Tracklist
Nannas Lied
Kurt Weill
2.
Der Abschiedsbrief
Kurt Weill
3.
Je ne t'aime pas
Kurt Weill
Es regnet
Kurt Weill
5.
Die Dreigroschenoper:
Barbarasong
Kurt Weill
6.
Youkali (
Kurt Weill
7.
Je chante la nuit
Maurice Yvain
8.
La dame de Monte-Carlo
Francis Poulenc
Cabaret songs:
Tell me the truth about love
Benjamin Britten
10.
Cabaret songs:
Funeral blues
Benjamin Britten
Benjamin Britten
11.
Cabaret songs:
Johnny
12.
Cabaret songs:
Calypso
Benjamin Britten
Lyrics
1
NANNAS SONG
NANNA'S SONG
Meine Herren, mit siebzehn Jahren
Kam ich auf den Liebesmarkt
Und ich habe viel erfahren.
Böses gab es viel,
Doch das war das Spiel.
Aber manches hab ich doch verargt.
(Schließlich bin ich ja auch ein Mensch.)
​
Gott sei Dank geht alles schnell vorüber
Auch die Liebe und der Kummer sogar.
Wo sind die Tränen von gestern Abend?
Wo ist der Schnee vom vergangenen Jahr?
​
Freilich geht man mit den Jahren
Leichter auf den Liebesmarkt
Und umarmt sie dort in Scharen.
Aber das Gefühl
Wird erstaunlich kühl
Wenn man damit allzuwenig kargt.
(Schließlich geht ja jeder Vorrat zu Ende.)
​
Gott sei Dank geht alles schnell vorüber
Auch die Liebe und der Kummer sogar.
Wo sind die Tränen von gestern Abend?
Wo ist der Schnee vom vergangenen Jahr?
​
Und auch wenn man gut das Handeln
Lernte auf der Liebesmess':
Lust in Kleingeld zu verwandeln
Wird doch niemals leicht.
Nun, es wird erreicht.
Doch man wird auch älter unterdes.
(Schließlich bleibt man ja nicht immer siebzehn.)
​
Gott sei Dank geht alles schnell vorüber
Auch die Liebe und der Kummer sogar.
Wo sind die Tränen von gestern Abend?
Wo ist der Schnee vom vergangenen Jahr?
Gentlemen, at seventeen years old
I came to the love market,
And I have learned a lot.
There was much evil,
But that was the game.
Yet some things I did resent.
(After all, I'm human too.)
Thank God everything passes quickly
Even love and sorrow too.
Where are the tears of yesterday evening?
Where is the snow of yesteryear?
Of course, as the years go by
You go to the love market more easily
And embrace them there in droves.
But the feeling
Becomes surprisingly cool,
When you don’t earn enough with it.
(After all, every supply runs out eventually.)
Thank God everything passes quickly
Even love and sorrow too.
Where are the tears of yesterday evening?
Where is the snow of yesteryear?
And even when you learn to trade well
At the love fair:
Changing pleasure into small change
Is never easy.
Well, it’s been achieved.
But meanwhile, you also grow older.
(After all, you can't stay seventeen forever.)
Thank God everything passes quickly
Even love and sorrow too.
Where are the tears of yesterday evening?
Where is the snow of yesteryear?
2
DER ABSCHIEDSBRIEF
Zwei Stunden sitz' ich schon im Café Bauer.
Wenn Du nicht willst, dann sag mir's in's Gesicht.
Deswegen wird mir meine Milch nicht sauer,
Ich pfeif' auf Dich, mein Schatz, na schön, denn nicht.
Du brauchst nicht denken, daß ich Dich entbehre,
Mit dem Verkehr mit mir, das ist jetzt aus!
Auch ich hab' so etwas wie eine Ehre.
Laß Dich nicht blicken, Schatz, sonst fliegst Du 'raus!
​
Du bist der Erste nicht, der so verschwindet.
Das hab' ich nicht an Dir verdient, mein gutes Kind!
Du glaubst doch nicht daß sich nicht noch ein And'rer findet?
Es gibt noch welche, die bequemer für mich sind.
​
Ich hab' das Grüne an aus Poppelin.
Das Loch d'rin hast Du auch hineingerissen.
Du weißt, es reicht mir nur bis zu den Knien.
Ich hab' auch noch ein angefang'nes Kissen.
Das solltest Du am Heil'gen Abend kriegen,
Das ist nun aus, und mir auch einerlei.
Es werden öfters Andre darauf liegen,
Denn was vorbei ist, Schatz, das ist vorbei!
​
Du bist der Erste nicht, der so verschwindet.
Das hab' ich nicht an Dir verdient, mein gutes Kind!
Du glaubst doch nicht daß sich nicht noch ein And'rer findet?
Es gibt noch welche, die bequemer für mich sind.
​
Ich bin nicht stolz, auch wär das nicht am Platze.
Wenn Du was übrig hast, dann schick' es schnell!
Mir gegenüber feixt ein Herr mit Glatze,
Das ist der Chef von Engelhorn‘s Hotel!
Na Schluß! Das Vis-a-vis von gegenüber
Fragt, ob ich wollte, denn er möchte schon.
Der hat Moneten, so ein alter Schieber.
Behalt dein Geld, und schlaf allein, mein Sohn.
​
Auch Du bist einer von die feinen Herrn.
Der Alte kommt, er nimmt mich zu sich mit!
Rutsch mir den Buckel lang! Und hab' mich gern!
Von ganzem Herzen, Deine Erna Schmidt.
THE FAREWELL LETTER
I've been sitting in Café Bauer for two hours already.
If you don't want to, then tell it to my face.
It won't make my milk go sour,
I don't give a damn about you, my dear, well then, so be it.
You needn't think that I'll miss you.
My dealings with you are over now!
I too have something like honor.
Don't show your face, dear, or you'll be thrown out!
​
You're not the first one to disappear like this.
I didn't deserve this from you, my dear boy!
You don't think that I’ll find someone else?
There are others who are more convenient for me.
​
I'm wearing the green poplin dress.
You tore the hole in it.
Remember, it only reaches down to my knees.
I also have an unfinished cushion.
You were supposed to get it on Christmas Eve.
That's over now, and I don't care either.
Others will often lie on it,
For what's past, dear, is past!
​
You're not the first one to disappear like this.
I didn't deserve this from you, my dear boy!
You don't think that I’ll find someone else?
There are others who are more convenient for me.
​
I'm not proud, nor would it be appropriate.
If you have anything left, send it quickly!
Across from me, a bald gentleman is grinning.
He's the manager of Engelhorn's Hotel!
Well, that's it! The vis-à-vis opposite
Asks if I would, because he'd like to.
He's got money, that old fox.
Keep your money, and sleep alone, my son.
​
You too are one of those fine gentlemen.
The old man is coming, he's taking me with him!
Get lost! And love me!
Yours truly, your Erna Schmidt.
3
JE NE T'AIME PAS
Retire ta main, je ne t'aime pas,
Car tu l'as voulu, tu n'es qu'une amie.
Pour d'autres sont faits le creux de tes bras
Et ton cher baiser, ta tête endormie.
​
Ne me parle pas lorsque c'est le soir,
Trop intimement, à voix basse mêm’.
Ne me donne pas surtout ton mouchoir:
Il renferme trop le parfum que j'aim’.
​
Dis-moi tes amours, je ne t'aime pas,
Quelle heure te fut la plus enivrant’
Je ne t'aime pas...
Et s'il t'aimait bien, ou s'il fut ingrat...
En me le disant, ne sois pas charmant’,
Je ne t'aime pas...
​
Je n'ai pas pleuré, je n'ai pas souffert,
Ce n'était qu'un rêve et qu'une folie.
Il me suffira que tes yeux soient clairs,
Sans regret du soir, ni mélancholie,
​
Il me suffira de voir ton bonheur.
Il me suffira de voir ton sourir’.
Conte-moi comment il a pris ton coeur
Et même dis-moi ce qu'on ne peut dir’...
​
Non, tais-toi plutôt... Je suis à genoux...
Le feu s'est éteint, la porte est fermée...
Je ne t'aime pas…
Ne demande rien, je pleure... C'est tout...
Je ne t'aime pas, je ne t'aime pas,
O ma bien-aimée!
Retire ta main…
Je ne t'aime pas...
Je ne t'aime pas!
I DO NOT LOVE YOU
Take away your hand, I don't love you,
For that's what you wanted, you're only a friend.
The crook of your arms is made for others
And your dear kiss, your sleeping head.
​
When evening falls, don't talk to me
Too intimately, in that low voice.
And above all, don't give me your handkerchief:
It's drenched in the perfume that I adore.
​
Tell me of your loves, I do not love you,
Tell me of your most blissful hour,
I do not love you...
Tell me if he loved you well, or was cruel...
And when telling me, do not be charming,
I do not love you...
​
I did not cry, I did not suffer,
It was only a dream and only a folly.
It's enough for me that your eyes are bright,
Without regretting that evening, nor melancholy.
​
It's enough for me to see your happiness.
It's enough for me to see your smile.
Tell me how he conquered your heart
And even tell me what cannot be told...
​
No, be quiet rather... I'm on my knees...
The passion's gone, the door is closed...
I do not love you...
Ask me nothing, I'm crying... That's all...
I do not love you, I do not love you,
O my loved one!
Take away your hand...
I do not love you...
I do not love you!
4
ES REGNET
Ich frage nichts.
Ich darf nicht fragen,
Denn du hast mir gesagt: "Frage nicht!"
Aber kaum höre ich deinen Wagen.
Denke ich: Sagen, oder nicht sagen?
Er hat alles auf dem Gesicht!
​
Glaubst du denn, daß nur der Mund spricht?
Augen sind wie Fensterglas.
Durch alle Fenster sieht man immer,
Schließt du die Augen, ist es schlimmer.
Meine Augen hören etwas,
Etwas and’res meine Ohren.
Für Schmerzen bin ich denn geboren.
​
Laß mein Gesicht am Fenster, laß;
Die Sonne darf jetzt nicht mehr scheinen!
"Es regnet," sagt das Fensterglas.
Es sagt nur was es denkt!
Laß uns zusammen weinen.
IT'S RAINING
I ask nothing.
I’m not supposed to ask,
For you have told me: "Don't ask!"
But I can barely hear your car.
And I think: to say or not to say?
It’s written all over his face!
​
Do you believe that only the mouth speaks?
Eyes are like windowpanes.
Through all windows you always see,
If you close your eyes, it's worse.
My eyes hear something,
My ears hear something else.
For pain, then, I was born.
​
Let my face rest on the window, let it;
The sun cannot shine anymore!
"It's raining," says the windowpane.
It only says what it thinks!
Let us weep together.
5
BARBARASONG
BARBARA SONG
Einst glaubte ich, als ich noch unschuldig war,
Und das war ich einst grad so wie du.
Vielleicht kommt auch zu mir einmal einer
Und dann muß ich wissen, was ich tu.
Und wenn er Geld hat,
Und wenn er nett ist,
Und sein Kragen ist auch werktags rein,
Und wenn er weiß, was sich bei einer Dame schickt,
Dann sage ich ihm: "Nein."
​
Da behält man seinen Kopf oben,
Und man bleibt ganz allgemein.
Sicher scheint der Mond die ganze Nacht,
Sicher wird das Boot am Ufer festgemacht,
Aber weiter kann nichts sein.
Ja, da kann man sich doch nicht nur hinlegen,
Ja, da muß man kalt und herzlos sein.
Ja, da könnte so viel geschehen,
Ach, da gibt's überhaupt nur: "Nein!"
​
Der erste, der kam, war ein Mann aus Kent,
Der war, wie ein Mann sein soll.
Der zweite, der hatte drei Schiffe im Hafen,
Und der dritte war nach mir toll.
Und als sie Geld hatten,
Und als sie nett waren,
Und ihr Kragen war auch werktags rein,
Und als sie wußten, was sich bei einer Dame schickt,
Da sagte ich ihnen: "Nein."
​
Da behielt ich meinen Kopf oben,
Und ich blieb ganz allgemein.
Sicher schien der Mond die ganze Nacht,
Sicher war das Boot am Ufer festgemacht,
Aber weiter konnte nichts sein.
Ja, da kann man sich doch nicht nur hinlegen,
Ja, da mußt ich kalt und herzlos sein.
Ja, da könnte doch viel geschehen,
Ach, da gab's überhaupt nur: "Nein!"
​
Jedoch eines Tags, und der Tag war blau,
Kam einer, der mich nicht bat.
Und er hängte seinen Hut an den Nagel in meiner Kammer,
Und ich wußte nicht mehr, was ich tat.
Und als er kein Geld hatte,
Und als er nicht nett war,
Und sein Kragen war auch am Sonntag nicht rein,
Und als er nicht wußte, was sich bei einer Dame schickt,
Zu ihm sagte ich nicht: "Nein."
​
Da behielt ich meinen Kopf nicht oben,
Und ich blieb nicht allgemein.
Ach, es schien der Mond die ganze Nacht,
Und es ward das Boot am Ufer losgemacht,
Und es konnte gar nicht anders sein.
Ja, da muß man sich doch einfach hinlegen,
Ja, da kann man doch nicht kalt und herzlos sein.
Ach, da mußte so viel geschehen,
Ja, da gab's überhaupt kein "Nein!"
I once believed, when I was still innocent,
And I was innocent once, just like you.
Perhaps someday someone will come to me,
And then I must know what to do.
And if he has money,
And if he is nice,
And his collar is clean on workdays too,
And if he knows how to treat a lady properly,
Then I will tell him: "No."
​
That’s when you keep your chin up,
And you keep your head.
Of course, the moon shines all night,
Of course, the boat is tied to the bank,
But nothing more can happen.
Well, you can’t just lie down like that,
Well, you must be cold and heartless.
Well, so much could happen,
Ah, there is nothing but: "No!"
​
The first one who came was a man from Kent,
Who was exactly as a man should be.
The second had three ships in the harbor,
And the third one I liked.
And if they had money,
And if they were nice,
And their collars were clean on workdays too,
And if they knew how to treat a lady properly,
I told them: "No."
​
That’s when I kept my chin up,
And I kept my head.
Of course, the moon shone all night,
Of course, the boat was tied to the bank,
But nothing more could happen.
Well, you can’t just lie down like that,
Well, I had to be cold and heartless.
Well, so much could have happened,
Ah, there was nothing but: "No!"
​
But one day, and the day was blue,
Someone came who didn’t ask me.
And he hung his hat on the nail in my chamber,
And I no longer knew what I was doing.
And if he had no money,
And if he wasn’t nice,
And his collar wasn’t clean on Sundays either,
And if he didn’t know how to treat a lady properly,
To him I didn’t say: "No."
​
That’s when I didn’t keep my chin up,
And I lost my head.
Oh, the moon shone all night long,
And the boat was untied from the bank,
And it couldn’t have been otherwise.
Well, you just have to lie down like that!
Well, you can’t be cold and heartless!
Oh, so much had to happen!
Well, there wasn’t any "No!" at all.
6
YOUKALI
C'est presque au bout du monde,
Ma barque vagabonde,
Errant augré de l'onde,
M'y conduisit un jour.
L'île est toute petite,
Mais la fée qui l'habite
Gentiment nous invite
A en faire le tour.
​
Youkali, c'est le pays de nos désirs,
Youkali, c'est le bonheur, c'est le plaisir,
Youkali, c'est la terre où l'on quitte tous les soucis,
C'est, dans notre nuit, comme une eclaircie, l'étoile qu′on suit,
C'est Youkali.
​
Youkali, c'est le respect de tous les voeux échangés,
Youkali, c'est le pays des beaux amours partagés,
C'est l'espérance qui est au coeur de tous les humains,
La délivrance que nous attendons tous pour demain,
Youkali, c'est le pays de nos désirs,
Youkali, c'est le bonheur, c'est le plaisir.
Mais c'est un rêve, une folie,
Il n′y a pas de Youkali!
​
Et la vie nous entraîne,
Lassante, quotidienne,
Mais la pauvre âme humaine,
Cherchant partout l′oubli,
A pour quitter la terre,
Su trouver le mystère
Où nos rêves se terrent
En quelque Youkali.
​
Youkali, c'est le pays de nos désirs,
Youkali, c'est le bonheur, c'est le plaisir,
Youkali, c'est la terre où l'on quitte tous les soucis,
C'est, dans notre nuit, comme une eclaircie, l'étoile qu'on suit,
C'est Youkali.
​
Youkali, c'est le respect de tous les voeux échangés,
Youkali, c'est le pays des beaux amours partagés,
C'est l'espérance qui est au coeur de tous les humains,
La délivrance que nous attendons tous pour demain,
Youkali, c'est le pays de nos désirs,
Youkali, c'est le bonheur, c'est le plaisir.
Mais c'est un rêve, une folie,
Il n′y a pas de Youkali!
YOUKALI
It's almost at the world's end,
My wandering boat,
Drifting at the wave's will,
Led me there one day.
The island is tiny,
But the fairy who inhabits it
Kindly invites us
To take a tour around.
​
Youkali, it's the land of our desires,
Youkali, it's happiness, it's pleasure,
Youkali, it's the land where we leave all worries behind,
It's, in our night, like a break in the clouds, the star we follow,
It's Youkali.
​
Youkali, it's the respect of all vows exchanged,
Youkali, it's the country of beautiful shared loves,
It's the hope that's in the heart of all humans,
The deliverance we all await for tomorrow,
Youkali, it's the land of our desires,
Youkali, it's happiness, it's pleasure.
But it's a dream, a folly,
There is no Youkali!
​
And life drags us along,
Exhausting, ordinary,
But the poor human soul,
Seeking oblivion everywhere,
To leave the earth,
Has found the mystery
Where our dreams hide
In some Youkali.
​
Youkali, it's the land of our desires,
Youkali, it's happiness, it's pleasure,
Youkali, it's the land where we leave all worries behind,
It's, in our night, like a break in the clouds, the star we follow,
It's Youkali.
​
Youkali, it's the respect of all vows exchanged,
Youkali, it's the country of beautiful shared loves,
It's the hope that's in the heart of all humans,
The deliverance we all await for tomorrow,
Youkali, it's the land of our desires,
Youkali, it's happiness, it's pleasure.
But it's a dream, a folly,
There is no Youkali!
7
JE CHANTE LA NUIT
Mon amour,
Quand tes beaux yeux verront tomber le jour,
Quand sur le jardin embaumé
L'ombre va refermer
Son rideau de velours,
Doucement,
Penche à la fenêtre ton front charmant.
Du fond des bosquets argentés
N'entends-tu pas monter
La voix de ton amant?
​
Je chante la nuit,
Berçant mon ennui,
Calmant ma douleur,
Enivrant mon coeur
D'une sérénade.
Souviens-toi des soirs,
Des soirs pleins d'espoirs,
De nos rendez-vous,
De nos baisers fous,
De nos promenades.
​
Où sont tes serments?
Cruellement
Tu ris de mes tourments.
Mais, le coeur brisé,
Sans renoncer,
Sans jamais me lasser
Je chante la nuit,
Ma voix te poursuit,
Implorant toujours
Un seul mot d'amour,
Je chante la nuit.
​
C'est ainsi
Que tout l'été, un amoureux transi
Clama sa peine et son émoi,
Mais au bout de trois mois,
Dépité, il partit.
Depuis lors,
La dame a beau mettre le nez dehors,
Plus d'amoureux, et cependant
Dans son coeur, elle entend
Le refrain du remords:
​
Je chante la nuit,
Berçant mon ennui,
Calmant ma douleur,
Enivrant mon coeur
D'une sérénade.
Souviens-toi des soirs,
Des soirs pleins d'espoirs,
De nos rendez-vous,
De nos baisers fous,
De nos promenades.
​
Où sont tes serments?
Cruellement
Tu ris de mes tourments.
Mais, le coeur brisé,
Sans renoncer,
Sans jamais me lasser
Je chante la nuit,
Ma voix te poursuit,
Implorant toujours
Un seul mot d'amour,
Je chante la nuit.
I SING THROUGH THE NIGHT
My love,
When your beautiful eyes see daylight fade,
When over the fragrant garden
The shadow draws
Its velvet curtain,
Gently,
Lean from the window your charming brow.
From silvered groves below
Don't you hear
Your lover's voice rise?
​
I sing through the night,
Cradling my boredom,
Soothing my pain,
Intoxicating my heart
With a serenade.
Remember the evenings,
Evenings full of hope,
Our rendezvous,
Our kisses, wild and true,
Our promenades.
​
Where are your vows?
Cruelly now
You laugh at my woes.
But, with heart torn,
Never to abandon,
Never to despair
I sing through the night,
My voice pursues you,
Always imploring
One word of love,
I sing through the night.
​
And so it went
That all summer long, an ardent admirer
Proclaimed his sorrow and his emotion,
But after three months' devotion,
Annoyed, he went.
Since then,
The lady looks out in vain.
No lover in sight, and yet
In her heart she hears
The refrain of remorse:
​
I sing through the night,
Cradling my boredom,
Soothing my pain,
Intoxicating my heart
With a serenade.
Remember the evenings,
Evenings full of hope,
Our rendezvous,
Our kisses, wild and true,
Our promenades.
​
Where are your vows?
Cruelly now
You laugh at my woes.
But, with heart torn,
Never to abandon,
Never to despair
I sing through the night,
My voice pursues you,
Always imploring
One word of love,
I sing through the night.
8
LA DAME DE MONTE-CARLO
THE LADY OF MONTE-CARLO
Quand on est morte entre les mortes,
Qu’on se traîne chez les vivants
Lorsque tout vous flanque à la porte
Et la ferme d’un coup de vent,
Ne plus être jeune et aimée…
Derrière une porte fermée,
Il reste de se fiche à l’eau
Ou d’acheter un rigolo.
Oui, messieurs, voilà ce qui reste
Pour les lâches et les salauds.
Mais si la frousse de ce geste
S’attache à vous comme un grelot,
Si l’on craint de s’ouvrir les veines,
On peut toujours risquer la veine
D’un voyage à Monte-Carlo,
Monte-Carlo, Monte-Carlo.
J’ai fini ma journée.
Je veux dormir au fond de l’eau
De la Méditerranée.
​
Après avoir vendu votre âme
Et mis en gage des bijoux
Que jamais plus on ne réclame,
La roulette est un beau joujou.
C’est joli de dire: “Je joue”.
Cela vous met le feu aux joues
Et cela vous allume l’oeil.
Sous les jolis voiles de deuil
On porte un joli nom de veuve.
Un titre donne de l’orgueil!
Et folle, et prête, et toute neuve,
On prend sa carte au casino.
Voyez mes plumes et mes voiles,
Contemplez le strass de l’étoile
Qui me mène à Monte-Carlo.
​
La chance est femme. Elle est jalouse
De ces veuvages solennels.
Sans doute elle m’a cru l’épouse
D’un véritable colonel.
J’ai gagné, gagné sur le douze.
Et puis les robes se décousent,
La fourrure perd ses cheveux.
On a beau répéter: “Je veux”,
Dès que la chance vous déteste,
Dès que votre coeur est nerveux,
Vous ne pouvez plus faire un geste,
Pousser un sou sur le tableau
Sans que la chance qui s’écarte
Change les chiffres et les cartes
Des tables de Monte-Carlo.
​
Les voyous, les buses, les gales!
Ils m’ont mise dehors… dehors…
Et ils m’accusent d’être sale,
De porter malheur dans leurs salles,
Dans leurs sales salles en stuc.
Moi qui aurais donné mon truc
A l’oeil, au prince, à la princesse,
Au Duc de Westminster, au Duc,
Parfaitement.
“Faut que ça cesse,”
Qu’ils me criaient, “votre boulot!”
Votre boulot! Ma découverte.
J’en priverai les tables vertes.
C’est bien fait pour Monte-Carlo.
Monte-Carlo.
​
Et maintenant, moi qui vous parle,
Je n’avouerai pas les kilos
Que j’ai perdus à Monte-Carle,
Monte-Carle ou Monte-Carlo.
Je suis une ombre de moi-même...
Les martingales, les systèmes
Et les croupiers qui ont le droit
De taper de loin sur vos doigts
Quand on peut faucher une mise.
Et la pension où l’on doit
Et toujours la même chemise
Que l’angoisse trempe dans l’eau.
Ils peuvent courir. Pas si bête.
Cette nuit je pique une tête
Dans la mer de Monte-Carlo.
Monte-Carlo.
​​
When you are dead among the dead,
And drag yourself among the living
When everything throws you out the door
And slams it shut with a gust of wind,
No longer young and loved...
Behind a closed door,
What's left is to throw yourself in the water
Or to buy a pistol.
Yes, gentlemen, that is what remains
For cowards and bastards.
But if the fear of such a gesture
Clings to you like a jangling bell,
If you're afraid to open your veins,
You can always try your luck instead
At a trip to Monte-Carlo,
Monte-Carlo, Monte-Carlo.
I've reached the end of my day.
I want to sleep beneath the waves
Of the Mediterranean Sea.
​
After selling off your soul
And pawning jewels you'll never reclaim,
The roulette becomes a lovely toy.
It's beautiful to say: "I play".
It makes your cheeks flush
And lights up your eyes.
Beneath the pretty veils of mourning
You wear a charming widow's name.
A title lends you dignity!
And mad, and ready, and wholly restored,
You take your card at the casino.
Behold my feathers and my veils,
Gaze upon the bejewelled star
That guides me to Monte-Carlo.
​
Luck is a woman. She is jealous
Of solemn widowhoods.
No doubt she took me for the wife
Of some true colonel of renown.
I won, won on twelve.
But then the dresses come undone,
The fur begins to shed its hair.
No matter how you repeat: "I want",
The moment luck begins to hate you,
The moment your heart grows unsteady,
You cannot make another move,
Cannot place a coin upon the table
Without luck turning away
Changing the numbers and the cards
On Monte-Carlo's gambling tables.
​
The scoundrels, the fools, the wretches!
They threw me out... out...
And they accuse me of being dirty,
Of bringing misfortune into their halls,
Their dirty halls adorned with stucco.
Me who would have shared my secret
For free, with the prince, with the princess,
With Westminster's Duke, the Duke,
Absolutely.
"This must stop,"
They shouted at me, "this business of yours!"
This business! My discovery.
I'll deprive their green tables of it.
Serves them right in Monte-Carlo.
Monte-Carlo.
​
And now, I who speak to you,
I won't confess how many kilos
I lost in Monte-Carle,
Monte-Carle or Monte-Carlo.
I am but a shadow of myself...
The Martingales, the schemes
And the croupiers who have the right
To strike your fingers from afar
When you try to snatch a wager.
And the money you owe at your digs
And always the same shirt
Drenched with anguish.
Let the pursue me.
I'm not that foolish.
Tonight I'll take a dive
Into the sea of Monte-Carlo.
Monte-Carlo.
9
TELL ME THE TRUTH ABOUT LOVE
Liebe
L’amour
Amor
Amoris
​
Some say that Love's a little boy
And some say it's a bird,
Some say it makes the world go round
And some say that's absurd:
But when I asked the man next door
Who looked as if he knew,
His wife was very cross indeed
And said it wouldn't do.
​
Does it look like a pair of pyjamas
Or the ham in a temp’rance hotel?
O tell me the truth about love.
Does its odour remind one of llamas
Or has it a comforting smell?
O tell me the truth about love.
​
Is it prickly to touch as a hedge is
Or soft as eiderdown fluff,
Is it sharp or quite smooth at the edges?
O tell me the truth about love.
I looked inside the summerhouse,
It wasn't ever there,
I've tried the Thames at Maidenhead
And Brighton's bracing air;
I don't know what the blackbird sang
Or what the roses said,
But it wasn't in the chicken run
Or underneath the bed.
​​
Can it pull extraordinary faces,
Is it usually sick on a swing?
O tell me the truth about love.
Does it spend all its time at the races
Or fiddling with pieces of string?
O tell me the truth about love.
​
Has it views of its own about money,
Does it think Patriotism enough,
Are its stories vulgar but funny?
O tell me the truth about love.
Your feelings when you meet it, I
Am told you can't forget,
I've sought it since I was a child
But haven't found it yet;
I'm getting on for thirty-five,
And still I do not know
What kind of creature it can be
That bothers people so.
​
When it comes, will it come without warning
Just as I'm picking my nose?
O tell me the truth about love.
Will it knock on my door in the morning
Or tread in the bus on my toes?
O tell me the truth about love.
Will it come like a change in the weather,
Will its greeting be courteous or bluff,
Will it alter my life altogether?
O tell me the truth about love.
10
FUNERAL BLUES
Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,
Silence the pianos and with muffled drum
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.
​
Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead
Scribbling on the sky the message “He Is Dead”,
Tie crepe bands round the white necks of the public doves,
Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.
​
He was my North, my South, my East and West,
My working week and my Sunday rest,
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;
I thought that love could last for ever: I was wrong.
​
The stars are not wanted now: put out ev’ry one,
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun,
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the woods;
For nothing now can ever come to any good.
11
JOHNNY
O the valley in the summer when I and my John
Beside the deep river walk on and on
While the grass at our feet and the birds up above
Whispered so soft in reciprocal love,
And I leaned on his shoulder, “O Johnny, let's play”:
But he frowned like thunder, and he went away.
​
O the evening near Christmas as I well recall
When we went to the Charity Matinee Ball,
The floor was so smooth and the band was so loud
And Johnny so handsome I felt so proud;
“Squeeze me tighter, dear Johnny, let’s dance till day”:
But he frowned like thunder and went away.
​
Shall I ever forget at the Grand Opera
When music poured out of each wonderful star?
Diamonds and pearls hung like ivy down
Over each gold and silver gown;
“O Johnny I'm in heaven,” I whispered to say:
But he frowned like thunder and went away.
​
O but he was as fair as a garden in flower,
As slender and tall as the great Eiffel Tower,
When the waltz throbbed out down the long promenade
O his eyes and his smile went straight to my heart;
“O marry me, Johnny, I'll love and obey”:
But he frowned like thunder and he went away.
​
O last night I dreamed of you, Johnny, my lover;
You'd the sun on one arm and the moon on the other,
The sea it was blue and the grass it was green,
Every star rattled a round tambourine;
Ten thousand miles deep in a pit there I lay:
But you went away.
12
Calypso
Driver, drive faster and make a good run
Down the Springfield Line under the shining sun.
Fly like an aeroplane, don't pull up short
Till you brake for the Grand Central Station, New York.
For there in the middle of that waiting hall
Should be standing the one that I love best of all.
If he's not there to meet me when I get to town,
I'll stand on the pavement with tears rolling down.
Driver, drive faster.
For he is the one that I love to look on,
The acme of kindness and perfection.
He presses my hand and he says he loves me
Which I find an admirable peculiarity.
Driver, drive faster.
The woods are bright green on both sides of the line;
The trees have their loves though they're different from mine.
But the poor fat old banker in the sun-parlour car
Has no-one to love him except his cigar.
Driver, drive faster.
If I were the head of the Church or the State
I'd powder my nose and just tell them to wait.
Driver, drive faster.
For love's more important and powerful than
Even a priest or a politician,
Faster, faster.
La, la, la, la, la,
Faster, drive faster.