Complainte de la butte

"Complainte de la butte", written by Jean Renoir, appears as the thirteenth track on ''Moulin Rouge! Music from Baz Luhrmann's Film (2001), a soundtrack album to Baz Luhrmann's musical film Moulin Rouge!'' In 2014, an Australian ice dancing team performed their free dance at the Winter Olympics in Sochi to an excerpt of the track.

Background


Moulin Rouge! tells the story of a young English poet/writer, Christian (Ewan McGregor), who falls in love with the terminally-ill star of the Moulin Rouge, cabaret actress and courtesan Satine (Nicole Kidman). It uses the musical setting of the Montmartre Quarter of Paris, France.

At the 74th Academy Awards, the film was nominated for eight Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actress for Nicole Kidman, winning two: for Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design. It was the first musical nominated for Best Picture in 10 years, following Disney's Beauty and the Beast (1991).

Lyrics


La lune, trop blme, (the moon, too white) pose un diadme (puts a tiara) sur tes cheveux roux. (on your red hair) La lune, trop rousse, (the moon, too red) de gloire clabousse (with glory splashes) ton jupon plein de trous. (your ragged underskirt) La lune, trop ple, (the moon, too pale) caresse l'opale (caress the opal) de tes yeux blass. (of your indifferent eyes) Princesse de la rue, (princess of the streets) sois la bienvenue (be welcome) dans mon coeur bris. (in my broken heart)

The stairways up to la butte can make the wretched sigh While windmill wings of the Moulin shelter you and I

Ma p'tite mandigotte, (my little beggar) je sens ta menotte (I feel your hand) qui cherche ma main. (searching for mine) Je sens ta poitrine (I feel your chest) et ta taille fine, (and your slim waist) j'oublie mon chagrin. (I forget my sorrow) Je sens sur tes lvres (I smell on your lips une odeur de fivre, (a scent of fever) de gosse mal nourrie, (of an underfed kid) et sous ta caresse, (and under your caress) je sens une ivresse (I feel a drunkeness) qui m'anantit. (that kills me)

The stairways up to la butte can make the wretched sigh While windmill wings of the Moulin shelter you and I

et voil qu'elle trotte, (and there she goes strutting about) la lune qui flotte, (the floating moon) la princesse aussi. (along with the princess)

Mes rves panouis. (my thriving dreams)

Les escaliers de la butte (The stairways up to la butte) sont durs aux misreux. (are tough on the poor) Les ailes du Moulin (the wings of the Moulin) protgent les amoureux. (shelter those who love)

Source: MetroLyrics

Performances

 * Rufus Wainwright, Complainte de la butte (Moulin Rouge), Paris, Cite de la Musique, June 15, 2009

Additional Resources

 * La Complainte de la Butte at French Wikipedia
 * Moulin Rouge at Wikipedia
 * Moulin Rouge! Music from Baz Luhrmann's Film at Wikipedia