Thursday, June 28, 2012

Who Has the Right?


I came across this French song “Qui a Le Droit” quite some time ago, and, apart from being moved by the angelic Soprano voice of the young Jean-Baptiste Maunier, I thought the lyrics were hauntingly inspirational. As a way to brush up my French, I’ve given the lyrics my English rendition.

Here’s the link to the multi-artist performance on Youtube (the other singers being Bruel, Zazie, Boulay, Corneille and Garou):-


Qui a Le Droit (French Lyrics)

On m'avait dit :
‘Ne pose pas trop de question,
Tu sais, petit, c'est la vie qui t'répond.
A quoi ca sert de vouloir tout savoir?
Regardes en l'air et vois ce que tu veux voir’

On m'avait dit:
‘Faut écouter son père’
Le mien a rien dit quand il s'est fait la paire
Maman m'a dit: ‘Tu es trop petit pour comprendre’
Et j'ai grandi avec une place à prendre

Qui a le droit
Qui a le droit
Qui a le droit de faire ca
A un enfant qui croit vraiment
C'que disent les grands
On passe sa vie à dire merci
Merci à qui? à quoi?
A faire la pluie et le beau temps
Pour des enfants à qui l'on ment

On m'avait dit:
‘Les hommes sont tous pareils’
Y'a plusieurs dieus mais y'a qu'un seul soleil"
Oui mais le soleil il brille ou bien il brule
Tu meurs de soif ou bien tu bois des bulles

A toi aussi j'suis sur qu'on t'en a dit
De belles histoires. Tu parle, que des conneries
Alors maintenant on se trouve sur la route
Avec nos peurs nos angoisses et nos doutes

Qui a le droit
Qui a le droit
Qui a le droit d'faire ca
A des enfants qui croient vraiment ce que disent les grands
On passe sa vie a dire merci
Merci à qui? à quoi?
A faire la pluie et le beau temps
Pour des enfants à qui l'on ment

My English Rendition of the Lyrics of “Who Has the Right?” :

Someone had told me
“Do not ask too many questions,
You know, little one, it’s life that answers you.
What’s the point in wanting to know everything?
Look into the air and see what you want to see.”

Someone had told me
“One should listen to one’s father.”
Mine said nothing to me when he philandered.
My mother said, “You are too young to understand,”
And I’ve grown up, with an empty place at my side.

Who has the right
Who has the right
Who has the right to do that
To a child who really believes
Anything that the grown-ups say.
He goes through life saying thankyou
Thankyou to whom, for what?
For creating the rain and fine weather for the children?
To whom one tells lies?

Someone had told me
“Men are all the same,
There may be several gods, but there’s only one sun.”
Yes, but the sun, it either glares or else it burns,
Either you die of thirst, or you drink the bubbles.

To you too, I’m sure, one has told
Beautiful stories. You say: what a farce!
Well now we are on the road again,
With all our fears, our anguish and our doubts.

Who has the right
Who has the right
Who has the right to do that
To a child who really believes
Anything that the grown-ups say.
He goes through life saying thankyou
Thankyou to whom, for what?
For creating the rain and fine weather for the children?
To whom one tells lies?




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