Le chacal

They called him the Jackal
He was a phenomenal guy
A tall one, with broad shoulders
Looked like a wild man, a bit of a show-off
He stole my heart
With just an ironic smile
In the evening, at happy hour
He’d stroll into our bistro
Always alone, without a buddy
Humming a strange little tune

Bang Bang, buddy… It’s the Jackal around here
He’d stand at the end of the bar
With a distant gaze, like he saw nothing
I always waited for him to talk to me
To move a bit, to do something
But he stayed indifferent
And whistled between his teeth:
Bang Bang, buddy… It’s the Jackal around here.

Nobody knew what he did,
And we talked behind his back,
We said: "What’s he up to?"
The men looked at him from below,
The women gave him flirty looks
Sometimes there were long silences,
Fear creeping into our minds
"Maybe this tough guy’s a cop?"
But he just smiled with disdain
And always spat out his refrain.

Bang Bang, buddy,
It’s the Jackal around here.
Hands in the pockets of his jacket
He seemed to say: "Come on over!"
I always waited for him to talk to them,
To move a bit, to do something.
But he stayed indifferent
And whistled between his teeth:
Bang Bang, buddy,
It’s the Jackal around here.

Then one night when it was really hot,
When nerves were frayed
And the air smelled like a storm
As he yelled his sacred refrain
A man raised his hand at him,
Then he leaped up, filled with rage.
He fought without saying a word
But they, the cowards, were too…
And suddenly, I saw him fall…
Then he finally spoke to me:

Bang Bang, buddy,
Those bastards, what they did to me
And then he closed his eyes
Sighing: Maybe it’s for the best
I felt cold, like I had a fever,
But I wanted to taste his lips
At least once, because I loved him!
We never knew what he was looking for
Bang Bang, buddy,
No more Jackal… It was over…