Le contrebandier

He was born on the border,
Up North where the wind blows strong.
Smuggler just like his father,
He had the hustle in his blood.
He waited for the moonless nights
- When it’s dark, it’s easier to sneak by. -
To slip through the big dunes
Where the sea wind stings our eyes.

Hey, customs!
Hey, the agents!
Release all the dogs
And then hide away
In the back of your shacks.
Look on the dune
At the man passing by.
He’s all alone
But you won’t catch him.
He doesn’t care about customs
In the back of your shacks,
Come on, hide away
And let the dogs loose.
Hey, the agents!
Hey, customs!

When he had nothing else to do,
On nights when it was too bright,
He’d switch the border posts
And turn the world upside down.
Or sometimes, right in the middle of crossing,
When he’d had a good drink,
He’d let out real wild screams
And there I go, hurry up.

Hey, customs!
Hey, the agents!
Release all the dogs
And then hide away
In the back of your shacks.
Look on the dune
At the man passing by.
It’s me, all alone,
But you won’t catch me.
I don’t care about customs
In the back of your shacks.
Come on, hide away
And let the dogs loose.
Hey, the agents!
Hey, customs!

He couldn’t wrap his head around
That the law of men is serious stuff.
He was like a kind of poet
And those guys are dangerous.
So one night when there was moonlight,
When he was out for his own fun,
They laid him out on the dune
With a gunshot to finish him off.

Hey, customs!
Hey, the agents!
Hide all your dogs
And then come out.
From the back of your shacks,
It’s a fine job,
But tonight,
It was just a man.
He wasn’t working.
You hear that, customs?
So, you shouldn’t have...
And then hide away
In the back of your shacks.
Hey, the agents!
Hey, customs!