jeudi 26 mai 2011

#4 Les lyrics du jeudi /// Joni Mitchell


Joni Mitchell - The Last Time I Saw Richard (from Blue)

(Joni Mitchell painting)

D'abord absente de la version première de l'album, The Last Time I Saw Richard fut rajoutée à la dernière minute. La séparation récente d'avec son compagnon Graham Nash (de Crosby, Stills & Nash) l'a très probablement inspirée pour l'écriture de la dernière chanson de Blue.

Au départ, deux avis opposés sur les relations amoureuses, une conversation d'un soir.

D'un côté, Richard, cynique et fataliste : "All romantics meet the same fate, someday, cynical and drunken, boring someone in some dark cafe"

De l'autre, Joni, plus optimiste : "You got tombs in your eyes, but the songs you punched are dreams, listen, they sing of love so sweet, love so sweet"

Quelques temps plus tard, on apprend que, ironie du sort, c'est Richard qui s'est marié. En dépit de ça, il boit toujours, et rien n'a changé dan son esprit.

La vision de Joni, elle, s'est assombrie. De déceptions en déceptions, l'espoir s'est tu. Et ces cafés noirs, qui lui semblaient si morbides, sont maintenant les seuls refuges qui s'offrent à sa vue. Et à sa vie.


The last time I saw Richard was Detroit of '68
And he told me:
"All romantics meet the same fate, someday
Cynical and drunken
Boring someone in some dark cafe,"
"You laugh," he said
"You think you're immune
Go look at your eyes, they're full of moon!
You like roses, and kisses
And pretty men to tell you all those pretty lies
Pretty lies
When you gonna realize
They're only pretty lies?
Only pretty lies
Just pretty lies,"

He put a quarter in the Whirletzer
And pushed three buttons and the thing began to whirl
And a bar maid came by with fishnet stockings and a bow-tie
She said:
"Drink up now, it's getting on time to close,"

"Richard, you haven't really changed," I said
"It's just that, now you're romanticizing some pain that's in your head
You got tombs in your eyes, but the songs you punched are dreams
Listen, they sing of love so sweet, love so sweet
When you gonna get yourself back on your feet?
Oh, love can be so sweet
Love, so sweet,"

Richard got married to a figure skater
And he bought her a dishwasher
And a coffee percolator
And he drinks at home now most nights
With the TV on and all the houselights left up bright

I'm gonna blow this damn candle out
I don't want nobody coming over to my table
I don't got nothing to talk to anybody about
All the dreamers pass this way someday
Hiding in bottles, in dark cafes, dark cafes
Only a dark cocoon before I get my gorgeous wings and fly away

Only a phase, these dark cafe days...

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