou may be the B-side but it is definitely the cover story!
Bijou may be the B-side but it is definitely the cover story!
Alain is the real bijou ...
... and so are his fans. ♡
4 comments:
Lovely
I was wondering about the "no more whale in my collar" line, which always sounded weird: I guess it refers to the whale-derived material Baleen, which is used as a collar stiffener - so an alternative reading could be, "no more stiffener in my collar"...which, I guess, after a hard night's loving, might just be the case!
perfect! changed the previous line as well for rhythm and rhyme. you're great!! xoxoxoxo
This songs plays a bit with a precise list of words that French-speaking people were taught in school: "bijoux, cailloux, choux, genoux, hiboux, joujoux, poux". There are the only French words ending with "ou" which take an "x" at the end, instead of the usual "s" plural. He's not using them all, though.
He wasn't using as much puns as he would do in his later career, so this one is quite easy to translate.
A few words, though…
The "funny little toys" aren't kid toys of course, and the "baleine" in the "chemise" is indeed a stiffener/stretcher, and not the animal. He's just getting loose, he has a bit of trouble waking up, but he's happy for himself and for her. "J'ai pas le bambou" is about a male being so tired that he can't physically please her, this time.
He couldn't do better than what happened the night before, so he's just going to silently leave with a happy memory. And he hopes she's going to do well. And yes, indeed the cover just illustrates this simple song.
Post a Comment