Mon enfant
Vae Victis
My Child
My child, you ask me
Why I’m feeling down today
It’s because behind your almond eyes
I see the world around you
A dark veil has covered
The land where you were born
We’ve traded the straightjacket
For freedom, that crazy thing
How can I be bright
When censorship is so blatant
When musicians are silenced
And writers are attacked
With laws that crush our rights
Historians are forced into exile
We give in to stupid beliefs
And call for civil war.
My child, stay poor in heart
But don’t mix your tears
With the tears of the profiteers
Because those tears are weapons
See in this shamelessness
The grimace of the thieves.
Today you need to know
That your family is under threat
Because they refuse to be cowards
To lie and to bow down.
You’ll face many abuses,
Slander and waves of hate,
Renunciations from comrades,
Persecutions and blasphemies.
My child, don’t you dare tremble
One day for sure, Babylon will fall.
Strong and wise, resist the threats
Far from the great mixing
Of sexes and races.
Alas, despite your pretty smile
My child, I can’t offer you
On this day, freedom
Along with my love.
