Lyrics and translation Les Marins D'Iroise - Les Copains D'Abord

Les Copains D'Abord

Non, ce n′était pas le radeau
De la Méduse, ce bateau
Qu'on se le dis′ au fond des ports
Dis' au fond des ports
Il naviguait en père peinard
Des canards
Et s'app′lait les Copains d′abord
Les Copains d'abord
C′est fluctuat nec mergitur
C'était pas d′la littérature
N'en déplaise aux jeteurs de sort
Aux jeteurs de sort
Son capitaine et ses mat′lots
N'étaient pas des enfants d'salauds
Mais des amis franco de port
Des copains d′abord
C′étaient pas des amis de luxe
Des petits Castor et Pollux
Des gens de Sodome et Gomorrhe
Sodome et Gomorrhe
C'étaient pas des amis choisis
Par Montaigne et La Boétie
Sur le ventre ils se tapaient fort
Les copains d′abord
C'étaient pas des anges non plus
L′Évangile, ils l'avaient pas lu
Mais ils s′aimaient toutes voiles dehors
Toutes voiles dehors
Jean, Pierre, Paul et compagnie
C'était leur seule litanie
Leur credo, leur confiteor
Aux copains d'abord
Au moindre coup de Trafalgar
C′est l′amitié qui prenait l'quart
C′est elle qui leur montrait le nord
Leur montrait le nord
Et quand ils étaient en détresse
Qu'leurs bras lançaient des S.O.S.
On aurait dit des sémaphores
Les copains d′abord
Au rendez-vous des bons copains
Y avait pas souvent de lapins
Quand l'un d′entre eux manquait à bord
C'est qu'il était mort
Oui, mais jamais, au grand jamais
Son trou dans l′eau n′se refermait
Cent ans après, coquin de sort
Il manquait encore
Des bateaux j'en ai pris beaucoup
Mais le seul qui ait tenu le coup
Qui n′ait jamais viré de bord
Mais viré de bord
Naviguait en père peinard
Sur la grand-mare des canards
Et s'app′lait les Copains d'abord
Les Copains d′abord

Sailors First

No, it wasn't the raft
Of the Jellyfish, that ship
Let it be said deep within the ports
Said deep within the ports
It sailed along carefree
Of the ducks
And was called Sailors First
Sailors First
It is "fluctuat nec mergitur"
It was not literature
With all due respect to the jinx casters
To the jinx casters
Its captain and its sailors
Were not the children of jerks
But of the harbor's French friends
Of the sailors first
They were not friends of luxury
Little Castor and Pollux
People of Sodom and Gomorrah
Sodom and Gomorrah
They were not friends chosen
By Montaigne and La Boétie
On the stomach, they would hit hard
The sailors first
They were not angels either
The Gospel, they had not read it
But they loved each other with all sails out
With all sails out
John, Peter, Paul, and company
It was their only litany
Their creed, their confession
To the sailors first
At the slightest hint of Trafalgar
It is friendship that takes the watch
It is she who shows them the north
Shows them the north
And when they were in distress
That their arms were throwing out S.O.S.
One would have said semaphores
The sailors first
At the meeting place of good friends
There were not often rabbits
When one of them was missing on board
It's that he was dead
Yes, but never, never
His hole in the water did not close
A hundred years later, mischievous fate
He was still missing
Of the boats, I have taken many
But the only one that held up
That never tacked
But tacked
Sailed along carefree
On the pond of the ducks
And was called Sailors First
Sailors First