Calypso blues
Boris Vian Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sous le soleil qui tue
Dans un port lointain
Je travaille et je sue
Tout près des gros cargos
Qui s'en vont là-bas sur l'eau
J'ai trop de boulot
Pour te payer des chapeaux neufs
Qui me donnent plutôt envie d'être veuf
Mais qui produisent un effet boeuf
Sur les ballots
J'ai trop de boulot
Je veux pas t'accabler de mes plain-ain-aintes
Mais si ça continue comme ça
Je ne pourrai pas faire de vieux os
Et t'iras planter des dahlias
Sur mon caveau
Du matin au soir
Devant l'alcool qui tue
Chez Jojo le noir
Avec toi ma sangsue
Je danse des calypsos
En te caressant le dos
J'ai trop de boulot
Toute la nuit méchante fe-e-emme
Tu m'accables de tes baisers
De tes caresses forcenées
De ta tendresse à cent degrés
Laisse-moi faire dodo
J'ai trop de boulot
Et tes propositions infâ-â-âmes
Me rendent tout à fait idiot
Fini meurtri, vidé, dingo
Arrête, sans ça t'auras ma peau
J'ai trop de boulot
Et mon travail attend
Car j'en ai tellement
Que j'ai pas le temps de le finir à temps
J'ai trop de boulot!
The lyrics of Boris Vian's Calypso blues depict the hard and exhausting work of a man in a distant harbor under the scorching sun. He is sweating and laboring near the huge cargo ships that sail away on the water. He has too much work and is constantly complaining about it, but he does it all day long to buy his woman new hats that he doesn't even like. However, he is afraid that if he continues like this, he won't live long enough to see himself grow old, and she will plant dahlias on his grave.
Later in the song, the man is found in a bar with his woman, drinking alcohol and dancing to calypsos. She is holding onto him tightly and caressing his back, but he is tired and wants to sleep. He tells her that he has too much work, and her propositions make him feel idiot and insane. He begs her to stop, or she will kill him. However, his work is waiting for him, and he has so much of it that he cannot finish it on time. He repeats, "J'ai trop de boulot" (I have too much work) throughout the song, emphasizing his never-ending workload, which seems to have no end.
Line by Line Meaning
Du soir au matin
From evening till morning
Sous le soleil qui tue
Under the scorching sun
Dans un port lointain
In a faraway port
Je travaille et je sue
I work and I sweat
Tout près des gros cargos
Very close to big cargos
Qui s'en vont là-bas sur l'eau
Which sail far away on the water
J'ai trop de boulot
I have too much work
Toute la journée je m'esquin-in-inte
All day long I struggle
Pour te payer des chapeaux neufs
To buy you new hats
Qui me donnent plutôt envie d'être veuf
Which make me feel like being a widower
Mais qui produisent un effet boeuf
But which have a stunning effect
Sur les ballots
On the bales
Je veux pas t'accabler de mes plain-ain-aintes
I don't want to burden you with my complaints
Mais si ça continue comme ça
But if it goes on like this
Je ne pourrai pas faire de vieux os
I won't be able to grow old
Et t'iras planter des dahlias
And you'll go plant dahlias
Sur mon caveau
On my tomb
Du matin au soir
From morning till evening
Devant l'alcool qui tue
In front of the deadly alcohol
Chez Jojo le noir
At Jojo the black's place
Avec toi ma sangsue
With you, my bloodsucker
Je danse des calypsos
I dance calypsos
En te caressant le dos
While caressing your back
Toute la nuit méchante fe-e-emme
All night long, mean woman
Tu m'accables de tes baisers
You overwhelm me with your kisses
De tes caresses forcenées
With your forceful caresses
De ta tendresse à cent degrés
With your burning affection
Laisse-moi faire dodo
Let me sleep
Et tes propositions infâ-â-âmes
And your vile propositions
Me rendent tout à fait idiot
Make me feel completely stupid
Fini meurtri, vidé, dingo
Finished, bruised, emptied, crazy
Arrête, sans ça t'auras ma peau
Stop it, or you'll have my skin
Et mon travail attend
And my work is waiting
Car j'en ai tellement
Because I have so much
Que j'ai pas le temps de le finir à temps
That I don't have time to finish it on time
J'ai trop de boulot!
I have too much work!
Contributed by Sydney M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@zadigthejasp
Serge gainsbourg was an admirator of Boris Vian when he was young, latter when gainsbourg will start being famous he will work with alain goraguer who's on this track