What will the the future of www.early-retirement.org ?

Thanks for that song, also, NW-Bound. I’ve been offline for a week but had to comment on this. BIL introduced us to this group out of Portland, OR. We heard them at a symphony hall last summer and the crowd went wild when they got to that line which translates to “I don’t want to work.” “Je ne veux pas travailler” could be a contender for ER Forum song.

My room is a cage
The sun streams through the window,
the bellhops are at my door
like those little soldiers
who want to take me away.

I don't want to work,
I don't want to lunch
I only want to forget and so I smoke.

Long ago I knew the smell of love,
a million roses didn't smell as sweet.
Now a single flower in my way makes me sick.

Chorus

I am not proud if this life
that wants to kill me.
It's magnificent to be sympatico
but I have never known this.

Chorus
-----
After the poem, “Hotel” by Guillaume Apollinaire

Sympathique

Ma chambre a la forme d'une cage,
le soleil passe son bras par la fenetre.
Les chasseurs ma porte
comme les petits soldats
qui veulent me prendre.

Je ne veux pas travailler,
je ne veux pas dejeuner,
je veux seulement l'oublier et puis je fume...

Deja j'ai connu le parfum de l'amour,
un million de roses n'embaumerait pas autant.
Maintenant une seule fleur
dans mes entourages
me rend malade.

Je ne veux pas travailler,
je ne veux pas dejeuner,
je veux seulement l'oublier et puis je fume...

Je ne suis pas fire de ca,
cette vie qui veut me tuer.
C'est magnifique, etre sympathique,
mais je ne le connais jamais.

Je ne veux pas travailler,
je ne veux pas dejeuner,
je veux seulement l'oublier et puis je fume...

Wonderful song! Both the rhythm and instrumental and vocal styles remind me of movies of Occupied France.

I love the chorus!

Ha
 
Thanks, CJ, for the song. And I hope Dex, the OP, would not mind the diversion here.

Listening to the song makes me smile, but I hope I will not pick up smoking again. The refusal to work surely strikes a note among the ER's and ER Wannabes in this forum.

Seeing that this song lyrics was taken after a poem from Apollinaire, I had to do a bit of research (the Web was great). Following is the original poem, with translation. I was guilty of negligence in not providing English translation to the French songs that I posted. I promise it will not happen again. By the way, I found a rendition by Edith Piaf, so this song has been around for some time.

L'HOTEL

Ma chambre a la forme d'une cage,
Le soleil passe son bras par la fenêtre.
Mais moi qui veux fumer pour faire des mirages
J'allume au feu du jour ma cigarette.
Je ne veux pas travailler -- je veux fumer.

HOTEL

My bedroom is shaped like a cage,
The sun puts its arm through the window.
But I, wanting to smoke to make mirages,
I light my cigarette from the day's fire.
I do not want to work -- I want to smoke.
-- Guillaume Apollinaire, "Hôtel"
(from Le guetteur mélancolique), trans. Charles T. Downey



As mentioned, growing up, I was interested in the French language and music. The only poem from Apollinaire that I knew was "L'Adieu". All this again brought back a wave of the recent nostalgia, and as you can guess it, memories of my youthful love, same as Dex in his "Life, love and photographs" thread. We were young college students, and our romantic love was without sex. We parted tragically, same as the untold circumstances of the poem that I knew at that time. I now love my wife of 29 years and I hope she would understand my feelings if she happens upon this post.

L'ADIEU

J'ai cueilli ce brin de bruyère
L'automne est morte souviens-t'en
Nous ne nous verrons plus sur terre
Odeur du temps brin de bruyère
Et souviens-toi que je t'attends

FAREWELL

I picked this sprig of heather
Autumn has died, remember
We will not see each other again on this earth
Perfume of time, a sprig of heather
And remember that I am waiting
 
IMHO, this thread represents both the past and future of these boards--threads that meander in a wonderfully unexpected way and connect us.
 
Another great contender as the official song of ER.org:

- Henri Salvador - Le travail c'est la sante (1965)

Non-literal lyric translation:

Chorus:
Working is good for your health;)
But doing nothing keeps you healthy
People who are prisoners of their job
Won't make it to old age

People who run around all day
In cars, in subways and on bikes
Are they going to see a funny movie?
No, they're going to their job

They work 11 months for a vacation
But they are exhausted when that vacation starts
One month later they are strong again
But it's already time to go back to work

There are people in effervescence
Who always run after work
Work is running after me
But it's never going to catch me

Nowadays, in the smallest towns
People work like savages
To be able to afford all the life's comforts
But when they finally get them, well, they are already dead

Business men and leaders
Work until they lose their minds
And die of a heart attack
It's very rare among those who take the time to enjoy life
 
Here is my favorite song. It helps with life.

This is an 80s Spanish pop song. I first heard it in the Pedro Almodovar movie, Atame. Lately I thought I would use Spanish songs to help my pronunciation and understanding. I found that this song goes beyond that and speaks to my heart..

YouTube - Duo Dinámico - Resistiré

Resistiré
Cuando pierda todas las partidas
cuando duerma con la soledad
cuando se me cierren las salidas
y la noche no me deje en paz.

Cuando tenga miedo del silencio
cuando cueste mantenerse en pie
cuando se rebelen los recuerdos
y me pongan contra la pared.

Resistiré para seguir viviendo
me volveré de hierro
para endurecer la piel
y aunque los vientos de la vida soplen fuerte
como el junco que se dobla
pero siempre sigue en pie.

Resistiré para seguir viviendo
soportaré
los golpes y jamás me rendiré
y aunque los sueños se me rompan en pedazos
resistiré, resistiré.

Cuando el mundo pierda toda magia
cuando mi enemigo sea yo
cuando me apuñale la nostalgia
y no reconozca ni mi voz.

Cuando me amenace la locura
cuando en mi moneda salga cruz
cuando el diablo pase la factura
o si alguna vez me faltas tú.

Resistiré para seguir viviendo
me volveré de hierro
para endurecer la piel
y aunque los vientos de la vida soplen fuerte
como el junco que se dobla
pero siempre sigue en pie.

Resistiré para seguir viviendo
soportaré
los golpes y jamás me rendiré
y aunque los sueños se me rompan en pedazos
resistiré, resistiré.

And here is my translation:


Resistiré, resistiré


When all the games are lost
when I sleep with loneliness
when all my escapes are closed
and the the night allows me no peace

When I am afraid of silence
when I can hardly continue standing
when my memories rebel
and throw me against the wall

I will resist and go on living
I’ll become like iron
and toughen my skin
and though the winds of life blow fiercely
I will bend and return like a reed
but I will always go on standing


I will resist and go on living
I’ll bear the blows and never give up
and though my dreams tear me to pieces
I will resist, I will resist!


When the world loses its magic
when I am my own enemy
when my memories sicken me
and I don’t even know my own voice


When I grow used to madness
when I go out throwing out my money
when the devil gives me the bill
or if once more I need you

I will resist and go on living
I’ll become like iron
and toughen my skin
and though the winds of life blow fiercely
I will bend and return like a reed
but I will always go on standing


I will resist and go on living
I’ll bear the blows and never give up
and though my dreams tear me to pieces
I will resist, I will resist!


MAS CANCIONES DE "Programa doble"
 
Love the music, singing. Though not sure I want for a retirement theme song one that starts:

My room is a cage
The sun streams through the window,
the bellhops are at my door
like those little soldiers
who want to take me away.

That is more like forced assisted living.:yuk::D
 
Is there an English version out there? I would like to send it to people.
You're right this should be the ER song.
Doubt it as Pink Martini probably has full rights to it and their trademark is singing in a variety of languages. But wait, there is a lot of talent on this board: The ER Forum Challenge?

Here’s one I love where they mash English/Italian/Russian and The Happy Wanderer. “Above the Adriatic Sea” she tries to “storm the Kremlin of his heart.”

YouTube - dosvedanya mio bombino

Sorry, bad recording, here’s the lyrics:

PINK MARTINI - DOSVEDANYA, MIO BOMBINO LYRICS

Edit: Correction: NW-Bound says, the song, "Sympathique" (I don't want to work) has been around a long time.
 
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Love the music, singing. Though not sure I want for a retirement theme song one that starts:

My room is a cage
The sun streams through the window,
the bellhops are at my door
like those little soldiers
who want to take me away.

That is more like forced assisted living.:yuk::D

I took that as a description of the average w*rkplace but one with a rare window. Maybe two songs, one for those planning to RE and another for those living the sheer joy of not w*rking.
 
What, no one has mentioned BTO:

"You get up ev'ry morning at the 'larm clock's warning,
and start to slave and jump and get your pay...
If you ever get annoyed, look at me, I'm self-employed--
I love to work at nothing all day,
And I've been takin' care of business...."
 
I'm surprised no one has suggested the great Jimi Hendix, whose FIRE advice was right on

You try to gimme your money
You better save it babe
Save it for your rainy day.


YouTube - Jimi Hendrix "Fire" Royal Albert Hall London 24-2-69

Or, for those who haven't kicked the habit, "Light My Fire."

How to relate that to OP's question, what is the future of ER Forums? Um, it's in the tradition of past, present and future ghosts here who have always made bad puns and even worse segues.
 
who have always made bad puns and even worse segues.

Je ne suis pas fire de ca,

Not to mention Freudian misspellings in various languages ...:LOL:
 
Edit: Correction: NW-Bound says, the song, "Sympathique" (I don't want to work) has been around a long time.

My correction is needed here. The rendition by Edith Piaf on youtube has been called a fake. A quick other search on the Web points to no other source than the Pink Martini group in Portland. So, this song may very well be relatively new (1999) and originate from this group.
 
The future of e-r.org apparently involves an alternate universe in which Napoleon defeated Wellington because why else would everyone be speaking French? I had a hell of a time reading the posts with my 2 years of self study. This is America. Speak English!
 
We all speak English, but sometimes like to sing in French or Spanish!
 
The future of e-r.org apparently involves an alternate universe in which Napoleon defeated Wellington because why else would everyone be speaking French? I had a hell of a time reading the posts with my 2 years of self study. This is America. Speak English!

This forum is riddled with posts I don't understand, and they are mostly in English. I will defend to the ... your right to post them as long as they do not trample the community rules. Say, are you my long-lost frere? :greetings10:
 
This forum is riddled with posts I don't understand, and they are mostly in English. I will defend to the ... your right to post them as long as they do not trample the community rules. Say, are you my long-lost frere? :greetings10:

mais aucune politique de discussion ; on a éliminé la boîte de savon.:LOL:
 
mais aucune politique de discussion ; on a éliminé la boîte de savon.:LOL:

I plugged this into an on-line French to English translator and got:

but no policy of debate; they eliminated the box of soap:ROFLMAO:
 
Very few on this board speak English. Most speak American. Now that I think about it some more. I have not heard anyone on this board speak. There are many prolific writers.

I look at the posts that I don't understand as an excuse to do research an try and understand either the riddle or the analysis. Sometimes they are one and the same.
 

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