Ta marinière [English translation]

Lighting your cigarette

you set my heart on fire1

I'm seeking happiness,

maybe it's in your bed?2

You hacked into3 my soul

while I was surfing the wave

and I failed miserably, I'm struggling4 now

while I had enticed you in my net5.

Stuff your moods in your socks or in your hat6

You're so cute, you drive me crazy

I dream of you coming to my boat

and us partying every night.

Port and starboard

we'll drift away.

I want your body, my treasure.

I'll wait for you on the other side.

And on your striped jersey

I'm looking for this link of ours7

You threw it to the sea

to feed the bloody fish.

Here's to our April fool's toxic jokes8

Our story is harder to swallow than a bitter pill9

Wait for summer to take off your jersey10,

your mirror would fall for you. (x2)

The ocean carries us away.

I don't know if you're up to speed11

but water coming under my door12

might be a disaster, but it's a funny one.

Come join my crew,

catch up with me on the pier.

No doubt we'll end up shipwrecked

but at least we'll try.

So, if today I jump into love

shouting "Hoist the colours!"

that's because I extend my stay

even if that means coming home swimming.

I can see you're losing it,

and you're even retaliating.

So let's run on the sand

before some other guy hits on you13.

And on your striped jersey

I'm looking for this link of ours

You threw it to the sea

to feed the bloody fish.

Here's to our April fool's toxic jokes

Our story is harder to swallow than a bitter pill

Wait for summer to take off your jersey,

your mirror would fall for you. (x2)

Single until tomorrow

she's showing off in her swimsuit

Sailorwoman seeks sailorman

willing to stay ashore just to marry her14 (x2)

And on your striped jersey

I'm looking for this link of ours

You threw it to the sea

to feed the bloody fish.

Here's to our April fool's toxic jokes

Our story is harder to swallow than a bitter pill

Wait for summer to take off your jersey,

your mirror would fall for you. (x2)

Wait for summer to take off your jersey,

your mirror would fall for you. (x2)

1. lit. "behind your cigarette you made a tobacco in my heart". "faire un tabac" means "be a hit" or "bring down the house"2. lit. "in your bedsheets". That sounds nearly like "dans tes bras"(in your arms)3. French uses "piracy" for computer hacking4. lit. "rowing"5. "madrague" is a big fishing net, but "drague" means "hitting on people", so it sounds like "I ma-managed to get you hooked" (whith a slight stutter)6. lit. "remove your stockings or your upper clothes" / "stop being up and down", hinging on "bas"(stockings/low)7. lit. "hyphen", but word for word "line of union"8. an April fool's joke is called an "April fish", and "poisson"(fish) sounds very close to "poison"9. "c'est pas la mer à boire"(it's not [as difficult as] the whole sea [for you] to drink) means "it's not that much to ask". Here she says "you and me, it's worse than drinking the whole sea". That complete hijacking of the idiom is quite funny in French, but I can't see how to render that in English10. that alludes to a saying that goes "stay covered in April and do whatever you please in May", since the weather in France can be pretty cold in April and much milder in May. This is a continuation of the "April fish" pun two lines above11. "courant" also means "[water] flow"12. that sounds nearly like "when someone steps into my house"(lorsque l'on passe ma porte)13. lit. "accost you"14. that sounds like a lonely hearts ad! "marinière" is the feminine of "bargeman" here