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Cargo culte Lyrics by Serge Gainsbourg

Histoire de Melody Nelson [Super Deluxe Édition - 40e anniversaire de l’album culte]

1971

[Couplet 1]
Je sais, moi, des sorciers qui invoquent les jets
Dans la jungle de Nouvelle-Guinée
Ils scrutent le zénith convoitant les guinées
Que leur rapporterait le pillage du fret
Sur la mer de corail au passage de cet
Appareil ces créatures non dénuées
De raison ces papous attendent des nuées
L'avarie du Viscount et celle du Comet
[Couplet 2]
Et comme leur totem n'a jamais pu abattre
A leurs pieds ni Boeing ni même D.C. quatre
Ils rêvent de hijacks et d'accidents d'oiseaux
[Couplet 3]
Ces naufrageurs naïfs armés de sarbacanes
Qui sacrifient ainsi au culte du cargo
En soufflant vers l'azur et les aéroplanes
[Solo de guitare : Alan Parker]
[Couplet 4]
Où es-tu Melody et ton corps disloqué ?
Hante-t-il l'archipel que peuplent les sirènes ?
Ou bien accrochés au cargo dont la sirène
D'alarme s'est tue, es-tu restée ?
Au hasard des courants as-tu déjà touché
Ces lumineux coraux des côtes guinéennes
Où s'agitent en vain ces sorciers indigènes
Qui espèrent encore des avions brisés
[Couplet 5]
N'ayant plus rien à perdre ni Dieu en qui croire
Afin qu'ils me rendent mes amours dérisoires
Moi, comme eux, j'ai prié les cargos de la nuit
[Couplet 6]
Et je garde cette espérance d'un désastre
Aérien qui me ramènerait Melody
Mineure détournée de l'attraction des astres
[Outro : avec Jane Birkin]
« Tu t'appelles comment?
– Melody
– Melody comment?
– Melody Nelson. »
ENGLISH TRANSLATION
I know of the sorcerers who summon the jets
In the jungles of New Guinea
They scrutinize the zenith, coveting the guineas
That the pillage of their freight would bring them
On the Coral Sea in the wake of this machine
These creatures are not devoid of reason
The Papuans wait for vapour from
The wreck of the Viscount and the Comet
And because their totem has never been able to shoot down
To their feet neither Boeing nor DC-4
They dream of hijackings and accidents with birds
These naive shipwreckers armed with blowguns
For sacrifices to the cargo cult
They blow toward the azure sky and the airplanes
Where are you and your broken body, Melody?
Is it haunting the archipelago where the sirens live?
Or hanging from the cargo plane whose siren
Has now become silenced? Did you stay?
Adrift on random currents, have you already touched
Those luminous corals of the Guinean coast
Where indigenous magicians, acting in vain
Still hope for broken planes
Having nothing to lose, nor a God to believe in
They give me meaningless desires
To pray, like them, to the cargo planes at night
And I hold onto this hope of a disaster
In the air which would bring Melody back to me
A minor turned away from the attraction of the stars
Credits
Serge Gainsbourg

Serge Gainsbourg

About “Cargo culte” by Serge Gainsbourg

Read the complete lyrics to "Cargo culte" by Serge Gainsbourg from the album "Histoire de Melody Nelson [Super Deluxe Édition - 40e anniversaire de l’album culte]" in 1971. On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under En Français, Spoken Word, Art Rock.

"Cargo culte" is performed by Serge Gainsbourg. from the album "Histoire de Melody Nelson [Super Deluxe Édition - 40e anniversaire de l’album culte]" in 1971 This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "Cargo culte", explore more songs by Serge Gainsbourg using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

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Frequently asked questions

"Cargo culte" is credited to Serge Gainsbourg. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"Cargo culte" appears on "Histoire de Melody Nelson [Super Deluxe Édition - 40e anniversaire de l’album culte]" in 1971.

Visit the Serge Gainsbourg artist page at /artist/serge-gainsbourg for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.