Déserteur

Mr. President
I’m writing you a note
That you’ll surely read
If you’ve got the guts
I just got a call
From my folks back home
To warn me that the cops
Had shown up at their place
I can’t imagine
What my dad told them
He really can’t stand
Cops, priests, and soldiers
He’s got them all in his sights
Maybe even more than me
Whenever he can take a bite
The old anarchist doesn’t hold back
The old anarchist doesn’t hold back
So they say they’re looking for me
That France needs me back
It’s stupid, I’m in Ardèche
It’s nice here, don’t you think?
I’m here with some friends
Some funny eco-types
We’ve got an old shack
We’re fixing it up nice
We’re raising some goats
Making jewelry too
You can’t say we’re busting our asses
Work’s just not for us
We’ve got some crops
Not huge, three acres
Of a herb that makes you less dumb
No, it’s not Ricard
No, it’s not Ricard
Mr. President
I’m a deserter
From your army of fools
From your herd of losers
They won’t take my skin
Won’t touch my hair
I won’t salute the flag
I won’t march like cattle
I won’t go to Germany
Acting like a fool for twelve months
In some hellhole barracks
With guys dumber than me
I don’t like taking orders
I don’t like waking up early
I don’t like strangling the one-eyed man
More often than I should
More often than I should
And what really bothers me
Is that I don’t like war
And who’s the one who fights it?
Well, it’s the soldiers
They’re useless, they’re ugly
And they’re nasty too
Now I’ll tell you why
I never want to be like them
When the Russians and the Yanks
Blow up the planet
I’ll look pretty smart
On my bicycle
In my too-short pants
With my rifle, my cap
My ration of Jerusalem artichokes
And my Maginot Line
And my Maginot Line
So don’t bother me
Neither me nor my friends
I’ll never be a soldier
I don’t like the sound of boots
You just don’t worry
And build your nuclear plants
Your sketchy submarines
But don’t you imagine
Mr. President
That I’m being manipulated
By the reds or the whites
I’m just a supporter
Of the party of birds
Of whales, of children
Of the earth and the water
Of the earth and the water
Mr. President
To wrap up my note
I just wanted to say
Tonight we’re having noodles
At the farm it’s a blast
If you want, come eat
We’ll smoke a joint
And we can chat
We’ll smoke a joint
And we can chat