The League

Dansons la Capucine Mid-Week Jukebox And Open Thread

by Jaybird · March 20, 2013

Jaybird

Jaybird is Birdmojo on Xbox Live and Jaybirdmojo on Playstation's network. He's been playing consoles since the Atari 2600 and it was Zork that taught him how to touch-type. If you've got a song for Wednesday, a commercial for Saturday, a recommendation for Tuesday, an essay for Monday, or, heck, just a handful a questions, fire off an email to AskJaybird-at-gmail.com

Patrick Cahalan says:

March 20, 2013 at 5:44 pm

(insert joke about how the French become socialist by indoctrination at a young age)Report
- Jaybird in reply to Patrick Cahalan says:
  
  March 20, 2013 at 5:48 pm
  
  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
  - Patrick Cahalan in reply to Jaybird says:
    
    March 20, 2013 at 6:05 pm
    
    I didn’t say it was a *good* joke.Report
  - BlaiseP in reply to Jaybird says:
    
    March 20, 2013 at 6:36 pm
    
    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
zic says:

March 20, 2013 at 6:16 pm

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
- Jaybird in reply to zic says:
  
  March 20, 2013 at 6:26 pm
  
  There you go.
  
  I also enjoyed this response to the video.
  
  Neither of which, may I point out, was particularly funny.Report
BlaiseP says:

March 20, 2013 at 6:24 pm

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
Jonathan McLeod says:

March 21, 2013 at 11:50 am

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
- Jaybird in reply to Jonathan McLeod says:
  
  March 21, 2013 at 11:53 am
  
  “Mo’ Money, Mo’ Problems”Report
  - Jonathan McLeod in reply to Jaybird says:
    
    March 21, 2013 at 11:58 am
    
    Biggie, RIP.Report
BlaiseP says:

March 21, 2013 at 11:58 am

plus de puces, plus de problèmes, heh.Report