Gaby oh Gaby [English translation]

I jog around algaes and coral

and I do my push-ups on the wreck of an old freighter

I say hello... I have no choice but mingling1

That's my last party, I stick my nose against the porthole

I've got my trust agreement, the right encephalogram

I'm quite Lucky, I see someone sneering

Gaby, oh Gaby, you shouldn't leave me alone at night

I can't sleep, I keep messing around

Gaby, oh Gaby, you want me to sing about the sea

along, along, along the gulfs2

rather murky.

After a glance at his check-up

a shark who had quit smoking lit his dogend again

Makes you shudder, you have to draw the line.

You know, you know, it's like this guy who says I'm crazy

and who abandons his dog in August in Spain

Empty feeling. Play me a Johnny Kid3. again.

Gaby, oh Gaby, you shouldn't leave me alone at night

I can't sleep, I keep messing around

Gaby, oh Gaby, you want me to sing about the sea

along, along, along the gulfs

rather murky.

Gaby, I already told you you're much prettier than Mauricette4

You're pretty as a firecracker waiting for a match.

I light it. Fire! Fire! Call 911!

Today it's Friday and I would like someone to love me

I feel I'll end up by Wanda and her sirens5

and her sirens

Gaby, oh Gaby, you shouldn't leave me alone at night

I can't sleep, I keep messing around

Gaby, oh Gaby, you want me to sing about the sea

along, along, along the gulfs

rather murky.

Now what use for fries if you ain't got no mussels?

What use for a jack if you ain't got any bo-o-o-o-wls?6

1. "se mouiller" (getting involved) literally means "getting wet"2. allusion to Charle Trénet's "La mer"3. A reference for Bashung4. a rather unusual and slightly ridiculous feminine forename5. a strip-tease booth Bashung saw when he lived by his grandparents near Strasbourg6. "avoir la frite" means "to be full of energy".

"moules-frites" is a typical dish from northern France with stewed mussels and French fries.

"moule" can mean "pussy" and "boules" can mean "balls".

• Artist:Alain Bashung
• Album:Roulette russe