Le Gorille Lyrics in English by Georges Brassens
Below, I translated the lyrics of the song Le Gorille by Georges Brassens from French to English.
These English lyric translations are not yet verified.
C'est à travers de larges grilles
It's through wide bars
Que les femelles du canton
That the females of the district
Contemplaient un puissant gorille
Contemplated a powerful gorilla
Sans souci du qu'en-dira-t-on
Without caring what people would say
Avec impudeur, ces commères
Shamelessly, these gossips
Lorgnaient même un endroit précis
Even ogled a precise spot
Que, rigoureusement, ma mère
Which, strictly speaking, my mother
M'a défendu d'nommer ici
Forbade me to name here
Gare au gorille!
Beware the gorilla!
Tout à coup la prison bien close
All of a sudden the well-closed prison
Où vivait le bel animal
Where the beautiful animal lived
S'ouvre, on n'sait pourquoi, je suppose
Opens, we don't know why, I suppose
Qu'on avait dû la fermer mal
That it must have been closed badly
Le singe, en sortant de sa cage
The ape, coming out of its cage
Dit 'c'est aujourd'hui que j'le perds!'
Said 'today's the day I lose it!'
Il parlait de son pucelage
He was talking about his virginity
Vous aviez deviné, j'espère!
You'd guessed, I hope!
Gare au gorille!
Beware the gorilla!
L'patron de la ménagerie
The boss of the menagerie
Criait, éperdu 'nom de nom!
Cried, distraught 'for goodness sake!
C'est assommant, car le gorille
It's annoying, because the gorilla
N'a jamais connu de guenon!'
Has never known a female ape!'
Dès que la féminine engeance
As soon as the feminine breed
Sut que le singe était puceau
Knew that the ape was a virgin
Au lieu de profiter de la chance
Instead of taking advantage of the chance
Elle fit feu des deux fuseaux!
She ran like hell!
Gare au gorille!
Beware the gorilla!
Celles-là même qui, naguère
Those very ones who, recently
Le couvaient d'un œil décidé
Were eyeing him with a determined look
Fuirent, prouvant qu'elles n'avaient guère
Fled, proving they didn't really have
De la suite dans les idées
Consistency in their ideas
D'autant plus vaine était leur crainte
All the more vain was their fear
Que le gorille est un luron
As the gorilla is a jolly fellow
Supérieur à l'homme dans l'étreinte
Superior to man in the embrace
Bien des femmes vous le diront!
Many women will tell you!
Gare au gorille!
Beware the gorilla!
Tout le monde se précipite
Everyone rushes
Hors d'atteinte du singe en rut
Out of reach of the ape in heat
Sauf une vieille décrépite
Except for a decrepit old woman
Et un jeune juge en bois brut
And a young, inexperienced judge
Voyant que toutes se dérobent
Seeing that all were escaping
Le quadrumane accéléra
The quadrumane accelerated
Son dandinement vers les robes
His waddle towards the dresses
De la vieille et du magistrat!
Of the old woman and the magistrate!
Gare au gorille!
Beware the gorilla!
'Bah! soupirait la centenaire
'Bah!' sighed the centenarian
Qu'on pût encore me désirer
'That one could still desire me
Ce serait extraordinaire
That would be extraordinary
Et, pour tout dire, inespéré!'
And, to tell the truth, unhoped for!'
Le juge pensait, impassible
The judge thought, impassively
'Qu'on me prenne pour une guenon
'That I be taken for a female ape
C'est complètement impossible'
That's completely impossible'
La suite lui prouva que non!
The outcome proved him wrong!
Gare au gorille!
Beware the gorilla!
Supposez que l'un de vous puisse être
Suppose one of you could be
Comme le singe, obligé de
Like the ape, forced to
Violer un juge ou une ancêtre
R*pe a judge or an old woman
Lequel choisirait-il des deux?
Which of the two would he choose?
Qu'une alternative pareille
That such an alternative
Un de ces quatre jours, m'échoie
One of these days, falls to me
C'est, j'en suis convaincu, la vieille
It's, I'm convinced, the old woman
Qui sera l'objet de mon choix!
Who will be the object of my choice!
Gare au gorille!
Beware the gorilla!
Mais, par malheur, si le gorille
But, unfortunately, if the gorilla
Aux jeux de l'amour vaut son prix
In the games of love is worth his price
On sait qu'en revanche il ne brille
We know that in return he doesn't shine
Ni par le goût ni par l'esprit
Neither by taste nor by wit
Lors, au lieu d'opter pour la vieille
So, instead of opting for the old woman
Comme l'aurait fait n'importe qui
As anyone would have done
Il saisit le juge à l'oreille
He grabbed the judge by the ear
Et l'entraîna dans un maquis!
And dragged him into a thicket!
Gare au gorille!
Beware the gorilla!
La suite serait délectable
The rest would be delightful
Malheureusement, je ne peux
Unfortunately, I cannot
Pas la dire, et c'est regrettable
Say it, and it's regrettable
Ça nous aurait fait rire un peu
It would have made us laugh a little
Car le juge, au moment suprême
For the judge, at the supreme moment
Criait 'maman!', pleurait beaucoup
Cried 'mama!', cried a lot
Comme l'homme auquel, le jour même
Like the man whose, that very day
Il avait fait trancher le cou
He had had his neck cut
Gare au gorille!
Beware the gorilla!
Lyrics and Translations Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Lyrics © WARNER CHAPPELL MUSIC FRANCE
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pucelage — virginity
Pucelage literally translates to "virginity". It's a somewhat archaic and less common word for virginity, making it stand out.
In the song, it's used in a humorous and provocative context when the gorilla, upon escaping, declares he's about to lose his pucelage. This unexpected and bold use of the word in relation to an animal, especially in such a public and comical scenario, makes it highly memorable and central to the song's satirical tone.
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