French translation of a song in English

Lavoisel   Friday, April 16, 2004, 16:26 GMT
The translation sounds perfect now that you have corrected it, Simon. Thank you.

I have looked up "To swerve" in my dictionary and the definition reads "Faire une embardée". Therefore, we can put "We will swerve, my companions" instead of "[don't know]".
Simon   Monday, April 19, 2004, 09:17 GMT
Yeah, [don't know] is not good.
Lainie   Monday, April 19, 2004, 20:39 GMT
Thanks very much.
One more question. In my French/English dictionary (I think it was Larousse), I looked up the word "con" which is in the phrase "Tu es bien un bon con," and it said it meant "bastard" but when I checked it online, it said "idiot."
Which one is more accurate?
Lavoisel   Monday, April 19, 2004, 23:04 GMT
They are all perfectly accurate because "con" can mean many things. It depends a lot on who says it and in which context.
However, people often use it to point out the lack of intelligence of someone else. So I'd say "idiot" is often accurate.

Here are some examples:

-- I'm so stupid! I shouldn't have done that => Quel con(ne) ! J'aurais pas du faire ça !

-- Dirty bastard! Serve you right! => Sale con(ne) ! Bien fait pour toi !

-- We haven't had the chance to speak today, that sucks! => On a pas eu le temps de se parler aujourd'hui, c'est con !

-- Why light this candle when I have a torch/flashlight? That's stupid! => Pourquoi utiliser cette bougie alors que j'ai une lampe de poche/lampe-torche ? C'est con !

You might hear an old person say "Jeune con(ne) !", in order to insult a "disrespectfull", "provocative", "ill-educated" young man or woman.

You might also hear a young person say "Vieux/vieille con(ne) !", in order to insult a "reactionary", "close-minded", "embittered" old man or woman.

Yeah, I know, the last two exemples are stereotyped, but this is how the words are usually understood.

However, in a particularly tough day, the kind of day in which you have a strong quarrel with someone after having encountered many other troubles, you might end up saying "pauvre con(ne)" to her/him in scorn and contempt and possibly regret it afterwards.
Simon   Tuesday, April 20, 2004, 07:09 GMT
It's probably like words such as a "twat, prat, dick" etc. They can mean lots of negative things. Stupidity, nastiness etc.
nic   Tuesday, April 20, 2004, 07:51 GMT
Con, conne, connard, connasse, connerie...

In the south when some people wants to say "oh shit!" they say "oh con!"
Axel   Tuesday, April 20, 2004, 09:25 GMT
I would said "putain con"!
nic   Tuesday, April 20, 2004, 09:39 GMT
Ya it has the same meaning but in Nîmes it's more Oh con!,
Nic   Tuesday, April 20, 2004, 09:40 GMT
In some places they mix their native language with wors like con, my grand father will say : Connaieré.
what does this mean?   Tuesday, April 20, 2004, 18:54 GMT
Cammi aime les sucettes,
Les sucettes à l'anis.
Les sucettes à l'anis
D'Cammi
Donnent à ses baisers
Un goût ani-
Sé. Lorsque le sucre d'orge
Parfumé à l'anis
Coule dans la gorge d'Cammi,
Elle est au paradis.

Pour quelques pennies, Cammi
A ses sucettes à l'anis.
Elles ont la couleur de ses grands yeux,
La couleur des jours heureux.

Cammi aime les sucettes,
Les sucettes à l'anis.
Les sucettes à l'anis
D'Cammi
Donnent à ses baisers
Un goût ani-
Sé. Lorsqu'elle n'a sur la langue
Que le petit bâton,
Elle prend ses jambes à son corps
Et retourne au drugstore.

Pour quelques pennies, Cammi
A ses sucettes à l'anis.
Elles ont la couleur de ses grands yeux,
La couleur des jours heureux.

Lorsque le sucre d'orge
Parfumé à l'anis
Coule dans la gorge d'Cammi,
Elle est au paradis.
Lavoisel   Tuesday, April 20, 2004, 20:00 GMT
Translation from
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Musee/1489/gainsbourg/texts/lessucettes.html

Annie likes lollipops,
Aniseed lollipops
Annie's aniseed lollipops
Give her kisses
An aniseed taste.
And when the barley sugar,
Perfumed with aniseed,
Slides down Annie's throat
She is in paradise.
For a few pennies
Annie,
Gets her aniseed lollipops.
They have the colour of her eyes,
The colour of happy days.
Annie likes lollipops,
Aniseed lollipops
Annie's aniseed lollipops
Give her kisses
An aniseed taste.
When on her tongue
Just a small stick remains,
She jumps to her feet
And returns to the drugstore.
For a few pennies
Annie,
Gets her aniseed lollipops.
They have the colour of her eyes,
The colour of happy days.
When the barley sugar,
Perfumed with aniseed,
Slides down Annie's throat
She is in paradise.