French Cowboy are a French band originally from Nantes. Members: Pellegrini… Read Full Bio ↴French Cowboy are a French band originally from Nantes. Members: Pellegrini Federico - lead voice, guitar, Louvain Stephane - guitar, back vocal and Chataigner Gaetan - bass guitar.They released two albums: "Baby face Nelson was a French Cowboy" (2007), "Share Horses" (2008) (co- written with Lisa Li Lund) and brand new EP '(Isn't my bedroom') in November 20009. Currently they are working on new material and
playing live gigs around France. Fore more information go to:

http://www.myspace.com/thefrenchcowboy

Happy as Can Be
French Cowboy Lyrics

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We will never be the old man and the sea
Happy as can be, Happy as can be

All this people I love that I never see
Mean so much to me oh so much to me

I sse all my friends the dead one who I loved
I will never cry enough tears

When it's time for me one my way to hell
Will I have a chance to see my friend Estelle

When she disappeared because she disappeared
Did she go to hell or to heaven?

I'm sure she's the queen, sure she's doing good
Happy as can be, hard time for demons

We will never be the old man and the sea
Happy as can, Happy as can be

You're a long way home

We will never be the old man and the sea
Happy as can be, Happy as can be

All the tears we cry, all the shoutings we hear
Banging in our head, in our sleep

We could let them smile, we could let them stare
Treat people like shit, I just can't

Strange days here we come, bullshit here I am
Do you want to taste the lash of my whip

I'm ready to fail, just ready to fall
I feel like a leaf on my tree

Did you hear the bell, did you hear it cling
Whispering my name to my ears

We will never be the old man and the sea
Happy as can be, Happy as can be

Overall Meaning

The French Cowboy's song "Happy as Can Be" is a poignant reflection on the nature of life and the inevitability of death. The lyrics speak of the singer's love for his friends and the pain of losing them. He wonders whether his departed friend Estelle is in heaven or hell, and whether he will have a chance to see her again when he himself passes away. Despite the heaviness of these themes, the song maintains a sense of optimism and resilience - the title, after all, is "Happy as Can Be."

The repeated refrain "We will never be the old man and the sea / Happy as can be, Happy as can be" is a direct reference to Ernest Hemingway's novel of the same name. In that story, an aging fisherman struggles to catch a giant marlin alone at sea, ultimately losing it to sharks. The novel is often seen as a meditation on the human condition, with the old man's struggle standing in for our own battles against the forces of nature and mortality. By invoking this story, the French Cowboy is suggesting that we can never truly be at peace or contentment, but must always be fighting against something.

The rest of the lyrics are similarly rich with allusions and imagery. The line "All the tears we cry, all the shoutings we hear / Banging in our head, in our sleep" is a powerful description of the way our emotional pain can haunt us even in our dreams. And when the singer asks "Do you want to taste the lash of my whip / I'm ready to fail, just ready to fall," he is acknowledging the inevitability of failure and attempting to make peace with it.

Overall, "Happy as Can Be" is a thoughtful and moving song that asks big questions about life and death while still finding room for hope and optimism.

Line by Line Meaning

We will never be the old man and the sea Happy as can be, Happy as can be
We won't be alone and independent like the old man and the sea, but we're content and overjoyed with our life

All this people I love that I never see Mean so much to me oh so much to me
Even though I don't see my loved ones often, they mean the world to me

I sse all my friends the dead one who I loved I will never cry enough tears
I see all my friends, including the ones who have passed away, and I can never cry enough tears for them

When it's time for me one my way to hell Will I have a chance to see my friend Estelle
If I end up in hell, will I still have the chance to see my friend Estelle who has passed away?

When she disappeared because she disappeared Did she go to hell or to heaven?
When my friend Estelle disappeared, it's unclear whether she went to heaven or hell

I'm sure she's the queen, sure she's doing good Happy as can be, hard time for demons
I believe that my friend Estelle is living the best life she can, even though it's difficult for demons

You're a long way home
You still have a long way to go to get home

All the tears we cry, all the shoutings we hear Banging in our head, in our sleep
The tears we cry and the shoutings we hear haunt us even in our sleep

We could let them smile, we could let them stare Treat people like shit, I just can't
We have the option to be rude to others and treat them poorly, but I choose not to

Strange days here we come, bullshit here I am Do you want to taste the lash of my whip
Even though these are strange and difficult times, I'm still standing and won't hesitate to defend myself

I'm ready to fail, just ready to fall I feel like a leaf on my tree
I'm prepared to fail and fall, and I feel as fragile as a leaf on a tree

Did you hear the bell, did you hear it cling Whispering my name to my ears
Did you hear the bell ringing? It's calling out my name, whispering in my ears

We will never be the old man and the sea Happy as can be, Happy as can be
We won't be alone and independent like the old man and the sea, but we're content and overjoyed with our life

Contributed by Aiden D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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