Just in case we might put
crossbars on our windows
paint our storefronts blue
right down to our car tires
strip the canvas from every museum
mess up the Champs-Elysées
wrap in packed earth
all the beauty of our statues
veil the lampposts at night
plunge the City of Light into darkness
Paris will always be Paris!
The most beautiful city in the world
Despite the deepest darkness
its sparkle can't be dimmed
Paris will always be Paris!
The more we cut its lighting
the more its courage shines
Its good humor and its spirit
Paris will always be Paris!
So everyone trains to that noise
we can sound the siren at night
force us to play the fool
in pajamas down in our cellar
They can pass all the ukases they want
cut off our veal and even our jazz
force us to wear gas masks
give us four-square crossword puzzles
make us stay in our homes
go to bed at eleven sharp
Paris will always be Paris!
The most beautiful city in the world
Despite the deepest darkness
its sparkle can't be dimmed
Paris will always be Paris!
The more we cut its lighting
the more its courage shines
Its good humor and its spirit
Paris will always be Paris!
Though, honestly, since October
dresses have been far more sober
there are fewer flowers and fewer plumes
the colors are more discreet
Though at galas they've scrapped
chinchillas and ermines
and jewelry, in all decency
shines mostly by its absence
though beauty is less showy
less brazen and less frilly
Paris will always be Paris!
The most beautiful girl in the world
even when distant cannons rumble
looks even prettier still
Paris will always be Paris!
We can cut back her spending
Her poise and her elegance
are only worth all the more
Paris will always be Paris!