Hi Miss Letty,
I could sit down and watch that movie now, wonderful.
Gene Kelly, I didn't know this but apparently he has roots in Derry.
Kelly is a bit of a giveaway.
Tiens, qu’est-ce que tu fais la ? --- Hey, what are you doing here?
C’est moi, c’est Nathalie --- It's me, Nathalie
Quoi tu me reconnais pas ? --- What? You don't recognize me?
Mais si… --- Sure you do…
On était ensemble au lycée --- We used to go to the same high school
C’est vrai, j’ai changé --- I've changed, It's true
J’ai des enfants, un mari --- I got children, a husband
Bah quoi, t’as l’air surpris --- What's wrong? You look surprised
J’étais pas destinée --- I wasn't destined
A une vie bien rangée --- To a life in apple-pie order
J’étais perdue --- I was lost
Mon mari m’a trouvée --- My husband found me
J’étais de celles --- I was one of those girls
Qui disent jamais non --- Who never say no
Les "Marie couche-toi la" --- The easy girls
Dont on oublie le nom --- Whom you forget the names
J’étais pas la jolie --- I wasn't the pretty one
Moi, j’étais sa copine --- I was her girlfriend
Celle qu’on voit a peine --- The one you hardly see
Qu’on appelle "machine" --- Whom you call "what's-her-name"
J’avais deux ans de plus --- I was two years older
Peut-être deux ans de trop --- Maybe two years too old
Et j’aimais les garçons --- And I used to love boys
Peut-être un peu trop --- Maybe I little too much
Bien sûr, vous aviez eu --- Of course, you have had
Des dizaines de conquêtes --- Dozen of conquests
Que personnes n’avaient vues --- Whom nobody had ever seen
Toujours pendant les fêtes… --- Always during parties…
Pour beaucoup d’entre vous --- To many of you
Je fus la première fois --- I was the first time
De celles qui comptent --- One of those girls who count
Mais pas tant que ca… --- But not that much
Je n’étais pas de celles --- I wasn't one of those
A qui l’on fait la cour --- Who get courted
Moi, j’étais de celles --- Me, I was one of those
Qui sont déjà d’accord --- Who agree already
Vous veniez chez moi --- You would come to my place
Mais dès le lendemain --- But the very next day
Vous refusiez en public --- You would refuse, in public
De me tenir la main --- To hold me by the hand
Quand vous m’embrassiez --- When you would kiss me
A l’abri des regards --- Out of sight
Je savais pourquoi: --- I knew why:
Pour pas qu’on puisse nous voir --- So nobody could see us
Alors je fermais les yeux --- So I would close my eyes
A m’en fendre les paupières --- Until I split my lids
Pendant que pour guetter --- While, to watch out,
Vous les gardiez ouverts --- You would keep yours open
Je me repetais : --- I kept repeating to myself :
"Faut pas que je m’attache" --- "I must not fall in love"
Vous, vous pensiez : --- While you kept thinking :
"Il faut pas que ça se sache" --- "I hope no one will know"
Mais une fois dans mes bras --- But once in my arms,
Vos murmures essoufflés --- Your winded whispers,
C’est à moi, rien qu’à moi --- Were destined for me,
Qu’ils étaient destines --- Only for me,
Enlacée contre vous --- Wrap around you,
A respirer vos cheveux --- Smelling your hair
Je le sais, je l’affirme: --- I know it, I claim it:
Vous m’aimiez un peu --- You loved me a little
Certaines tombent amoureuses --- Some girls fall in love
C’est pur, ça les élève --- It's pure, it makes them rise
Moi, je tombais amoureuse --- I used to fall in love
Comme on tombe d’une chaise --- Like one falls from a chair
Et gonfles de l’avoir fait --- And proud to have done it
Vous donniez conférence --- You would hold conferences
Une souris qu’on dissèque --- A mouse one dissects
Mon corps pour la science --- My body for sciences
Je nourrissais --- I used to nourish
Vos blagues de caserne --- Your dirty jokes
Que vous pensiez viriles, --- Which you thought were manly
Petits hommes des cavernes…. --- You little cavemen…
D’avoir pour moi --- To have for me
Un seul mot de tendresse --- Just one word of sweetness
Vous apparaissait --- Seemed to you guys
Comme la pire des faiblesses. --- Like the worst weakness
Vous les fiers-à-bras --- You proud pricks
Vous parliez en experts --- Would talk like experts
Oubliant qu’dans mes bras --- Forgetting that in my arms
Vous faisiez moins les fiers --- You acted like a child
Et les autres filles --- And the other girls
Perfides petites saintes --- Perfidious little saints
M’auraient tondue les cheveux --- Would have shaved my head
A une autre époque --- In another era
Celles qui ont l’habitude --- Those who are used
Qu’on les cajole --- To be cuddled
Ignorent la solitude --- Who ignore loneliness
Et que rien ne console. --- With a frown on their face
Vous veniez chez moi --- You would come to my place
Mais des le lendemain --- But the very next day
Vous refusiez en public --- You would refuse, in public
De me tenir la main… --- To hold me by the hand…
It rained today, Letty, but I wasn't dancing in it.
Thanks for that number, one of the all-time greats.
0 Replies
Olivier5
2
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Wed 16 Jul, 2014 05:06 pm
@ossobuco,
Difficult topic, sort of the payment of a collective debt owed by boys to 'easy' girls... Bénabar, specialised in funny songs, managed this more obscure and painful subject well I think.
To Olivier and Letty and all,
many of you know I've been long been crazed for Fabrizio de Andre, starting with his voice but also interested in his life and thoughts .
I've translated one or two of his, not liking the online stuff, even did it here at the station once - I think that one was Coda di Lupo. But, it takes me forever, twenty years after I studied italian.
Here's one of his that evanescently relates to Olivier's entry, but of course is really quite different. I post it mainly to hear his voice again. Voices get to me. (This might be one for Farmerman's 'what music do you want at your funeral' thread. I never did answer that, torn as I am between many music modes.)
La Cattiva Strada:
Yes, I could see it. Maybe youtube has forgotten to expel me since I didn't sign up for google plus. My user name doesn't show..
Or maybe it's just shamrock luck popping up after the 'monsoons' here.
His life as told by wiki - I've probably read other versions, since I read about his funeral - a huge crowd showed up, maybe at a memorial, and it was in the italian news at the time. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fabrizio_De_André
0 Replies
Letty
3
Reply
Wed 16 Jul, 2014 05:23 pm
Thank you, Osso/Jo for that lovely song by Fabrizio. The info on him was helpful as well.
I bet there's a school somewhere teaching that.
