Je sais moi, des sorciers qui invoquent les jets
Dans la jungle de Nouvelle-Guinée
Ils scrutent le zénith
Convoitant les guinées que leur rapporterait le pillage du fret

Sur la mer de corail au passage de cet appareil
Ces créatures non dénuées de raison
Ces papous
Attendent des nuées
L'avarie du Viscount
Et celle du Comet

Et comme leur totem n'a jamais pu abattre à leurs pieds
Ni Boeing ni même D.C. Quatre
Ils rêvent de hijacks
Et d'accidents d'oiseaux

Ces naufrageurs naïfs
Armés de sarbacanes
Qui sacrifient ainsi au culte du cargo
En soufflant
Vers l'azur
Et les aéroplanes

Où es-tu Melody
Et ton corps disloqué
Hante-t-il l'archipel que peuplent les sirènes?

Ou bien accrochée au cargo dont la sirène d'alarme s'est tue
Es-tu restée?

Au hasard des courants
As-tu déjà touché
Ces lumineux coraux des côtes guinéennes
Où s'agitent en vain ces sorciers indigènes
Qui espèrent encore des avions brisés

N'ayant plus rien à perdre
Ni Dieu en qui croire
Afin qu'ils me rendent mes amours dérisoires
Moi, comme eux
J'ai prié les cargos de la nuit

Et je garde cette espérance
D'un désastre aérien
Qui me ramènerait Melody
Mineure détournée
De l'attraction des astres

Tu t'appelles comment?
Melody
Melody comment?
Melody Nelson


Lyrics submitted by Addıct

Cargo culte Lyrics as written by Serge Gainsbourg

Lyrics © MELODY NELSON PUBLISHING, BAGATELLE, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Reservoir Media Management, Inc., WARNER CHAPPELL MUSIC FRANCE

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Cargo Culte song meanings
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3 Comments

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  • +3
    My Interpretation

    know of the the magicians who call to jets In the jungle of New Guinea They scrutinize the zenith coveting the guineas That the pillage of freight would bring them

    On the sea of coral in the wake of this Machine those creatures not deprived Of reason those Papuans wait for vapour The wreck of the Vice-count and that of the Comet

    And as their totem hasn't ever been able to bring down To their feet neither a Boeing nor even a D.C. four They dream of hijacks and of bird accidents

    Those naive shipwreckers armed with blowguns Who sacrifice to the cargo cult By blowing toward the azur and the airplanes.

    Where are you Melody and your wrecked body Is it haunting the archipeligo where the sirens live Or well attatched to the cargo plane whose siren Of alarm has become silent, did you stay

    Adrift on the currents have you already touched Those bright corals of the Guinean costs Where those indiginous magicians act in vain Who still hope for smashed planes

    Having nothing more to lose nor a God in whom to believe, So that they give me meaningless loves I, like them, I prayed to the night cargo planes

    And I hold onto that hope of an air Disaster that would bring Melody back to me A minor turned away from the gravity of the stars.

    English Translation praise to A. Chabot

    upthegeeon April 30, 2009   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    A pure marvel. A shinning flake in a gold nugget album. The album is "L'Histoire de Melody Nelson" by Serge Gainsbourg. An albulm considered by many (and not only french) as one of the finest french album ever. You cannot listen to this song apart of its album. It's the final song, the grief song. Melody just died in a plane crash - a night cargo plane - somewhere along the shore of Guinea. The song starts from there (the crash itself is at the end of the previous song). It's an egnimatic song about guineans indigens worshiping their totems and the Boiengs and DC4s (D.C quatre) flying over their heads and throwing

    meltorgon December 04, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    and throwing darts from their blowpipes (srabacanes) expecting to them to wreck and take over the contents and spirit of them. In his grief he prays (Moi, comme eux, j'ai prié les cargos de la nuit) this "cargo culte" in hope it could give him back Melody. The lyrics didn't really make sense to me until I read this page of our good old Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cargo_cult He's so sad that he's ready to believe in a religion that claims that a wrecked plane content can be returned to life (Et je garde cette espérance d'un désastre Aérien qui me ramènerait Melody)

    meltorgon December 04, 2007   Link

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