Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Marc & André - At the sign of the Heartless Girl


Original Title: "A l'enseigne de la fille sans coeur"
Text: Jean Villard

Year: 1946
The sky/evening is blue, the open sea wind
digs the sea quite prettily
Toward the harbor climbing to the attack
Galloping its white squadrons
It's an harbor all at the edge of the world
whose streets open on the infinite
But from there as the Earth is round
one can not see the United States.

Noone cares, there is happiness
There is a pub "At Rita the blond"
Noone cares, there is happiness
At the sign of the Heartless Girl!
The accordion plays in major
The refrains of this vast world
There is Rita and her kiss curls
At the sign of the Heartless Girl!

In that small pub, that's where she reigns
One sees her golden mane blaze
Her mouth is like a fruit that bleeds
But people say that her heart is dead
And yet the guys are there, all funny:
The little ones, the tough ones, the hefty fellows
who enter swaying their shoulders
There are some who came from Dakar.

There are some from Antwerp, some from Honfleur
Travelling around sometimes up to the poles
They look at her, it's all their happiness,
But not a single one knows her favors
The accordion plays in major
All the tunes: the sad ones, the funny ones
There is the beautiful blong, that blossoming rose
At the sign of the Heartless Girl!

They loved her even more as she was tough
More her gaze was cruel
Set a hole in their belt
It was hell, it was heaven.
A smile and it was sunday
The boys said: "Drink with us"
They trembled in front of her white hand
pouring rhum and sweet wine.

Beer, coffee, good wines and liquors.
The owner rolled up his sleeves
The money flowed, it was a pleasure
At the sign of the Heartless Girl!
The accordion plays in major
The opening of "The White Lady"
And some guys who gamble their happiness
At the sign of the Heartless Girl!

The owner knew the tune:
He liked the sound of the crowns
He told his only daughter:
"Flee away from love, it's time lost!"
But one evening, the sea was raging
We saw one stranger enter
with beautiful azure eyes without clouds
That's when everything changed

He looked at the heartless heart
She was like a thunder sky
Someone said: "There is trouble"
We could hear the hearts beat
The accordion plays in minor
A song "In the wild wind"
There is a girl, the face covered with tears
At the sign of the Heartless Girl!

He said: "It's you, my divine!"
She answered: "I am yours"
She cried against his chest
He hold her between his arms
The others then full of melancholy
Left with a sigh
The wind sang on the Atlantic Ocean
For that heart that just opened itself

They went off toward their big happiness
The owner had to close the shop
He has been seen drinking all of his liquors
At the sign of the Heartless Girl!
Then the State, that monopolizer,
that never had the sense of comical
Installed the tax collector ofice
At the sign of the Heartless Girl!

Edith Piaf's version (1952):

Barbara's version:

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