My translation / rendering of François Villon's
Ballade de bonne doctrine a ceux de mauvaise vie. I am, of course, here indebted to William Ernest Henley's 19th century
Straight Tip To All Cross Coves.
Say you palm off communion plates,
Say you play and cheat at bones,
Print out bills til you get burned,
Scarred and scammed like all the others,
All of them fuckers, none of them true,
When you're the man who does the work.
What do you get from all of this shit?
Booze and Bitches just fuck you up.
Sing it say it bang or bash,
Fucking loser, drunken fool,
Fake it, break it, take all the cash.
Bright big city, piece of shit town,
Run your con and all your games:
Cards or drugs or whatever's rough.
I tell you this: You gonna always lose
Cause Booze and Bitches just fuck you up
Say you think your sick of this shit?
Go work for the man in the government:
Kiss the horse's ass and the pig's soft dick.
You are such a fucking idiot.
So sit back now and just rest your bones,
You'll never be able to work enough.
Cause you know your shit will always go
To Booze and Bitches who fuck you up.
You still got your shoes on your feet,
Shirt on your back, your bones and blood,
That's all your ever gonna need
For Booze and Bitches to fuck you up.
The original:
Car ou soies porteur de bulles,
Pipeur ou hasardeur de dés,
Tailleur de faux coins et te brûles
Comme ceux qui sont échaudés,
Traîtres parjurs, de foi vidés;
Soies larron, ravis ou pilles:
Où s'en va l'acquêt, que cuidez?
Tout aux tavernes et aux filles.
Rime, raille, cymbale, luthes,
Comme fol feintif, éhontés;
Farce, brouille, joue des flûtes;
Fais, ès villes et ès cités,
Farces, jeux et moralités,
Gagne au berlan, au glic, aux quilles
Aussi bien va, or écoutez!
Tout aux tavernes et aux filles.
De tels ordures te recules,
Laboure, fauche champs et prés,
Sers et panse chevaux et mules,
S'aucunement tu n'es lettrés;
Assez auras, se prends en grés.
Mais, se chanvre broyes ou tilles,
Ne tends ton labour qu'as ouvrés
Tout aux tavernes et aux filles?
Chausses, pourpoints aiguilletés,
Robes, et toutes vos drapilles,
Ains que vous fassiez pis, portez
Tout aux tavernes et aux filles.
