J'ai embrassé un flic [English translation]

There were millions of us

between République and Nation

Protestants and Catholics

Muslims, Jews and atheists

Under the benevolent gaze

of a few thousand cops

in solidarity with Charlie 1

And then I saw marching by

a few notorious crooks

Presidents, undersecretaries

and other inglorious bigwigs

and I saw, and I saw

a cop standing by the pavement

with a friendly air

So, I walked up to him

and I hugged a cop 2

I hugged a cop

between Nation and République

I hugged a cop

It makes a change from truncation blows

Thirty years ago I’d never have believed

that rather than flinging

cobbles at them with all my might

I’d hug one to my chest

Because I walked up to him

Yes, I walked up to him

and I hugged a cop

We were marching towards Nation

fraternal and peaceful

Under the benevolent gaze

of a few thousand cops

And the snipers on the roofs

made gestures of friendship

and solidarity

with their arms

So, to thank them

and for the first time

in my anarchist’s life

I went and hugged a cop

Yes, I walked up to him

and I hugged a cop

Yes, I walked up to him

and I hugged a cop

Yes, I walked up to him

and I hugged a cop

Yes, I walked up to him

and I hugged a cop

and I hugged a cop

1. The 12 journalists at Charlie Hebdo who were murdered in 2015 2. Of course "embrasser" generally means "kiss" but that doesn't feel right here. I feel he approached him and took him in his arms. There may well have been a little cheek-kiss too. In fact, Renaud said in an interview "Je n’ai pas à proprement parler 'embrassé un flic', mais je lui ai fait une accolade, presque enlacé en lui tapant dans le dos et en bredouillant un merci…" - "I didn't in actual fact 'kiss' a policemen, but I embraced him, practically hugging him as I patted him on the back and muttered a thank you"

• Artist:Renaud