Dansons la Capucine Mid-Week Jukebox And Open Thread

11 thoughts on “Dansons la Capucine Mid-Week Jukebox And Open Thread”

1. (insert joke about how the French become socialist by indoctrination at a young age)Report

   1. There’s no redistribution in that song, I’ll point out. It’s all “yeah, they might be rich, but at what cost? We’re better off.”Report

      1. I didn’t say it was a *good* joke.Report

      2. Actually, la capucine does not arise from the flower, but from the Capuchin monks, who went about barefoot. Dansons la capucine == Let’s dance barefoot, which fits with the rest of the references to poverty.Report

2. This song begs the question of what wealth distribution really looks like; who’s got a fire in the hearth and who’s dancing the nasturtium here at home:

   And I’d embed that if I could. JB, you can consider that a request.Report

   1. There you go.

      I also enjoyed this response to the video.

      Neither of which, may I point out, was particularly funny.Report

3. La Terre Tremblant

   Les pêcheurs mettent leurs lignes comme des araignées
   Piégeurs, voleurs des âmes
   Les attrapes sont mises pour les innocents
   Gambleurs, éviteurs des blâmes

   Descends
   Allons
   Descends
   Dans l’eau saumâtre

   Reviens
   C’est rien
   Reviens
   A la terre tremblante

   Les voleurs, ça met leurs appâts sur la ligne
   La bouteille, la fierté et l’argent
   Ça voit pas qu’ils sont piégés pour toujours
   Dedans un fil étranglant

   Descends
   Allons
   Descends
   Dans l’eau saumâtre

   Reviens
   C’est rien
   Reviens
   A la terre tremblante

   _________

   La Terre Tremblant. In the swamps, mats of rotting vegetation float on the water, looking deceptively like dry land. In the North, they are called muskeg. Climb out of your boat and put your weight upon la terre tremblant and you may never get back in that boat again.

   The song contains several important puns: Les pêcheurs are either fishermen or sinners. Les piégeurs are either scavengers or trappers. Les attrapes are variously jokes (of the nasty prank variety), snares — or scams, conducted by spiritualists of the seance or soul-channelling sort.

   Without further ado, the translation:

   The wicked set their lines like spiders
   Trappers, thieves of souls
   Their snares are made for the innocent
   Gamblers, blame avoiders.

   Down we go
   Down
   Into swamp water.

   Come back
   Nothing is there
   Come back
   To the trembling earth

   Thieves bait their lines
   With the bottle, pride and riches
   Thus are they are trapped forever
   On a strangling wire.

   Down we go
   Down
   Into swamp water.

   Come back
   Nothing is there
   Come back
   To the trembling earth

   _____

   The chorus of this song puts me in mind of the scene from Lord of the Rings:

   Sam saw lights out of the corners of his eyes, like misty flames flickering in the marsh. “What’s all this, Gollum?” he asked. “These lights are all around us. What are they?”

   “The tricksy lights,” answered Gollum. “Candles of corpses, yes, yes. Don’t look! Don’t follow them!”

   Sam tripped and fell forward into a pool. He sprang back with a cry. “There are dead things, dead faces in the water,” he said with horror. “Dead faces!”

   “Yes, yes,” said Gollum. “All dead, all rotten. Elves and Men and Orcs, from a great battle long ago. Careful, or hobbits go down to join the Dead ones and light little candles. Follow Smeagol! Don’t look at the lights!”Report

4. It seems to me that this is just non-materialistic FYIGM.

   The neighbour’s house is completely joyless. Our house is full of joy and laughter. Let’s keep that to ourselves.

   Selfish bastards.Report

   1. “Mo’ Money, Mo’ Problems”Report

      1. Biggie, RIP.Report

5. plus de puces, plus de problèmes, heh.Report

Comments are closed.