ARMSTRONG (French) Sung by Claude Nougaro (1929 – 2004) (Traditional /Claude Nougaro-Maurice Vander) Armstrong, je ne suis pas noir, Je suis blanc de peau Quand on veut chanter l'espoir Quel manque de pot ! Oui j'ai beau voir le ciel, l'oiseau Rien, rien ne luit là-haut Les anges, zéro, Je suis blanc de peau. Armstrong, tu te fends la poire, On voit toutes tes dents, Moi je broie plutôt du noir Du noir en dedans. Chante pour moi, Louis, oh oui, Chante, chante, chante ça tient chaud J'ai froid, oh moi Qui suis blanc de peau. Armstrong, la vie, quelle histoire ! C'est pas très marrant Qu'on l'écrive blanc sur noir Ou bien noir sur blanc On voit surtout du rouge, du rouge, Sang, sang, sans trêve ni repos, Qu'on soit, ma foi, Noir ou blanc de peau. Armstrong, un jour, tôt ou tard On n'est que des os. Est-ce que les tiens seront noirs Ce s'rait rigolo Allez Louis, alléluia, Au-delà de nos oripeaux, Noir et Blanc sont ressemblants Comme deux gouttes d'eau.

ARMSTRONG (based on "Go Down Moses") Tribute to Louis Armstrong Armstrong, I am not black I am white-skinned When one wants to sing about hope, What a bad luck! (1) Yes, even though I do see the sky, the bird, Nothing, nothing shines up there. Angels: none. I am white-skinned. Armstrong, you split your sides laughing (2) All your teeth show out. As for me, I rather brood (3) All black inside. Sing for me Louis, oh yes, Sing, sing, sing, it keeps [me] warm. I'm cold, oh I Who am white-skinned. Armstrong, life… what a fuss! (4) It's not very funny Be it written white on black Or black on white. It's mostly red, red to be seen Blood, blood, without truce/break nor rest (5) Be we, I say, Black or white-skinned. Armstrong, one day sooner or later We're nothing but bones... Will yours be black? That would be funny. Come on, Louis, hallelujah (6) Beyond (underneath) our attire Black and White are alike Like two drops of water.

Explanations of the puns:
(1) pun between "peau" (skin) and "pot" luck, "manque de pot" (lack of luck) and "manque de peau" (lack of skin [color]). Btw, "pot" is old slang for bum as was "bol" (bowl).
(2) "Se fendre la poire", meaning "to split one sides laughing", literally translates as "to split one's 'pear'", "pear" being slang for head, face… hence all his teeth showing out.
(3) "Broyer du noir", meaning "to brood", "to be blue/sad", literally translates as "to grind black"
(4) Lit. "What a story" but in French "histoire" is both "story" and "history", so "be it written..." refers to both meanings.
(5)"On voit surtout du rouge, du rouge, / Sang, sang, sans trêve ni repos". Lit. "One sees mostly red, red, blood, blood, without truce/break nor rest" but "rouge sang" means "blood-red" and "sang" (blood) and "sans" (without) sound alike.
(6) "Allez, Louis, alléluia": "allez", lit. "go" means "come on" and the beginning of "alléluia" sounds like "allez" but in English you can't split "hallelujah" to make a pun as in "… And the steam boat went to / Hello operator"…

You'll also find a translation on Lyrics translate.com

Lyrics Maurice Vander / Claude Nougaro
(Let My People Go) © Les Editions Du Chiffre Neuf, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Salut Ô Éditions, SO2 Édition, Quatryo Éditions

1989 live rendition in Paris Zénith
1965 recording recording
1998 live rendition in Toulouse


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