Translation of the song lyrics Pour être encore en haut d'l'affiche - Jean Ferrat

Pour être encore en haut d'l'affiche (original)

La langue franaise a fait son temps
Parat qu’on n’arrte pas l’progrs
Que pour tre vedette prsent, il vaut mieux chanter en anglais
Et moi et moi pauvre de moi, qui me tais depuis si longtemps
Faudrait qu’je fasse gaffe tout a, que je m’reconvertisse temps
J’ai pris la mthode assimil, my tailor in the pocket
Pour avoir l’air comme les dbiles, d’arriver du Massachusetts
Pour tre encore en haut d’l’affiche, faudrait qu’je sussure en angliche
Si j’veux coller mon poque, il me faut braire en amerloque
Singing in the rain, singing in the train, singing my heart
Singing in the woods, singing in the blood, it is not the tarte
S’il n’y a plus rien d’autre faire pour chapper la misre
Si c’est l’seul moyen ici-bas d’intresser les mass mdia
Si le franais ou le breton, si l’occitan ou l’auvergnat
Comme on m’le dit sur tous les tons, le show-business il aime pas a
Y a p’t-tr' quand mme un avantage cette volution sans frein
On pourra chanter sans entrave quand les gens n’y comprendront rien
Pour tre encore en haut d’l’affiche, j’pourrai sussurer en angliche
Si je n’veux pas finir en loque, je pourrai braire en amerloque
Singing in the rain, singing in the train, singing my heart
Singing in the woods, singing in the blood, it is not the tarte
J’entends les copains ricaner que j’ai plutt l’accent manouche
Ils sont jaloux d’mon p’tit succs
Quand j’ai d’la bouillie plein la bouche
Grce aux sondages indiscutables dans l’me du franais moyen
Il parat que nos responsables savent tout du got de chacun
Plaire tout l’monde et personne, c’est pas donn n’importe qui
N’allez pas croire qu’ils s’en tamponnent
S’ils nous transforment en colonie
Pour tre encore en haut d’l’affiche, j’commence penser en angliche
Quand j’aurai le feeling ad hoc, a va faire mal en amerloque
Singing in the rain, singing in the train, singing my heart
Singing in the woods, singing in the blood, it is not the tarte.

(translation)

The French language has had its day
Seems we can't stop progress
That to be a star, it is better to sing in English
And me and poor me, who's been silent for so long
I would have to be careful all about it, that I reconvert time
I took the assimil method, my tailor in the pocket
To look like the stupid ones, to come from Massachusetts
To still be at the top of the bill, I would have to whisper in English
If I want to stick my time, I have to bray in bitterness
Singing in the rain, singing in the train, singing my heart
Singing in the woods, singing in the blood, it's not the pie
If there's nothing else to do to escape the misery
If it's the only way here below to interest the mass media
If French or Breton, if Occitan or Auvergne
As I've been told in all tones, show business doesn't like it
There may still be an advantage to this unbridled evolution
We can sing unhindered when people don't understand
To still be at the top of the bill, I could whisper in English
If I don't want to end up in rags, I could bray bitterly
Singing in the rain, singing in the train, singing my heart
Singing in the woods, singing in the blood, it's not the pie
I hear my friends sneering that I have a gypsy accent
They are jealous of my little success
When my mouth is full of porridge
Thanks to indisputable polls in the soul of the average Frenchman
It seems that our managers know everything about everyone's taste
Pleasing everyone and nobody, it's not given to anyone
Don't think they don't care
If they turn us into a colony
To still be at the top of the bill, I start thinking in English
When I get the ad hoc feeling, it's going to hurt bitterly
Singing in the rain, singing in the train, singing my heart
Singing in the woods, singing in the blood, it is not the pie.