King Of The Road ...versus On Est Les Rois

[Jean Pierre]

I'm still in my personal mini festival: Hobo songs 

after Hobo Bill's last ride is King of the road, a song by Roger Miller

As I will with the song City Of New Orleans I mixed the original version of Roger Miller with his adaptation in French by Hugue Auffray

If in the adaptation of Joe Dassin of City of New Orleans, , the meaning of the lyrics was not kept at all, Here in the French adaptation of Hugue Auffray we find well the original meaning of the song  (compare the lyrics of the two versions in the scrollable box...)

Guitars,dobro, bass vocals JP "Jahia"
steel guitar, accordeon, drums BIAB

Lyrics french version

On couche n'importe où
Dans des chambres à cent sous
On est des gratte-guitares
On chante sur les trottoirs
Oui mais
On n'est pas syndiqués
Nos blue-jeans sont râpés
Et dans
Tous les coins où l'on va
On est les rois

On lave deux trois voitures
Et en route l'aventure
Auto-stop ou camions
Tout ce qui roule est bon
On a
Des airs de traîne-misère
Mais on est libres comme l'air
Et dans
Tous les coins où l'on va
On est les rois

Sur les trains on connaît des mécaniciens
Le nom de leur gosse et même de leur chien
On a des combines dans toutes les villes
Pour bien manger et bien dormir et trouver des filles

On a un d'nos copains
Qui a fait son chemin
Il chante ses chansons
A la télévision
Oui mais
On est contents pour lui
Car il a réussi
Mais nous
On est heureux comme ça
On est les rois

On couche n'importe où
Dans des chambres à cent sous
On est des gratte-guitares
On chante sur les trottoirs
Oui mais
On n'est pas syndiqués
Nos blue-jeans sont râpés
Et dans
Tous coins où l'on va
On est les rois

lyrics english original version

Trailer for sale or rent, rooms to let, fifty cents.
No phone, no pool, no pets, I ain't got no cigarettes
Ah, but, two hours of pushin' broom
Buys an eight by twelve four-bit room
I'm a man of means by no means, king of the road.
Third boxcar, midnight train, destination, Bangor, Maine.
Old worn out clothes and shoes,
I don't pay no union dues,
I smoke old stogies I have found short, but not too big around
I'm a man of means by no means, king of the road.
I know every engineer on every train
All of their children, and all of their names
And every handout in every town
And every lock that ain't locked, when no one's around.
I sing, trailers for sale or rent, rooms to let, fifty cents
No phone, no pool, no pets, I ain't got no cigarettes
Ah, goal,...

translations of the French adaptation

We sleep anywhere
In rooms a hundred cents
We're guitar scrapers.
We sing on the sidewalks
Yes, but
We are not unionized
Our blue jeans are grated
And in
Every corner we go to
We are the kings

We wash two three cars
And on the way adventure
Hitchhiking or trucks
Everything on the road is good
We have
Takes on the air of a train wreck
But we're free as a bird
And in
Every corner we go to
We are the kings

On trains we know mechanics
The name of their kid and even their dog
We have schemes in every city
To eat well and sleep well and find girls

We have one of our buddies
Who has made his way
He sings his songs
On television
Yes, but
We're happy for him.
Because he managed
But we
We're happy like this
We are the kings

We sleep anywhere
In rooms a hundred cents
We're guitar scrapers.
We sing on the sidewalks
Yes, but
We are not unionized
Our blue jeans are grated
And in
All the places we go
We are the kings

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator

[Janpol1953]

Ouauh! Super JP!
A very good idea the mix betwenn original music cover versus french cover.
Bravo.

[Groundy]

Brilliant up, you're on the ball my friend.
Alex