Remembering Ms. Edith Piaf

French singer/actress Ms. Edith Piaf was born in Paris on December 19, 1915. She died in her birth country on October 10, 1963 (https://shorturl.at/duAT2). Bambi will pause for a couple of minutes to honour her memory with one her most beautiful songs, “La foule” [“The Crowd”]. The latter is an adaptation of a Waltz melody, entitled “Que nadie sepa mi sufrir” (composed in 1936 by Argentinian songwriter Ángel Cabral). For your convenience, an English translation of the lyrics appear at the end of this post (https://shorturl.at/efhjZ).

“I see the city in celebration and delirium
Suffocating under the sun and under the joy
And I hear in the music the cries, the laughter
That burst and bounce around me
And lost among these people who jostle me
Stunned, distraught, I stay there
When suddenly I turn around, he pulls back
And the crowd comes to throw me into their arms

Carried away by the crowd that drags us
Train us
Crushed Against Each Other
We are one body
And the flow without effort
Pushes us, chained to each other
And leave us both
Blissful, intoxicated and happy

Carried away by the rushing crowd
And who dances
A crazy farandole
Our two hands remain united
And sometimes raised
Our two entwined bodies fly away
And both fall back
Blissful, intoxicated and happy

And the joy splashed by his smile
Pierces me and springs back deep inside me
But suddenly I cry out among the laughter
When the crowd comes to tear her from my arms

Carried away by the crowd that drags us
Train us
Keeps us apart
I struggle and I struggle
But the sound of her voice
Chokes on the laughter of others
And I scream in pain and fury and rage
And I cry

Carried away by the rushing crowd
And who dances
A crazy farandole
I am carried away
And I clench my fists, cursing the crowd that robs me
The man she gave me
And that I never found”.

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