LES COPAINS D'ABORD
Non ce n'était pas le Radeau
No it wasn't the raft
De la Méduse(i) ce bateau,
Of the Medusa this boat
Qu'on se le dise au fond des ports
Let people say so at the back of the harbours
Dise au fond des ports,
Say at the back of the harbours
Il naviguait en pèr' peinard(ii)
It sailed along indifferent to all else
Sur la grand-mare des canards(iii)
On the great duckpond of the inland sea
Et s'app'lait Les Copains d'Abord
And the boat's name was
Les Copains d'Abord.
Friends first(iv)
Ses fluctuat nec mergitur (v)
Its fluctuat nec mergitur - (rocking without sinking)
C'était pas d'la littérature,
Did not go down in literature
N'en déplaise aux jeteurs de sort,(vi)
With all due respect to the people who predicted the worst,
Aux jeteurs de sort,
To the people who predicted the worst,
Son capitaine et ses mat'lots
Its captain and its sailors
N'étaient pas des enfants d'salauds,
Were not sons of b******
Mais des amis franco de port,
But straightforward friends
Des copains d'abord.
Friends first
C'étaient pas des amis de luxe,
They were not very refined friends
Des petits Castor et Pollux(vii),
(Not) little Castors and Polluxes
Des gens de Sodome et Gomorrhe(viii),
(Not) men from Sodom and Gommorrha
Sodome et Gomorrhe,
C'étaient pas des amis choisis
Not friends of the distinction to be chosen
Par Montaigne et La Boétie(ix),
By Montaigne and La Boétie
Sur le ventre ils se tapaient fort, (Literally- they thumped themselves hard in the stomach refers to their boisterous fun - Thanks Jean Marc for the correction)
They would split their sides with laughter
Les copains d'abord.
The friends first
.
C'étaient pas des anges non plus,
They were not angels either
L'Évangile, ils l'avaient pas lu,
The Holy Gospel they had not read
Mais ils s'aimaient tout's voil's dehors,
But they liked each other , all sails set
Toutes voil's dehors,
All sails set
Jean, Pierre, Paul(x) et compagnie,
John, Peter, Paul and company
C'était leur seule litanie
It was their only litany
Leur credo, leur confiteor,
Their credo, their confiteor,
Aux copains d'abord.
For the friends first.
Au moindre coup de Trafalgar(xi),
At the least shot of Trafalgar - The slightest threat of serious danger
C'est l'amitié qui prenait l'quart,
It was friendship that took the helm
C'est ell' qui leur montrait le nord,
That was what showed to them true north
Leur montrait le nord,
Showed to them true north
Et quand ils étaient en détresse,
And when they were in distress
Qu'leurs bras lancaient des s.o.s.,
When their arms sent their S.O.S.
On aurait dit des sémaphores,
You would have taken them to be semaphores(xii)
Les copains d'abord.
Friends first
Au rendez-vous des bons copains,
When the good pals met together
Y'avait pas souvent de lapins(xiii),
It was not often that people did not turn up
Quand l'un d'entre eux manquait à bord,
When one of them was missing on board
C'est qu'il était mort,
It was because he had died
Oui, mais jamais, au grand jamais,
Yes, but never, never ever
Son trou dans l'eau n'se refermait(xiv),
Did death close its waters over him
Cent ans après, coquin de sort !
One hundred year after, what the blazes!
Il manquait encor.
He was still missed
Des bateaux j'en ai pris beaucoup,
Boats, I've been on a lot of them
Mais le seul qui ait tenu le coup,
But the only one that was up to the mark
Qui n'ait jamais viré de bord,
Which never tacked to the wind
-mais viré de bord,
Never tacked to the wind
Naviguait en père peinard
Sailed along, indifferent to all else
Sur la grand-mare des canards
On the great duckpond of the inland sea
Et s'app'lait Les Copains d'Abord
And had the name of
Les Copains d'Abord.
Non ce n'était pas le Radeau
No it wasn't the raft
De la Méduse(i) ce bateau,
Of the Medusa this boat
Qu'on se le dise au fond des ports
Let people say so at the back of the harbours
Dise au fond des ports,
Say at the back of the harbours
Il naviguait en pèr' peinard(ii)
It sailed along indifferent to all else
Sur la grand-mare des canards(iii)
On the great duckpond of the inland sea
Et s'app'lait Les Copains d'Abord
And the boat's name was
Les Copains d'Abord.
Friends first(iv)
Ses fluctuat nec mergitur (v)
Its fluctuat nec mergitur - (rocking without sinking)
C'était pas d'la littérature,
Did not go down in literature
N'en déplaise aux jeteurs de sort,(vi)
With all due respect to the people who predicted the worst,
Aux jeteurs de sort,
To the people who predicted the worst,
Son capitaine et ses mat'lots
Its captain and its sailors
N'étaient pas des enfants d'salauds,
Were not sons of b******
Mais des amis franco de port,
But straightforward friends
Des copains d'abord.
Friends first
C'étaient pas des amis de luxe,
They were not very refined friends
Des petits Castor et Pollux(vii),
(Not) little Castors and Polluxes
Des gens de Sodome et Gomorrhe(viii),
(Not) men from Sodom and Gommorrha
Sodome et Gomorrhe,
C'étaient pas des amis choisis
Not friends of the distinction to be chosen
Par Montaigne et La Boétie(ix),
By Montaigne and La Boétie
Sur le ventre ils se tapaient fort, (Literally- they thumped themselves hard in the stomach refers to their boisterous fun - Thanks Jean Marc for the correction)
They would split their sides with laughter
Les copains d'abord.
The friends first
.
C'étaient pas des anges non plus,
They were not angels either
L'Évangile, ils l'avaient pas lu,
The Holy Gospel they had not read
Mais ils s'aimaient tout's voil's dehors,
But they liked each other , all sails set
Toutes voil's dehors,
All sails set
Jean, Pierre, Paul(x) et compagnie,
John, Peter, Paul and company
C'était leur seule litanie
It was their only litany
Leur credo, leur confiteor,
Their credo, their confiteor,
Aux copains d'abord.
For the friends first.
Au moindre coup de Trafalgar(xi),
At the least shot of Trafalgar - The slightest threat of serious danger
C'est l'amitié qui prenait l'quart,
It was friendship that took the helm
C'est ell' qui leur montrait le nord,
That was what showed to them true north
Leur montrait le nord,
Showed to them true north
Et quand ils étaient en détresse,
And when they were in distress
Qu'leurs bras lancaient des s.o.s.,
When their arms sent their S.O.S.
On aurait dit des sémaphores,
You would have taken them to be semaphores(xii)
Les copains d'abord.
Friends first
Au rendez-vous des bons copains,
When the good pals met together
Y'avait pas souvent de lapins(xiii),
It was not often that people did not turn up
Quand l'un d'entre eux manquait à bord,
When one of them was missing on board
C'est qu'il était mort,
It was because he had died
Oui, mais jamais, au grand jamais,
Yes, but never, never ever
Son trou dans l'eau n'se refermait(xiv),
Did death close its waters over him
Cent ans après, coquin de sort !
One hundred year after, what the blazes!
Il manquait encor.
He was still missed
Des bateaux j'en ai pris beaucoup,
Boats, I've been on a lot of them
Mais le seul qui ait tenu le coup,
But the only one that was up to the mark
Qui n'ait jamais viré de bord,
Which never tacked to the wind
-mais viré de bord,
Never tacked to the wind
Naviguait en père peinard
Sailed along, indifferent to all else
Sur la grand-mare des canards
On the great duckpond of the inland sea
Et s'app'lait Les Copains d'Abord
And had the name of
Les Copains d'Abord.