Tom Tom Club L'elephant Letras:
[transcription by Stephane Osstyn
corrections, notes and English
translation by Tina Weymouth]

L'éléphant et l'hippopotame
(Se) Sont déguisés en hommes.
(Ils) Ont marché au beau village,
Marché, marché, marché, marché.

Sur le chemin, (ils) ont rencontré
Des enfants des hommes,
Et des femmes qui courraient
Courraient, courraient, courraient, courraient.

Tout en courrant, les femmes pleuraient
Pleuraient des grosses larmes
Grosses gouttes, grosses larmes
Tombaient, tombaient, tombaient, tombaient.

L'éléphant et l'hippopotame
Voulaient savoir ce qu'elles avaient
Voulaient savoir la raison qu'elles
Pleuraient, pleuraient, pleuraient, pleuraient.

Un enfant, tout terrifié,
S'est arrí ªté pour leur parler.
Sa bouche ouvrait, mais il est resté
Muet, muet, muet, muet.

*Enlevez vos costumes bí ªtes,
Leur chantaient les oiseaux.
**Gobe-mouches pipits, chouettes et hiboux
Chantaient, chantaient, chantaient, chantaient:

C'est la guerre, la guerre des hommes.
Ils se sont disputés.
Tout autour, ils veulent tuer,
Tuer, tuer, tuer, tuer.

Tuer, tuer, tuer, tuer.
Tuer, tuer, tuer, tuer.
Tuer, tuer, tuer, tuer.
Tuer, tuer, tuer, tuer.

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*Bí ªtes is plural for bí ªte,
which means beast, animal,
[Más Letras en es.mp3lyrics.org/QoSB]
or dumb creature. It also means
silly, stupid, dumb,
or idiotic. Since the animals are dressed as men,
this is a play on words.

**In ornithology, gobe-mouches
pipits are fly-catching
tit-larks, or pipits, a
species of bird. In botany,
un gobe-mouches is defined as a
fly-trap. Gobe-mouches
also translates into simpleton,
fool, gull, dupe, sap
or, in slang, as sucker. This is
another play on words.

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THE ELEPHANT (translation into English)

The elephant and the hippopotamus
Disguised themselves as men.
They walked to the beautiful village,
Walked, walked, walked, walked

On the path, they met
The children of men
And women, who were running,
Running, running, running, running

As they ran, the women were crying,
Crying fat tears.
Large drops, big fat tears, were
Falling, falling, falling, falling

The elephant and the hippopotamus
Wanted to know what was the matter,
Wanted to know the reason they were
Crying, crying, crying, crying.

A terrified child
Stopped to speak with them.
His mouth opened, but he remained
Mute, mute, mute, mute.

*"Take off your
foolish/beastly costumes,"
Sang to them the birds.
**Pipits, screech owls, and owls were
Singing, singing, singing, singing:

"It is war, the war of men.
They have quarreled among themselves.
All around, they want to kill,
Kill, kill, kill, kill"

Kill, kill, kill, kill
Kill, kill, kill, kill
Kill, kill, kill, kill
Kill, kill, kill, kill
Letras: L'elephant Tom Tom Club [final]