La Chanson de Jacky. Jacques Brel. "Jacky" song lyrics, Marc Almond version, Jacques Brel version, translation, ...

I came across this song again after following the tour of David McWilliams "Days of Pearly Spencer" - Marc Almond - Amsterdam - Jacques Brel. And - who would have thought it! - it's about Jacques Brel and written by Jacques Brel and this version from a whole musical show about Brel ("Jacques Brel is alive and well and living in Paris"). 

When I was younger I loved the sound of this song. Though I was never that into music. Music was John's thing. it was too cool for me. Again I had no clue who/what the song was about, who wrote it, who sang it, ... 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacky_(Jacques_Brel_song)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Brel_is_Alive_and_Well_and_Living_in_Paris

http://www.songlyrics.com/jacques-brel-is-alive-and-well-and-living-in-paris-lyrics/

Living In Paris - Jackie (La chanson de Jacky) Lyrics

Artist: Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living In Paris

Songwriters: Jacques Brel, Gerard Jouannest

And if one day I should become
A singer with a Spanish bum
Who sings for women of great virtue

I'd sing to them with a guitar
I borrowed from coffee bar
Well, what you don't know doesn't hurt you

My name would be Antonio
And all my bridges I would burn
And if I gave them some they'd know
I expect something in return

I'd have to get drunk every night
To talk about virility
With some old grandmother who might
Be decked out like a Christmas tree

And tho' pink elephants I'd see
Tho' I'd be drunk as I could be
Still I would sing my song to me
About the time they called me Jackie

If I could be for only an hour
If I could be for an hour every day
If I could be for just one little hour
Cute, cute, cute in a stupid-ass way

And if I joined the social whirl
Became procurer of young girls
Then I would have my own bordellos

My record would be number one
And I'd sell records by the ton
All sung by many other fellows

My name would then be Handsome Jack
And I'd sell boats of opium
Whiskey that came from Twickenham
Authentic queers and phony virgins

I'd have a bank on every finger
A finger in every country
And every country ruled by me
I still know where I'd want to be

Locked up inside my opium den
Surrounded by some Chinamen
I'd sing the song that I sang then
About the time they called me Jackie

If I could be for only an hour
If I could be for an hour every day
If I could be for just one little hour
Cute, cute, cute in a stupid-ass way

Now tell me wouldn't it be nice
That if one day in paradise
I sang for all the ladies up there

And they would sing along with me
We'd be so happy there to be
'Cause down below is really nowhere

My name would then be Jupiter
And I would know where I was going
And then I would become all knowing
And my beard so long and flowing

If I became deaf dumb and blind
Because I pitied all mankind
And broke my heart to make things right
I know that every single night

When my angelic work was through
The Angels and the Devil too
Would sing my childhood song to me
About the time they called me Jackie

If I could be for only an hour
If I could be for an hour every day
If I could be for just one stinkin' hour
Cute, cute, cute in a stupid-ass way

Read more at http://www.songlyrics.com/jacques-brel-is-alive-and-well-and-living-in-paris/jackie-la-chanson-de-jacky-lyrics/#Xdiif9RmmvrBPgoD.99

And now Jacques Brel singing it:  "Beau beau beau et con à la fois"

*  Artist: Jacques Brel
*  Song: La Chanson de Jacky
Read more at http://lyricstranslate.com/en/la-chanson-de-jacky-jackys-song.html#CAixvLv50rjZAkOR.99

French
La Chanson de Jacky

Même si un jour à Knocke-le-Zoute
Je deviens comme je le redoute
Chanteur pour femmes finissantes
Même si je leur chante "Mi Corazon"
Avec la voix bandonéante
D'un Argentin de Carcassonne
Même si on m'appelle Antonio
Que je brûle mes derniers feux
En échange de quelques cadeaux
Madame je fais ce que je peux
Même si je me saoule à l'hydromel
Pour mieux parler de virilité
A des mémères décorées
Comme des arbres de Noël

Je sais que dans ma saoulographie
Chaque nuit pour des éléphants roses
Je chanterai la chanson morose
Celle du temps où je m'appelais Jacky

(refrain)
Être une heure une heure seulement
Être une heure une heure quelquefois
Être une heure rien qu'une heure durant
Beau beau beau et con à la fois

Même si un jour à Macao
Je deviens gouverneur de tripot
Cerclé de femmes languissantes
Même si lassé d'être chanteur
J'y sois devenu maître chanteur
Et que ce soit les autres qui chantent
Même si on m'appelle le beau Serge
Que je vende des bateaux d'opium
Du whisky de Clermont-Ferrand
De vrais pédés de fausses vierges
Que j'aie une banque à chaque doigt
Et un doigt dans chaque pays
Et que chaque pays soit à moi
Je sais quand même que chaque nuit
Tout seul au fond de ma fumerie
Pour un public de vieux Chinois
Je rechanterai ma chanson à moi
Celle du temps où je m'appelais Jacky

(refrain)

Même si un jour au paradis
Je deviens comme j'en serais surpris
Chanteur pour femmes à ailes blanches
Même si je leur chante alléluia
En regrettant le temps d'en bas
Où c'est pas tous les jours dimanche
Même si on m'appelle Dieu le Père
Celui qui est dans l'annuaire
Entre Dieulefit et Dieu vous garde
Même si je me laisse pousser la barbe
Même si toujours trop bonne pomme
Je me crève le coeur et le pur esprit
A vouloir consoler les hommes
Je sais quand même que chaque nuit
J'entendrai dans mon paradis
Les anges les saints et Lucifer
Me chanter la chanson de naguère
Celle du temps où je m'appelais Jacky.

(refrain)
Please translate this song from French into English.
[Description: Try to align]
English
Jacky's song

Even if one day in Knokke-le-Zoute*
I become as I dread to
A singer for women drawing to an end
Even if I sing "Mi Corazon" to them
With a bandoneoning** voice
Of an Argentine from Carcassone***
Even if I'm called Antonio
That I burn down my last fires
In exchange for some presents
Madam, I do what I can
Even if I get drunk on mead
To talk better about virility
To grannies adorned
Like Chritsmas trees

I know that in my drunkography
Every night for pink elephants
I'll be singing the gloomy song
About the days when my name was Jacky

(chorus)
Being one hour, just one hour
Being one hour, one hour sometimes
Being one hour, just for one hour
Handsome, handsome, handsome and stupid at the same time

Even if one day in Macau
I become governor of a gambling joint
Surrounded by yearning women
Even if, tired of being a singer,
I became blackmailer there
And that it's the others who sing
Even if I'm called Handsome Serge
That I sell boats of opium
Whisky from Clermont-Ferrand****
Real faggots, fake virgins
That I have a bank round each finger
And a finger in each country
And that each country is mine
I still know that every night
All alone at the far end of my den
For an audience of old Chinese people
I'll sing my own song again
About the days when my name was Jacky

(chorus)

Even if one day in heaven
I become as I would be surprised to
A singer for white-winged women
Even if I sing hallelujah to them
Regretting the days when I was down there
Where it's not everyday Sunday
Even if they call me God the Father
The one who's in the phone book
Between Dieulefit* and God bless you
Even if I grow a beard
Even if, always too good-natured,
I break my heart and my sheer mind
Wanting to comfort people
I still know that every night
I'll hear in my paradise
The angels, the saints and Lucifer
Singing to me this old time song
About the days when my name was Jacky.

(chorus)
Author's comment:

*town in Belgium
**bandoneon = Argentinian music instrument
***Southern French town
****French town
**French town, meaning "God did/made it"

Read more at http://lyricstranslate.com/en/la-chanson-de-jacky-jackys-song.html#CAixvLv50rjZAkOR.99



http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/s/scott_walker/jackie_crd.htm
Jackie
(Brel/Jouannest/Shuman)

         Intro:  Gm Dm x4


         Verse 1


         Gm         Dm             Gm            Dm             Gm
         And if one day I should become a singer with a Spanish bum

                       Dm             Gm    Dm
         Who sings for women of great virtue

         Gm          Dm             Gm               Dm            Gm
         I'd sing to them with a guitar I'd borrowed from a coffee bar

                        Dm                 Gm       Dm
         Well, what you don't know doesn't hurt you!

         G                     Gmaj7                         Gmaj6
         My name would be Antonio and all my bridges I would burn

                                          Gmaj7 G                        Am  D Am D
         And when I gave them some they'd know I'd expect something in return

         Am                          Am(maj7)                   Am7
         I'd have to get drunk every night and talk about virility

                                     Am6                                  B7
         With some old Grandmama who might be decked out like a Christmas tree

         Em              Bm            Em                 Bm               Em
         And though pink elephants I'd see, though I'd be drunk as I could be

                       Bm              Em           Am7                 G
         Still I would sing my song to me about the time they called me Jackie



         Chorus


                    G Gmaj7        Gmaj6 Gmaj7
         If I could be for only an hour

                    G         Gmaj7      Am  D
         If I could be for an hour every day

                    Am     Am(maj7)        Am7  Am6
         If I could be for just one little hour

                D                          Gm Dm Gm Dm
         A cute cute in a stupid-assed way



         Verse 2


         Gm       Dm                Gm               Dm             Gm
         And if I joined the social world, became procurer of young girls

                      Dm             Gm    Dm
         Then I would have my own bordellos

         Gm        Dm              Gm               Dm             Gm
         My record would be number one and I'd sell records by the ton

                     Dm         Gm     Dm
         All sung by many other fellows

         G                              Gmaj7                         Gmaj6
         My name would then be Handsome Jack and I'd sell boats of opium

                                     Gmaj7 G                             Am7 D  Am7 D
         Whisky that came from Twickenham,   authentic queers and phoney virgins

         Am                      Am(maj7)                          Am7
         If I had banks on every finger, a finger in every country

                                          Am6                       B7
         And all the countries ruled by me I'd still know where I'd want to be

         Em          Bm            Em             Bm           Em
         Locked up inside my opium den surrounded by some Chinamen

                      Bm               Em             Am7                 G
         I'd sing the song that I sang then about the time they called me Jackie


         repeat chorus



         Verse 3


         Gm          Dm             Gm               Dm         Gm
         Now tell me wouldn't it be nice that if one day in Paradise

                      Dm             Gm       Dm
         I'd sing for all the ladies up there

         Gm             Dm              Gm             Dm            Gm
         And they would sing along with me, we'd be so happy, that'd be

                     Dm            Gm     Dm
         'Cos down below is really nowhere

         G                       Gmaj7                            Gmaj6
         And if my name were Juniper and I would know where I was going

                            Gmaj7                    G             Am7 D  Am7 D
         And I would become all-knowing, my beard so very long and flowing

         Am                         Am(maj7)                      Am7
         If I became deaf, dumb and blind because I pitied all mankind

                                           Am6
         And broke my heart to make things right

                             B7
         I'd know that every single night

         Em        Bm             Em                 Bm            Em
         When my angelic work was through the angels and the Devil too

                       Bm                Em           Am7                 G
         Would sing my childhood song to me about the time they called me Jackie


         repeat chorus


         Gm Dm x4 end on G