La complainte du phoque en Alaska
par Michel Rivard
Cré moi, cré moi pas
Quequ’part en Alaska
Y’a un phoque qui s’ennuie en maudit
Sa blonde est partie,
Gagner sa vie
Dans un cirque aux Etats-Unis.
Le phoque est tout seule
Y r’garde le soleil
Qui descend doucement sur le glacier
Y pense aux états
En pleurant tout bas
C’est comme ça quand ta blonde t’a lâché
Ça vaut pas la peine
De laisser ceux qu’on aime
Pour aller faire tourner
Des ballons sur son nez
Ça fait rire les enfants
Ça dure jamais longtemps
Ça fait plus rire personne
Quand les enfants sont grands.
Quand le phoque s’ennuie
Y regarde son poil qui brille
Comme les rues d’New York après la pluie
Y rêve à Chicago
À Marilyn Monroe,
Y voudrait voir sa blonde faire un show
C’est rien qu’une histoire
J’peux pas m’en faire accroire
Mais des fois j’ai l’impression que c’est moé
Qui est assis sur la glace
Les deux mains dans la face
Mon amour est partie pis je m’ennuie
Ça vaut pas la peine
De laisser ceux qu’on aime
Pour aller faire tourner
Des ballons sur son nez
Ça fait rire les enfants
Ça dure jamais longtemps
Ça fait plus rire personne
Quand les enfants sont grands.
Lament of the Alaskan Seal
“Faitfhul” translation by John Lejderman
Believe it or not
Somewhere in Alaska
There’s a seal who’s sad as can be
His gilfriend has left
To take up a job
For a circus in the US of A.
The seal sits alone
And watches the sun
Setting softly over the ice
He thinks of the States,
And quietly cries
It’s like that when your love lets you down.
The heartache is more than it’s worth
Leaving those that you love
To go spinning balls
On the tip of your nose
You can make children laugh
But it never lasts long
And there’s no one to laugh
When the children grow up.
When the seal’s feeling down
He sees his glistening fur
Like New York streets after the rain
He dreams of Chicago
And Marilyn Monroe
He wants to see his gal do a show
It’s all just a tale
It’s hard to believe
But sometimes, I think that it’s me
Sitting on the ice
My face in my hands
My love is gone and I’m sad.
The heartache is more than it’s worth
Leaving those that you love
To go spinning balls
On the tip of your nose
You can make children laugh
But it never lasts long
And there’s no one to laugh
When the children grow up.
Lament of the Lonely Seal
Adaptation by John Lejderman
Believe it or not
Up where the snow never stops
There’s a seal who yearns for his mate
His sweetheart is far,
She’s become a star,
In a circus way down in the States.
The seal is in tears
As the sun disappears
And the shadows grow long on the ice
His tears start to freeze
And he just can’t believe
That she had to tell him goodbye.
What do you think you’ll come to
Leaving love that is true
To go balancing balls,
For the sake of applause.
Children laugh at your tricks,
And that gives you some kicks,
But it doesn’t last long,
When the children are gone.
The seal finds it tough,
When the moon up above,
Recalls sweet thoughts of his love.
He dreams of Chicago
And Marilyn Monroe
He wants to see his gal do a show.
It’s the story of a seal,
I don’t know if it’s real
But sometimes I think that it’s me
Stuck in the snow,
With nowhere to go,
I can’t see why she had to leave.
What do you think you’ll come to
Leaving love that is true
To go balancing balls,
For the sake of applause.
Children laugh at your tricks,
And that gives you some kicks,
But it doesn’t last long,
When the children are gone
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