Friday, July 15, 2011

Doctor Renaud, Mister Renard


One of those great songs that gets in your head. Another one of France's great modern poets. Renaud has had a career dating back to the 70's. Somehow a man who carrys on the tradition of Georges Brassens with a more than a touch of Gainsbourgh could be a rocker who also performs traditional French Bretagne Folk.
This was the hit from the same period he wrote the great anti war post 9/11 piece Manhattan/Kabuol which he performed with Axel Redd....Dr. Renaud/Mr.Reynard is the autobiographical poetic evocation of his darkness and his brilliance. You want the translation? I will try:


Like Gainsbourg and Gainsbarre, There's the Fox and Renaud
Renaud drinks only water, Renard runs on Ricard
One side white, one side black, one is just ugly or beautiful
half angel half bitch, that's what we see...
Doctor Renaud, Mister Renard
Fox is a hellish drinker, Renaud is as sober as a aparrow, but
when Renaud gets in his sack he collapses in the gutter with Renard
Renaud is afraid of firecrackers that will go off if he lets the idiot Pig, the Fox who is ready to ignite and explode in the skull of Dr. Renaud, Mr. Renard....
Renauds job is to write nice little stories to deceive the audiences and amuse the urchins
 but with the cutting edge of his pen
Reynard has only bad words, bad thoughts inspired by paranoia and cockroaches
Doctor Renaud, Mister Renard
Renaud suffers all the barbaric ills of the world, he carries them like a cross on his back
The biggest injustices  only makes the disillusioned Fox laugh. He mocks this mess
The world may soon end, but Renard would rather rejoice
Doctor Renaud, Mister Renard
Renaud chose the guitar and poetry as his ridiculous weapons to castigate the bastards
The Fox is full of anarchist ideals, he spits on all and mocks all honest commitments
Doctor Renaud Mister Renard
Renaud should be praised because his love in all its glory
is as tender as a lamb for every single story.
The Fox loves all the flesh and only has one night adventures
with cannons and crates,. The Fox is quite the little pervert.
Doctor Renaud, Mister Renard, Doctor Renaud, Mister Renard
When they both turned 50, there was only despair, the Fox takes control of Renaud.
Today, he lost his love, the beautiful Domino. She left the villain Renard.
But she will always love Renaud
Doctor Renaud, Mister Renard, Doctor Renaud, Mister Renard

1 comment:

microdot said...

I tried in vain to translate the word chochon...as I transcribed it from Renauds lyrics, but then I realized it was his prononciation of Cochon...Pig....
all in all, I think I got the gist of Renauds poetry, if not the art....