Les filles à canon
Jean Leloup Lyrics
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Il y a épidémie aujourd'hui dans la ville
tous les névrosés voient sur leur corps pousser
des objets étrangers
des cafetières, des soupières
des entonnoirs, des souricières
et même des armoires
Telle fille qui avait passé sa vie à gueuler
Mais pourtant rien ne semble avoir bougé
les flics et les homos s'haïssent tout autant
Kiss me baby, kiss me all night long...
Et les plus dangereux sont les flics à tronçonneuse
Mais moins cependant que les skins marteaux piqueurs
Taillons une place aux complexés à agrafeuses industrielle
Sans oublier pourtant, sans oublier pourtant,
Les jeunes filles à canon...
Gare aux hélicoptères
Il y a des projecteurs sur le toit de l'édifice
Où le serrurier volant
A finit sa carrière
Gare aux hélicoptères
Le maire est dépassé
Sur son front une horloge
Une petite horloge sans agressivité
Comment faire pour convaincre le ministre à klaxon
Qu'il faut changer d'idée
Qu'il faudrait peut-être changer d'idée
Excusez-moi, il faudrait peut-être changer d'idée
Il faut changer d'idée
Il y a trop de militaires
C'est un cercle vicieux
C'est pourquoi je préfère
C'est un cercle vicieux
Kiss me baby, kiss me all night long
The lyrics to Jean Leloup's song Les filles à canon paint a picture of a city consumed by an epidemic where the inhabitants are growing strange objects on their bodies, ranging from coffee pots to mouse traps. The song appears to be a commentary on the societal norms and conventions that shape behaviour and identity, as the singer's body is transformed into a loudspeaker yet there is no real change in the underlying tensions and hostility between groups in the city. Despite this, the song ends on a positive note, with a call for change and the repeated chorus of "kiss me baby, kiss me all night long."
The lyrics of the song are characterized by vivid, surreal imagery and a biting social commentary. The author seems to be questioning the status quo and suggesting the need for a re-imagination of social norms and collective identities. The epidemic, which is referred to in the song, could be seen as a metaphor for the pressures and anxieties that individuals and communities face in conforming to cultural normativity.
Interestingly, the title of the song, Les filles à canon, is a French idiom that translates to "cannon fodder" in English. The expression is used to describe soldiers who are sent to fight in battles, regardless of their fighting capability, as if they were expendable objects. Here, Leloup employs the phrase to draw attention to the plight of young women who are objectified and reduced to mere sexual objects, much like soldiers who are treated as pawns on a chessboard.
Line by Line Meaning
Kiss me baby, kiss me all night long...
The singer calls for affection from someone for the whole night.
Il y a épidémie aujourd'hui dans la ville
The city experiences an outbreak of people growing foreign objects on their bodies, such as coffee pots, soup tureens, funnels, mousetraps, and even wardrobes.
Telle fille qui avait passé sa vie à gueuler
A girl who spent her life yelling now has her mouth turned into a 200-decibel loudspeaker, but nothing else seems to have changed, as the police and homosexuals still hate each other.
les flics et les homos s'haïssent tout autant
Despite the epidemic, the tension between the police and homosexuals remains the same.
Et les plus dangereux sont les flics à tronçonneuse
The police officers with chainsaws are the most dangerous, but they are not as bad as the skinheads with jackhammers.
Mais moins cependant que les skins marteaux piqueurs
The skinheads with jackhammers are even more dangerous than the police officers with chainsaws.
Taillons une place aux complexés à agrafeuses industrielle
Let's make room for people with industrial staplers as their foreign objects, who suffer from low self-esteem and need attention.
Sans oublier pourtant, sans oublier pourtant, Les jeunes filles à canon...
Nevertheless, we should not forget about the young girls who are used as sexual objects and sacrifices in wars.
Gare aux hélicoptères
Watch out for helicopters, as they might represent a danger.
Il y a des projecteurs sur le toit de l'édifice
There are spotlights on top of the building, perhaps indicating the presence of an important person.
Où le serrurier volant A finit sa carrière
The flying locksmith ended their career in that building, but it is unclear what actually happened to them.
Le maire est dépassé
The mayor is overwhelmed by the situation.
Sur son front une horloge
On the mayor's forehead, there is a clock - not a threatening one, though.
Comment faire pour convaincre le ministre à klaxon Qu'il faut changer d'idée
How can we make the minister understand that they need to change their mind?
Il faudrait peut-être changer d'idée
It may be necessary to change one's mind.
Il y a trop de militaires
There are too many soldiers, and it seems like a vicious cycle.
C'est un cercle vicieux
It is a vicious circle.
Kiss me baby, kiss me all night long
The singer calls for affection from someone for the whole night.
Contributed by Lauren P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.