Danse macabre, Op. 40 - Philharmonia Orchestra, Igor Markevitch, Philharmonia Orchestra

Zig, zig, zig, Death in cadence

Striking a tomb with his heel

Death at midnight plays a dance-tune

Zig, zig, zag, on his violin

The winter wind blows, and the night is dark;

Moans are heard in the linden trees

White skeletons pass through the gloom

Running and leaping in their shrouds

Zig, zig, zig, each one is frisking

You can hear the cracking of the bones of the dancers

A lustful couple sits on the moss

So as to taste long lost delights

Zig zig, zig, Death contines

The unending scraping on his instrument

A veil has fallen!

The dancer is naked

Her partner grasps her amorously

The lady, it’s said, is a marchioness or baroness

And her green gallant, a poor cartwright

Horror!

Look how she gives herself to him

Like the rustic was a baron

Zig, zig, zig.

What a saraband!

They all hold hands and dance in circles

Zig, zig, zag.

You can see in the crowd

The king dancing among the peasants

But hist!

All of a sudden, they leave the dance

They push forward, they fly;

the c*** has crowed

Oh what a beautiful night for the poor world!

Long live death and equality!