Le Cygne blanc [English translation]

She strolls proudly

On the arm of a white swan

She says “He’s not a river swan

He’s a lake swan” 1

She walks in a way

That amuses the passers-by

As if, as if one lived to please

To the sound of their applause

She’s lost her head

She’s no more than a puppet

Perhaps we ourselves

Are not so far from that

Round her neck a few jewels

Pendant earrings at her ears

But not elegant diamonds 2

Just cheap tin charms

Her and her pale swan

And me sitting on a bench

In Jean Fallières place

Or Fallières Jean

She’s lost her head

She sings for no reason

Perhaps we ourselves

Are not so far from that

Her internal compass

Is all over the place

Someone has driven her mad

How?

A cheating husband

A son leaving home too soon

And the swan escapes

And the swan follows you

A husband who hits her

A son leaving home to soon

And the swan escapes

And the swan follows you

The debts, the house

It all becomes a battle

The compass goes wrong

And there you go

Two hours a week

You're allowed to go out

Into the human society

Where one no longer knows how to behave

She strolls proudly

On the arm of a white swan

She says “He’s not a river swan

He’s a lake swan”

He’s not a river swan

He’s a lake swan

1. strictly this says "pond swan" but that rather conjures up the image of a scruffy second-rate swan which feels wrong. Also this line has the same sound as "signe des temps" - "sign of the times" so a bit of a pun. 2. rivière de diamants - a string of diamonds

• Artist:Francis Cabrel
• Album:Des roses et des orties