Les copains d’abord

No, it wasn't the Raft
Of the Medusa, that boat
Let's say it in the depths of the ports
Say it in the depths of the ports
It sailed in peace
On the duck pond
And was called Friends first
Friends first

Its motto was 'Tossed but not sunk'
It wasn't literature
Despite the sorcerers
The sorcerers
Its captain and sailors
Were not sons of bitches
But friends from the same port
Friends first

They weren't luxury friends
Little Castor and Pollux
People from Sodom and Gomorrah
Sodom and Gomorrah
They weren't friends chosen
By Montaigne and La Boétie
They fought hard on their bellies
Friends first

They weren't angels either
They hadn't read the Gospel
But they loved each other openly
Openly
Jean, Pierre, Paul and company
Were their only litany
Their Creed, their Confiteor
Friends first

At the slightest Trafalgar
It was friendship that took the helm
It was she who showed them the way
Showed them the way
And when they were in distress
When their arms sent out SOS signals
They looked like signalmen
Friends first

At the meeting of good friends
There were rarely any no-shows
When one of them was missing on board
It was because he was dead
Yes, but never, never
Did his hole in the water close
A hundred years later, damn fate
He was still missing

I've taken many boats
But the only one that held up
That never veered off course
But veered off course
Sailed in peace
On the duck pond
And was called Friends first
Friends first

I've taken many boats
But the only one that held up
That never veered off course
But veered off course
Sailed in peace
On the duck pond
And was called Friends first
Friends first