L'inconnue de Londres

The Unknown Woman of London

L'inconnue de Londres

There were piercing screams everywhereY avait partout des cris stridents
There were guilty hands everywhereY avait partout des mains coupables
And considerable banditsEt des bandits consid?bles
Who made me grind my teethQui me faisaient grincer des dents

And in the street with a thousand throatsEt dans la rue aux mille gorges
With its sky that we no longer seeAvec son ciel qu'on ne voit plus
Magnifying my onlyMagnifiant mon seul ?
I was able to win the cut-throatJ'ai pu gagner le coupe-gorge

Tell me, girl from the North,Dis-moi, fille du Nord,
With your calm demeanorAvec ton air tranquille
You rule the cityTu ?mes la ville
And must earn goldEt dois gagner de l'or
No, she replied,Non pas, r?ndit-elle,
I am still a virginJe suis encore pucelle
And I am not reallyEt ne suis l?raiment
Only by enchantmentQue par enchantement

And the unknown woman spokeEt l'inconnue parla
As one speaks to shipsComme on parle aux navires
In proud portsDans les ports orgueilleux
That the deserts desireQue les d?rts d?irent

I remained there like a doltJe restais l?omme un dadais
She was as beautiful as a swanElle ?it belle comme un cygne
And me, I had one of those strokes of bad luckEt moi, j'avais une de ces guignes
It wasn't what I thought? n'?it pas c' que je croyais

She told me strange factsElle me conta des faits ?anges
That she lived in a perverse skyQu'elle habitait un ciel pervers
From where everything was seen upside downD'o?on voyait tout ?'envers
Meanwhile, I was playing the angelPendant ce temps-l?moi j' faisais l'ange

Tell me, girl from the North,Dis-moi, fille du Nord,
With your strange airAvec ton air bizarre
And your barbaric waysEt tes fa?s barbares
You would be better off outsideTu serais mieux dehors
I know, she replied,Je sais, r?ndit-elle,
I am wrong to be a virginJ'ai tort d'?e pucelle
Believe me, in truth, it's my choiceCrois-moi en v?t?C'est ma c?brit?
And the unknown woman sangEt l'inconnue chanta
As one sings in churchComme on chante ?'?ise
On Sunday morningsLes dimanches matin
At the masses of the marquisesAux messes des marquises

The room was like paradiseLa chambre ?it au paradis
Of an old luminaryD'un vieil h? ?uminaire
Where chemistry is cultivatedO?on cultive la chim?
By putting a little price on itEn y mettant un peu le prix

It's a terrible thingC'est une chose ?uvantable
It was almost dawnOn ?it presque au petit matin
I tried to explain it to herJ'avais beau lui faire un dessin
She didn't want to listenElle voulait pas se mettre ?able

Tell me, girl from the North,Dis-moi, fille du Nord,
With your basic airsAvec tes airs primaires
You're giving me a hard timeTu me la bailles am?
I don't agree anymoreJe ne suis plus d'accord
Too bad, she replied,Tant pis, r?ndit-elle,
If I remain a virginSi je reste pucelle
The end will tell youLa fin te le dira
Then, you will understandAlors, tu comprendras

And the unknown woman criedEt l'inconnue pleura
As one cries in the theaterComme on pleure au th?re
Seeing puppetsEn voyant des pantins
Making fun of the employeesSe foutre des empl?es

You think you find aOn croit trouver une ? sœur
And you get a vestal virginEt l'on r?lte une vestale
Who comes to preach to youQui vient vous faire la morale
In a building without an elevatorDans un h? sans ascenseur

I was lost in my thoughtsJ'en ?is l?e mes pens?
I felt her hand on my eyesJ'ai senti sa main sur mes yeux
Like a miraculous thingTout comme un truc miraculeux
And the lady leftEt la dame s'est en all?

Tell me, girl from the North,Dis-moi, fille du Nord,
Well, goodbye romanceH?s, adieu romance
It barely beganA peine ?commence
We change directionOn change de d?r

I thought these young ladiesJ' croyais que ces demoiselles
Were never virginsN'?ient jamais pucelles
And then, you never knowEt puis, sait-on jamais,
There's always an exceptionA une exception pr?

And the tired virginEt la vierge lass?
Left without having me...Partit sans m'avoir eu...
It was just a soldier? n'?it qu'un soldat
From the Salvation ArmyDe l'Arm?du Salut