Les gens du Nord [English translation]

The Northerners1

Have in their eyes

The blue that lacks in their scenery,

The Northerners

Have in their hearts

The sun they don't have outside.

The Northerners

Always open

Their doors to the ones who suffered,

The Northerners

Don't forget they lived

Through years of hell.

If their houses are aligned2

It is by an equity concern

And the barges,

Poor or rich,

bear the fruit of their efforts.

The Northerners

bend the back

When the wind blows really hard,

The Northerners

Wake up early,

Cause it is there that lies their fate.

On the horizon of their countryside

It is coal that is mountain3,

The city streets sleep soundly,

The rain falling on the cobblestones.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The accordeon makes them dance

Then, the beer makes them sing

And when the party turns heads

We can see two of them getting married.

The Northerners

Have in their eyes

The blue that lacks in their scenery,

The Northerners

Have in their hearts

The sun they don't have outside...

1. This song is an hommage to the people living in northern France, in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais région.

This area was known for it's coal mines and heavy industry, and as such mostly populated by a rugged but honorable working class.2. The working class in northern France lives in street blocks named "corons", that look very similar to the UK's red brick miner housings.3. Reference to the terrils, the huge piles of debris resulting from coal mining, that forms the only mountains in the flat landscape of the North.

• Artist:Enrico Macias
• Album:Les gens du nord (1967)