Après La Revolution

(from the CDs Stark Raving Songs and An Angel Somewhere)

I've traveled France,
From Le Havre to Mt. Blanc
From Nancy to Nice in the south
I've walked through the streets
With no shoes on my feet
And nothing to eat in my mouth
The workers I meet
Are oppressed by the wealth of a land
Only they could have made
So I teach them Marx, and wait for the sparks
And dream of the barricades.

Après la revolution
Paris will blossom again
We'll spend our time
Drinking red wine
And drowning the rich in the Seine
There'll be freedom for dogs
And freedom for cats
And freedom for you and for me
Free Quiche Lorraine, on board every train
And death for the bourgeoisie.

Après la revolution
All of the workers will cheer
We'll lie in bed
Eating frog's legs
Until they jump out of our ears
There'll be Gruyere and Camembert
Partridge and quail
Fresh croissants and coffee each day
With passion and power, we'll turn the great Eiffel Tower
Into a phallus for Jean Genet.

Après la revolution
We'll smash every bust of De Gaulle
And our most famous martyr
Our dear Jean-Paul-Sartre
We shall rename as St. Paul
There'll be Degas and Rodins
And Cézannes and Gauguins
The Yanks won't be able to buy
But Herbert Marcus will not be a loser
He'll get the house at Versailles.

Après la revolution
We will send arms to Quebec
And as a posthumous present
To Cartier-Bresson
Lord Snowdon will be chopped at the neck
Cocteau and Balzac
And Piaf will come back
To join us as we sing and dance
Long live Francois Truffaut
And Rimbaud and Bardot
And long live the glory of France
France, France, France!
Vive la revolution.