At the Clear Fountain

Subtil et versatile le reptile tranquille<br>[subtle and versatile the quiet reptile]<br>Entre dans le rhytme comme on entre dans une femme facile<br>[gets in the rhythmn as one gets in an easy woman]<br>Present malgre le temps comme "l`air du temps" de Nina Ricci (1)<br>[present, in spite of time like `the air of time` of Nina...]<br>Est plus en forme que Victor Pecci (2)<br>[is in a shape better than Victor...]<br>Esprit sain, corps sain up-to-date<br>[sound mind, sound body and up to date]<br>La quete de connaissance et lui forment en fait<br>[the search for knowledge and him form in fact]<br>Un fait intrinseque<br>[an intrinsic fact]<br>Tout se passe comme par passe-passe<br>[evrything happens by mere sleight of hand]<br>Pour le philantrope du pop<br>[for the philantropic man of pop (music)]<br>Mais note que ca parlotte peut-etre une arm-lock <br>[But notice that chats perhaps an arm-lock]<br>Est-ouest la peste infeste les rimes antidotes<br>[east-west the pleague infests the antidote rimes]<br>Qui m`ecartent des `Stupids on the blocks`<br>[that keep me off the `Stupids...]<br>Lesees les ailes aisees les laissent dans leur aleze<br>[wronged the easied wings let them in their under-sheet]<br>Telle est la bise ou l`alize heros de leurs theses niaises<br>[such is the `bise` or the alize, heroe of their silly theses]<br>Et biaisees qui les ramenent 6-7 ans avant la sixieme<br>[and biased, which take them back 6-7 years before the `sixth`]<br>Ou les gosses apprennent `A la claire fontaine`<br>[where the kids learn `A la claire...`]<br>Comme a l`epoque ou le swinger philosophique tetu<br>[like when the philosophical stubborn swinger]<br>Etait vetu d`un simple short<br>[just wore a pair of shorts]<br>Nous faisions des additions sur le tableau noir<br>[we used to make additions on the (black) blackboard]<br>De retour au pupitre j`avais le nez pose sur mon buvard<br>[back to my desk I had my nose stuck on my blotter]<br>A la recre c`etait foot, cache-cache et billes<br>[at the pause it was soccer, hide-and-seek and marbles]<br>A la sortie les mini-ouofs taxaient (sl.) les glaces a la vanille<br>[after the class the `mini-ouofs` used to steal vanilla ice-cream]<br>Desormais c`est la crise dans la rue des gens gisent<br>[from now on it`s crisis, people are lying in the streets]<br>On piste les traces du Christ quand le materialisme<br>[one trails down the tracks of the Christ when materialism]<br>Se materialise, et de la lutte des glaces on passe a celle des classes<br>[materializes itself, and from the ice-cream struggle one passes to <br> classes` one]<br>Ceux qui taxaient les cones sont maintenant ceux qui vont faire des casses<br>[those who used to steal `cones` (= ice-cream) are now people who do <br> break-ins]<br>Le hic c`est que ces addicts a l`assedic ta bique<br>[the problem is that these `assedic`-addicts your nanny-goat [??]]<br>La crise est aussi triste que l`outrage a la rue Coppernic (3)<br>[the crisis is as sad as the outrage to the Coppernic street]<br>La haine ne paie pas c`est l`ANPE qui paie<br>[hatred does not pay but the `ANPE` does]<br>Ceux qui regrettent l`ecole, les pions et veulent du casse-monnaie<br>[those who regret school, the supervisors and want `change-breaker` <br> (= money)]<br>Les ports ou la maitresse leur apprenait sans peine <br>[the harbours where the schoolmistress taught without toil to them]<br>Et sans haine malsaine `A la claire..`<br>[and without unwholesome hatred ...]<br>Changement de style changement de theme <br>[the style`s changing, and so the theme]<br>Changement de rime, calme, saine et sereine<br>[the rhyme changes, calm, sound and serene]<br>Ainsi le rythme imite le rythme du septieme ciel (4)<br>[so, the rhythmn imitates the rhythmn of the 7th sky]<br>Comme dans un film de Marc Dorcel (5)<br>[like in a M. Dorcel`s movie]<br>Je fais de la musique voila pourquoi j`ai plein de collegues<br>[I make music that`s why I have so many friends]<br>J`herite de leur legs et dynamite Charlie Haulegue<br>[I inherit their legacy and dynamites ...]<br>La dubitative plume du poete du bitume<br>[the dubitative feather of the poet of the tar]<br>Fait rrra-ta-ta-ta sur les tartes au thune (sl.)<br>[does rra ta ta on the money-tarts]<br>Telle la madone de la melodie, minable Madonna<br>[like the madona of the melody shabby Madonna]<br>Je lui prefere Tabatha qui ne cache pas et ne chante pas<br>[I prefer Tabatha (6) who does not hide and does not sing]<br>Constate que l`on vend des disques avec une culotte<br>[find that one sells records with knickers]<br>Et une jupe hu-la-huuue !, barbatruc ! (7)<br>[and a skirt hu-la-huue !, barbatruc !]<br>Et l`on vend du sexe au sexe, Clignancourt (8) humaine<br>[and sex is sold to sex, human `Clignancourt`]<br>Elle se brocante elle-meme<br>[she junks herself]<br>Moi je ne juge pas, moi j`aime `A la claire fontaine`<br>[I, I do not judge, I, I like `AT THE CLEAR FOUNTAIN`]