Lyrics and translation Gilbert Bécaud - L'un d'entre eux inventa la mort

L'un d'entre eux inventa la mort

Il y a des millions d'années,
Il y a des millions d'années,
Quand le diable n'était pas né,
Quand le diable n'était pas né,
Tous les hommes étaient immortels.
Mais l'un d'entre eux, qui était plus fort,
L'un D'entre Eux Inventa La Mort.

Ce fut une révolution.
Jusque-là, les filles étaient belles.
On ne se battait pas pour elles.
On ne se battait pas pour elles.
Jusque-là, les hommes étaient forts
Mais l'un d'entre eux qui était plus fort,
L'un D'entre Eux Inventa La Mort.

Et l'on vit les cheveux blanchir,
Et l'on vit les dos se courber,
Et l'on vit la vie s'envoler
Et l'on vit la vie s'envoler
Des coeurs, des âmes et des corps,
Mais l'un d'entre eux qui était plus fort,
L'un D'entre Eux Inventa La Mort.

Alors lui, le petit malin,
Devint le Dieu, le souverain.
Il régnait comme un vrai tyran
Il régnait comme un vrai tyran
Sur la pluie et sur le beau temps,
Sur la pluie et sur le vent du Nord.
Il avait inventé la mort.
Il avait inventé la mort.

Il avait inventé l'enfer,
Les voleurs et les assassins,
La pneumonie et le cancer,
La pneumonie et le cancer,
La guerre et les conquistadores.
Il était vraiment le plus fort.
Il avait inventé la mort.
Il avait inventé la mort.

Il restait quand même l'amour.
Pour les hommes, c'était l'opium.
Ils s'aimaient tant qu'ils le pouvaient,
Ils s'aimaient tant qu'ils le pouvaient,
Puis un jour ils se détestaient
Et l'amour devenait la mort.
Et l'amour devenait la mort.

Ils mouraient de n'importe quoi,
De misère, d'un bobo au doigt,
En marchant, volant ou nageant,
En marchant, volant ou nageant,
Dans un lit, dans un guet-apens.
Ils étaient condamnés à mort.
Ils étaient condamnés à mort.

Pour se concilier les faveurs
De l'impitoyable seigneur
On brûla quelques inventeurs,
On brûla quelques inventeurs,
Des poètes et que sais-je encore,
Mais la mort demeurait la mort.
Mais la mort demeurait la mort.

De l'encens, des cierges et des fleurs
Pour faire plaisir à leur Seigneur,
Pour faire plaisir à leur Seigneur,
Des Credo, des Confiteor,
Des Pater et que sais-je encore,
Mais la mort demeurait la mort.
Mais la mort demeurait la mort.

Alors les hommes se sont dit:
"Que peut-on attendre de lui?
Que peut-on attendre de lui?
Il faudra travailler longtemps,
Il faudra travailler longtemps,
Peut-être pendant cent mille ans,
Peut-être plus longtemps encore.
Peut-être plus longtemps encore."

Alors les hommes
Ont pris un coeur qui ne battait plus
Et puis
Lui ont redonné la vie que l'on croyait perdue.
Les hommes
Ont visité les planètes une à une.
D'abord
La vieille Lune et Mars et Jupiter et Neptune.
Les hommes
Se sont envolés droit vers les étoiles
Et puis
Sont revenus tout raconter dans leurs cathédrales.
Les hommes,
Après avoir longtemps, longtemps cherché,
Enfin
Ont découvert le secret de
L'immortalité.

Fous de joie d'avoir découvert
Le grand secret de l'Univers,
Ils ont mis leurs plus beaux habits
Ils ont mis leurs plus beaux habits
Et sont partis vers celui qui
Et sont partis vers celui qui
Leur avait inventé la mort.
Leur avait inventé la mort.
Ils avaient vraiment bonne mine
Là-haut dans leurs super machines,
Mais en arrivant au Palais
Mais en arrivant au Palais
Ils avaient les mains qui tremblaient
Et le coeur qui battait très fort.
Et le coeur qui battait très fort.

Une grande porte s'ouvrit
Et puis d'autres à l'infini.
Ils suivirent de longs couloirs.
Ils suivirent de longs couloirs.
Un huissier en costume noir
Leur dit: "Messieurs vous venez tard, vous venez tard.
Depuis ce matin à l'aurore
Depuis ce matin à l'aurore
Dieu est mort.
Dieu est mort."

One of Them Invented Death

Millions of years ago, my love,
Millions of years ago, my darling,
When the devil wasn't even born,
When the devil wasn't even born,
All men were immortal, you see.
But one of them, stronger than the rest,
One of them invented death.

It was a revolution, my sweet.
Until then, the girls were so beautiful.
No one fought for them, not at all.
No one fought for them, no way.
Until then, men were strong and bold,
But one of them, stronger than the rest,
One of them invented death.

And we saw hair turn white as snow,
And we saw backs begin to bend,
And we saw life fly away so fast,
And we saw life fly away so fast,
From hearts, from souls, and bodies too,
But one of them, stronger than all the crew,
One of them invented death.

Then he, the clever little guy,
Became the God, the sovereign high.
He reigned like a true tyrant then,
He reigned like a true tyrant then,
Over the rain and sunny weather,
Over the rain and northern winds together.
He had invented death, my dear.
He had invented death, it's clear.

He had invented hell below,
The thieves and all the assassins too,
Pneumonia and the cancer's sting,
Pneumonia and the cancer's sting,
War and the conquistadors so grand.
He was truly the strongest in the land.
He had invented death, you understand.
He had invented death, by his own hand.

Still, love remained, a precious thing.
For men, it was their opium, their swing.
They loved each other as much as they could dare,
They loved each other as much as they could bear,
Then one day they hated with all their might,
And love became death, dark as night.
And love became death, lost to the light.

They died from anything at all,
From misery, a stubbed toe's fall,
While walking, flying, or swimming free,
While walking, flying, or swimming in the sea,
In a bed, or in an ambush, don't you see?
They were condemned to die, eternally.
They were condemned to die, tragically.

To win the favors, so it seemed,
Of the merciless and ruthless fiend,
They burned some inventors at the stake,
They burned some inventors, for goodness sake,
Some poets and who knows what more they'd take,
But death remained death, for heaven's sake.
But death remained death, no mistake.

Incense, candles, and flowers so sweet,
To please their Lord, they laid at his feet,
To please their Lord, they bowed their heads low,
Credos, Confiteors, a mournful flow,
Pater Nosters and who knows what other show,
But death remained death, a constant woe.
But death remained death, a steady blow.

Then men said to themselves one day,
"What can we expect from him anyway?
"What can we expect from him, tell me, pray?"
"We'll have to work for a long, long time,
"We'll have to work, and make it rhyme,
Perhaps for a hundred thousand years sublime,
Perhaps even longer, climbing every clime.
Perhaps even longer, throughout all of time."

Then men,
Took a heart that had ceased to beat,
And then,
Gave it back the life they thought was gone.
Men then,
Visited the planets one by one.
First of all,
The old Moon, and Mars, and Jupiter, and Neptune.
Men then,
Flew straight towards the stars so bright,
And then,
Came back to tell it all in their cathedrals' light.
Men then,
After searching long, and searching far,
At last,
Discovered the secret of
Immortality.

Overjoyed to have uncovered, you see,
The great secret of the Universe so free,
They put on their finest clothes with glee,
They put on their finest clothes, happy as can be,
And set off towards the one who had,
And set off towards the one who had planned,
Invented death for them, so sad.
Invented death for them, so bad.
They looked so fine, it must be said,
Up there in their super machines ahead,
But arriving at the Palace gate,
But arriving at the Palace, it was late,
Their hands were trembling, full of fate,
And their hearts were beating hard, I hate
To say, their hearts were beating hard and great.

A large door opened wide and tall,
And then others, infinitely more in all.
They followed long corridors so grand,
They followed long corridors, hand in hand.
An usher in a suit of black,
Said: "Gentlemen, you're coming back too late, alack.
Since this morning at the break of day,
Since this morning at the dawn's first ray,
God is dead.
God is dead."