Le Mauvais Matelot Lyrics in English by Édith Piaf
Laboureur translates to "plowman" or "farmer". It's a less common word in modern French, especially in song lyrics, making it stand out.
In the song, the imprisoned sailor reveals his humble origins, stating, "Je suis fils de la terre, mon père est laboureur" (I am a son of the earth, my father is a plowman). This word highlights his connection to the land and his fear of the sea, contrasting sharply with his forced life in the navy and adding a poignant layer to his character.
"Le Mauvais Matelot" is a small, dark folk tale set on a ship in the port of Marseille. Below deck, chained "in the hold of the ship, far from the sky, deep down" (dans la cale du navire, loin du ciel, tout au fond), sits a young sailor who never wanted to go to sea at all: "I am a son of the earth, my father is a plowman" (je suis fils de la terre, mon père est laboureur), he tells the captain's daughter when she comes to see him in the dark, "and the sea scares me" (et la mer me fait peur). He was pressed into the navy against his will and can't even swim.
The girl falls for him anyway. "Drop my chains, I will marry you" (faites tomber mes chaînes, je vous épouserai), he begs, promising to take her far from the water and back to the wheat fields of home. But her father finds out, and it costs him everything: "he stole my daughter, tore my heart apart" (il m'a volé ma fille, m'a déchiré le cœur), the captain cries. By the last verse the boat is still dancing in the port, but the captain is dead, having jumped overboard from grief, and the young sailor is left to sleep "in the water" (dans l'eau) he always feared.
