Jamais ne s'oublient - Lucienne Delyle

La rivière du voyageur

Se promène dans la savane

Elle roule tous les malheurs

Des grands nègres de la Louisiane

Jour et nuit, on entend sa complainte

Jour et nuit, on entend sa chanson

C’est le vent qui répète sa plainte

En passant sur les champs de coton

Le tam-tam résonne au loin

Et les oiseaux roucoulent d’amour

Mais là-bas, roulant sans fin

C’est la rivière qui gronde toujours

De son bruit sourd

Jour et nuit, c’est toujours sa complainte

Jour et nuit, c’est toujours sa chanson

Obsédant, le vent porte sa plainte

Tristement, au fond de l’horizon

La rivière sort de son lit

Et bouscule les pauvres hommes

Elle emporte tout un pays

Elle emporte ce que nous sommes

Jour et nuit, pour calmer sa colère

Jour et nuit, les nègres vont prier

Dans le vent, on entend les prières

Implorant une part de pitié

Le grand Jim avait peiné

Et ses cheveux étaient en argent

Mais le flot l’a emporté

Alors tant pis pour ses cheveux blancs

Et ses enfants

Jour et nuit, on entend la rivière

Jour et nuit, et son grand tourbillon

Hou, hou, hou, on entend la rivière

Hou, hou, hou, le nègre dort au fond

The Traveler's River

Walks in the savannah

She rolls all the misfortunes

Big niggers from Louisiana

Day and night we hear his lament

Day and night we hear his song

It's the wind that repeats its complaint

Passing over the cotton fields

The tom-tom resounds in the distance

And the birds coo with love

But there, rolling endlessly

It's the river that always roars

Of its thud

Day and night is always her lament

Day and night, it's still his song

Obsessive, the wind carries its complaint

Sadly, at the bottom of the horizon

The river comes out of its bed

And hustle the poor men

She takes a whole country

She takes what we are

Day and night, to calm his anger

Day and night niggers go pray

In the wind we hear the prayers

Begging for a share of mercy

Big Jim had toiled

And her hair was silver

But the tide took him away

So too bad for her white hair

And his children

Day and night we hear the river

Day and night, and its great whirlwind

Whoo, whoo, whoo, we hear the river

Whoo, whoo, whoo, the nigga sleepin' in the back