L'elephant - A Song In Pictures

[MrScorpio]

By Tom Tom Club
© 1981
(transcription by Stephane Osstyn
corrections, notes and English translation by Tina Weymouth)

L'éléphant et l'hippopotame
(The elephant and the hippopotamus)


(Se) Sont déguisés en hommes.
(Disguised themselves as men.)


(Ils) Ont marché au beau village,
(They walked to the beautiful village,)


Marché, marché, marché, marché.
(Walked, walked, walked, walked)


Sur le chemin, (ils) ont rencontré
(On the path, they met)


Des enfants des hommes,
(The children of men)


Et des femmes qui courraient
(And women, who were running,)


Courraient, courraient, courraient, courraient.
(Running, running, running, running)


Tout en courrant, les femmes pleuraient
(As they ran, the women were crying,)


Pleuraient des grosses larmes
(Crying fat tears.)


Grosses gouttes, grosses larmes
(Large drops, big fat tears, were)


Tombaient, tombaient, tombaient, tombaient.
(Falling, falling, falling, falling)


L'éléphant et l'hippopotame
(The elephant and the hippopotamus)


Voulaient savoir ce qu'elles avaient
(Wanted to know what was the matter,)


Voulaient savoir la raison qu'elles
(Wanted to know the reason they were)


Pleuraient, pleuraient, pleuraient, pleuraient.
(Crying, crying, crying, crying.)


Un enfant, tout terrifié,
(A terrified child)


S'est arrêté pour leur parler.
(Stopped to speak with them.)


Sa bouche ouvrait, mais il est resté
(His mouth opened, but he remained)


Muet, muet, muet, muet.
(Mute, mute, mute, mute.)


*Enlevez vos costumes bêtes,
(*"Take off your foolish/beastly costumes,")


Leur chantaient les oiseaux.
(Sang to them the birds.)


**Gobe-mouches pipits, chouettes et hiboux
(**Pipits, screech owls, and owls were)


Chantaient, chantaient, chantaient, chantaient:
(Singing, singing, singing, singing: )


C'est la guerre, la guerre des hommes.
("It is war, the war of men.)


Ils se sont disputés.
(They have quarreled among themselves.)


Tout autour, ils veulent tuer,
(All around, they want to kill,)


Tuer, tuer, tuer, tuer.
(Kill, kill, kill, kill)

Tuer, tuer, tuer, tuer.
(Kill, kill, kill, kill)


Tuer, tuer, tuer, tuer.
(Kill, kill, kill, kill)


Tuer, tuer, tuer, tuer.
(Kill, kill, kill, kill)


Tuer, tuer, tuer, tuer.
(Kill, kill, kill, kill)








For Cindy





**************************************************

*Bêtes is plural for bête, which means beast, animal,
or dumb creature. It also means silly, stupid, dumb,
or idiotic. Since the animals are dressed as men,
this is a play on words.

**In ornithology, gobe-mouches pipits are fly-catching
tit-larks, or pipits, a species of bird. In botany,
un gobe-mouches is defined as a fly-trap. Gobe-mouches
also translates into simpleton, fool, gull, dupe, sap
or, in slang, as sucker. This is another play on words.

**************************************************

[alarcojon]

1. Hey Mr. S

I appreciate your work. Well done!

[stlsaxman]

2. Great song and well done, Scorp- but surely this whole thing is a ruse...

so you could type "tit-lark" and not be locked as a "sex-thread"! if so, double-plus well done!

:rofl:

[MrScorpio]

3. I wish that it was me

That was Tina Weymouth

[Pithlet]

6. Yes, but your posting it with the pictures

was inspired. I love the Tom Tom Club. I hadn't heard that song in a long time. I'll never hear that song the same way again.

:cry:

[stlsaxman]

7. heheheh- i knew THAT!

I was just saying it was a great song, i haven't even heard it in more than a decade... but as soon as i read the title the sound of Belew wailing came to mind...

and thanks for the translation.... i had NO IDEA it was about imperialist war... damn dude- it 'bout brought me to tears.

edited for spellcheck

[auntAgonist]

4. thank you for posting this, it left me

in tears for the lost, their families and the losses to come.

:cry:

[Bullwinkle925]

5. This is (sadly) wonderful. Thanks for your hard work.

:cry:

[Jara sang]

8. Wow! awesome.

:thumbsup:

[Heidi]

9. Kick! (nt)

[enigmatic]

10. Brilliant

Kudos, my friend:)

[Heidi]

11. Really sad.

Thank you, MrS. :cry: :grouphug:

[Tom Kitten]

12. Shit, man

I am choking back tears...This is overwhelming..

[neweurope]

13. Excellently done, MrScorpio. KICK!

-----------------------

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Bush to The Hague!