We were three young sailors
Three handsome, tall and strong seamen
Embarked one day in Toulon
Without uniforms and without stripes
On the aircraft carrier Clémenceau
(On the aircraft carrier Clémenceau)

We were three young soldiers
Not too fond of war
But we were willing to get shaved
In exchange for a trip around the world
On a pretty iron boat
(On a pretty iron boat)

The first of these sailors
Was Breton to the core
But he was as dumb as a post
Like a Sunday lunch
Like an article in Le Figaro
(Like an article in Le Figaro)

He had grown up by the water
But had never drunk too much of it
At fifteen for a girl
He deserted La Rochelle
For the ramparts of Saint-Malo
(For the ramparts of Saint-Malo)

On Rue de la Soif he was seen as handsome
Frequenting all the bars
And when dawn came
He would roll from port to starboard
And end up in the gutter
(And end up in the gutter)

Wanted to leave on a boat
To taste a bit of the sirocco
Thinking rightly
That the ocean made you less stupid
But for him there was a lot of work
(But for him there was a lot of work)

God, it's beautiful
The story of the three sailors
Almost as beautiful
As the deck of the Clémenceau

The second of these sailors
Was Corsican through and through
He was mean as a storm
Vicious as a tidal wave
Like an article by Jean Cau
(Like an article by Jean Cau)

He had grown up by the water
But only drank it in Pernod
At fifteen by a legionnaire
He got a buttonhole cut
Near the citadel of Ajaccio
(Near the citadel of Ajaccio)

He became a real bastard
Got his biceps tattooed
Between his mother's name
Wolves, snakes, panthers
And Christ in the middle of his back
(And Christ in the middle of his back)

Wanted to leave on a boat
To never live like a calf
And to make his hatred travel
Of this damn human race
Populated by rats and idiots
(Populated by rats and idiots)

God, it's long
The story of the three sailors
Almost as long
As the deck of the Clémenceau

The last of these sailors
It was me, I was a Parisian
I was good as lettuce
Cunning and clever as a hyena
Muscular as a prune flan
(Muscular as a prune flan)

I had grown up far from the water
I drank as much as a sparrow
At fifteen I left Paris
To chase a woman from my heart
Who wanted to make her cradle there
(Who wanted to make her cradle there)

I bummed around like a tramp
I met some ecologists
Who told me "go see the whales"
Who live in distant waters
You'll see that this world is beautiful
(You'll see that this world is beautiful)

Wanted to leave on a boat
To see the earth from a little higher
To round Cape Horn in both directions
And to travel from Recouvrance
To the brothels of Macao
(To the brothels of Macao)

God, it's hard
The story of the three sailors
Almost as hard
As the deck of the Clémenceau

The first of these sailors
Who was as dumb as a flag
He ended up full of stripes
Full of sardines on his jacket
And full of shit under his cap
(And full of shit under his cap)

The second of these sailors
Who was mean as a crow
He ended up in a showcase
At the Ministry of the Navy
Little boss behind a desk
(Little boss behind a desk)

The last of these sailors
Got kicked off his boat
For offering his pompom
To a too pretty Ninon
In exchange for a sweet and hot kiss
(In exchange for a sweet and hot kiss)

If your child is a bastard
A real jerk, a head full of water
Make him a soldier
Then he will make a career
On a ship, in an office
(On a ship, in an office)

But if he is good, but if he is handsome
Even if he is a bit of an alcoholic
Let him make his tour of the earth
Alone on an iron boat
But not on the deck of the Clémenceau
(Not on the deck of the Clémenceau)

Simple soldier, brave sailor
Don't hold it against me too much
This song I only sang
For the shirkers, the officers
The subscribers of Le Figaro
(The subscribers of Le Figaro)

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