Lately, I listened to a French song in my French class, as required by the syllabus. The lyrics was rather bizarre and maybe a little disturbing. Otherwise the song was fine. Guess what — the tune is stuck in my head now. Ahh…
I shall bestow you the opportunity to enjoy the music. Then, if you would like to understand the lyrics, scroll down; I provided both French and the translated English version (quoted from elsewhere).
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J’ai recemment écouté une chanson française pour mon cours de français, comme requis par le programme. Les paroles étaient plutôt bizarres et peut-être un peu inquiétants. Sinon, la chanson était bien. Maintenant, la musique est resté gravé dans ma tête ! Oh la la …
Je vous partage la musique. Si vous voulez comprendre les paroles, regardez à la fin de journal; je fournis les deux versions des paroles.
Click here to listen. Cliquez ici pour écouter.
En français (in French):
Idiot qui ne comprend pas
la légend’ qui comme ça
dit qu’une gitane
implora la lune
jusqu’a lever du jour
Pleurant elle demandait
un gitan qui voudrait
l’épouser par amour
Tu auras ton homme, femme brune
du ciel repondit la pleine lune,
mais il faut me donner
ton enfant le premier
dès que te sera né
cell’qui pour un homme
son enfant inmole
bien peu l’aurait aimé
Refrain:
Lune tu veux être mère
tu ne trouves pas l’amour
qui exauc’ ta prière
dis-moi lune d’argent
toi qui n’as pas de bras
comment bercer l’enfant
Hijo de la luna
D’un gitan canelle
naquit l’enfant
tout comme l’hermine
il ètait blanc
ses prunelles grises
pas couleur olive
fils albinos de lune
Maudit soit-tu bâtard!
t’es le fils d’un gadjo
t’es le fils d’un blafard
Refrain
Le gitan se croyant déshonoré
couteau en main sa femme alla trouver
l’enfant n’est pas de moi
tu m’as trompé je vois
à mort il la blessa
Et l’enfant dans ses bras
la colline il monta
là-haut l’abandonna…
Refrain
Et les soirs oú l’enfant joue et sourit
de joie aussi la lune s’arrondit
et lorsque l’enfant pleure
elle décroit pour lui faire
un berceau de lumière
En anglais (in English):
Foolish is he who doesn’t understand.
A legend tells of a gypsy woman
Who pleaded to the moon until dawn.
Weeping she begged
At the break of dawn
To marry a gypsy man.
“You’ll have your man, tawny skin,”
Said the full moon from the sky.
“But in return I want your first child
Whom you have with him.
Because she who sacrifices her child
So that she is not alone,
Isn’t likely to love it very much.”
Chorus:
Moon, you want to be mother,
But you cannot find a love
Who makes you a woman.
Tell me, silver moon,
What you intend to do
With a child of flesh.
A-ha-ha, a-ha-ha,
Son of the moon.
From a cinnamon-skinned father
A son was born,
White as the back of an ermine,
With gray eyes instead of olive –
Moon’s albino child.
“Damn his appearance!
This is not a gypsy man’s son
And I will not put up with that.”
Chorus
Believing to be dishonored,
The gypsy went to his wife,
A knife in his hand.
“Whose son is this?
You’ve certainly fooled me!”
And he wounded her mortally.
Then he went to the woodlands
With the child in his arms
And left it behind there.
Chorus
And the nights the moon is full
It is because the child
Is in a good mood.
And if the child cries,
The moon wanes
To make it a cradle.
Weird.. I’m from Finland, and we danced to this song in dance class, but the Spanish version. I was wondering what the lyrics meant, even tried translating them in Babelfish but they didn’t make much sense!
So thank you very much for posting this, that is a terribly persistant song, and at least now I know what the story’s about when it keeps spinning in my head
Hello there! the original song is from the Spanish group Mecano and it is called “Hijo de la Luna” and it s an old legend. This group is famous because of their weird lyrics, most of their songs are composed by Nacho Cano from a man s perspective but it is Ana Torroja who sings them.