Georges Brassens — Le roi boiteux song lyrics and translation

The page contains the lyrics and English translation of the song "Le roi boiteux" by Georges Brassens.

Lyrics

Un roi d’Espagne, ou bien de France,
Avait un cor, un cor au pied;
C’etait au pied gauche, je pense;
Il boitait aù faire pitie.
Les courtisans, espace adroite,
S’appliquerent aù limiter,
Et qui de gauche, qui de droite,
Il apprirent tous aù boiter.
On vit bientot le bénéfice
Que cette mode rapportait;
Et de l’antichambre aù l’office,
Tout le monde boitait, boitait.
Un jour, un seigneur de province,
Oubliant son nouveau métier,
Vint aù passer devant le prince,
Ferme et droit comme un peuplier.
Tout le monde se mit aù rire,
Excepté le roi qui, tout bas,
Murmura:"Monsieur, qu'est-ce aù dire?
Je crois que vous ne boitez pas."
«Sire, quelle erreur est la votre!
Je suis crible de cors; voyez:
Si je marche plus droit qu’un autre,
C’est que je boite des deux pieds.»

Lyrics translation

A king of Spain, or of France,
Had a horn, a horn at the foot;
It was on the left foot, I think;
He was limping.
The courtiers, adroite space,
Apply to limit,
And who left, who right,
They all learned to limp.
We soon see the profit
That this fashion brought back;
And from the antechamber to the office,
Everyone was limping, limping.
One day, a Lord of the province,
Forgetting his new job,
Came to pass before the prince,
Firm and straight as a poplar.
Everyone laughed,
Except the king who, all low,
He murmured, " Sir, What did you say?
I think you're not limping."
"Sire, what a mistake you have!
I'm sifting through corns; see:
If I walk straighter than another,
It's just that I'm limping on both feet.»