Cinématographe [English translation]

For the first time when I was six, my father took me to the cinema,

And I thought it was the most amazing thing of all.

Funny dudes on the screen, mustachioed swashbucklers,

Sometimes out-of-the-blue they’d kill each-other.

A piano sets the tone,

Guillaume Tell or the wonderful ‘Le Trouvere’, 1

The audience trembled, getting all invested into these folks,

It was cheap, well-worth the three francs.

Beautiful like love,

Blonde like the day,

In up on the screen, the dream girl kisses,

Timidly do the hands join in, holding one-another.

[The] Damsel is here again, 2

While in the room everyone’s hearts race,

The coach she thinks she’s safe in,

Broke its axel and crashed into the Earth.

Now the crook can get his hands on,

Her money, oh how tragic!

Shows over, we’ll see you next Wednesday!

But now my father can no longer take me to the cinema,

He checked out the brown bread and cashed in his chips, 3

I soon met a femme fatale, an amazing chick, a top girl,

She loves going to the Wednesday showings.

Of course, it's always inside the cinemascope,

It’s always spinning and galloping,

And it’s the same as always, replete with uncouth cowboys and outlaws,

Vigilantes here to shove their foot into their mouth.

Watch out, Gary Cooper,

He's approaching Hell’s ravine,

Be careful, poor fool, Alan Ladd is not far from here,

500 meters away, lodging a ball into crouton bread. 4

In the meantime,

I softly wrap my arm around her's,

The seat she thinks she’s safe in,

Oh golly, don’t stop me from trying to kiss her!

I couldn’t tell if Gary was winning,

But they'll always play it at the cinema,

Remember, my love, we stayed for a year.

And we had a lot of kids!

1. I think it’s a play from my research.2. Yes, I know, lynch me.3. His dad died. This is just a ludicrous metaphor because Silenced gave me permission due to the line (being an idiom/metaphor) in French was a bizarre one.4. Could be a movie reference, correct me if I’m wrong.

• Artist:Boris Vian