Heavily influenced by American rock & roll, Mitchell (who went solo in 1963) has often recorded outside France, at first in London, but later in Memphis and Nashville, Tennessee. Guitarist Jimmy Page and drummer Bob Graham were among the British session musicians who regularly supported him in London.
Dodo Metro Boulot Dodo
Eddy Mitchell Lyrics
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Mon Alcatraz, c'est Paris
Dans ma cellule : deux-pièces cuisine
Je mange, je dors, je bois, je ris
Dès le matin, dans mon bureau
Je pense déjà à mon dodo
Midi : sandwiches et re-boulot
{Refrain:}
Dodo, métro,
Chacun pour soi dans son ghetto
Boulot, dodo,
Dodo, métro, boulot, dodo
Encore un jour d'éliminé
D'autres viendront qu'il faudra tuer
Dans la cohue, on griffe, on pousse
Mais la télé nous attend tous
{au Refrain}
Mais le samedi avec Mireille
Nous rêvons aux grands arbres verts
Dans sa superbe banlieue dortoir
Je lui fais l'amour tard le soir
{au Refrain}
The song "Dodo Metro Boulot Dodo" by French singer Eddy Mitchell is a commentary on the daily grind of working and living in Paris. The lyrics speak of the singer's frustration with the monotony of his life, spending his days at work and his nights alone in his small apartment. The imagery of Alcatraz is a metaphor for the city itself, suggesting that the singer feels trapped and isolated in Paris.
Throughout the song, the refrain repeats the phrase "Dodo, Metro, Boulot, Dodo," which translates to "Sleep, Metro, Work, Sleep." This phrase reinforces the idea that the singer's life is characterized by a rigid routine that he feels powerless to escape.
Despite the bleakness of the song's message, there is a glimmer of hope in the final verse. The singer describes spending time with his lover, Mireille, and dreaming of a better life outside the city. This suggests that even in the midst of the drudgery of daily life, there is still the possibility for human connection and the hope of something better.
Overall, "Dodo Metro Boulot Dodo" is a poignant commentary on the struggles of urban life, and the human desire for something more meaningful.
Line by Line Meaning
Je n'ai jamais vu ma voisine
I have never seen my neighbor
Mon Alcatraz, c'est Paris
Paris is my Alcatraz
Dans ma cellule : deux-pièces cuisine
In my cell: a two-room kitchen
Je mange, je dors, je bois, je ris
I eat, I sleep, I drink, I laugh
Dès le matin, dans mon bureau
From the morning, in my office
Je pense déjà à mon dodo
I am already thinking about my sleep
Midi : sandwiches et re-boulot
Noon: sandwiches and back to work
Tout en parcourant les journaux
While browsing the newspapers
Dodo, métro,
Sleep, metro
Chacun pour soi dans son ghetto
Everyone for themselves in their ghetto
Boulot, dodo,
Work, sleep,
Dodo, métro, boulot, dodo
Sleep, metro, work, sleep
Encore un jour d'éliminé
Another day eliminated
D'autres viendront qu'il faudra tuer
Others will come that we will have to kill
Dans la cohue, on griffe, on pousse
In the crowd, we scratch, we push
Mais la télé nous attend tous
But the TV is waiting for us all
Mais le samedi avec Mireille
But on Saturday with Mireille
Nous rêvons aux grands arbres verts
We dream of big green trees
Dans sa superbe banlieue dortoir
In her beautiful dormitory suburb
Je lui fais l'amour tard le soir
I make love to her late at night
Contributed by Olivia K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@abfab7830
Le 45 trs est sorti en octobre 1970