La corrida [English translation]

Since the time i'm awaiting

in that dark room

I hear cheers and songs

At the end of that corridor;

Someone touched the lock

And I dived into the light of day

I saw the brass bands, the fences

And the people around

In the first moments I believed

I only had to defend myself

But this place is a dead-end

I start to understand

They locked it behind me

They were afraid I would step back

I will end up getting it

This ridiculous ballerina ...

Is that world serious?

Andalusia I remember

The pastures borded of cactuses

I'm not going to shake in front of

That puppet, that lightweight!

I'm going to catch him, he and his hat

Make him spin like a sun

Tonight the wife of the torero

Will sleep on both ears1

Is that world serious?

I pursued all those ghosts

Almost touched their ballet slippers

They'd hit hard in my neck

For me to give in

Where are they coming from those acrobats

With their costumes made of paper?

I never learned to fight

Against dolls

To feel the sand under my head

It's crazy how good it feels

I prayed for all this to stop

Andalusia I remember

I hear them laugh like I gasp

I see them dance like I succumb

I did not know one could have so much

Fun around a tomb

Is that world serious?

Is that world serious?

[in Spanish]

Yes, yes man, man

Dance, dance

We have to dance once again

And we'll kill others

Other lives, other bulls

And kill others

Come on, come on

Come on, come to dance

1. "Sleeping on both ears" means sleeping soundly. I kept the idiom intact because it is also a pun with the reward system for toreros, a very satisfied audience will allow the torero to leave the arena with both ears and the tail of the bull.

• Artist:Francis Cabrel
• Album:Samedi soir sur la Terre