Listen to Les Forçats Innocents by Giant Sand from album All Over The Map (2005).

I wrote the lyrics for Howe Gelb a few years back. The song was recorded in Tucson at Harvey Moltz’s and produced by John Parish. English translation below. The album just got re-released, I gather.

LES FORçATS INNOCENTS

Mon coeur, sacrifions
à cette tradition
qui veut que l’on résolve
de faire ou de cesser
à la nouvelle année.

Résolvons sans pâlir
de ne pas nous résoudre.
Restons à l’identique
et battons la chamade
encore toute une année.

Jour le jour, en silence,
sous couvert de nos vies,
nous doutons de nos gonds
mais jamais de la vie.
Restons à l’identique.

which roughly translates as…

THE INNOCENT LIFERS

My heart, let us sacrifice
to this tradition
that asks that we resolve
to do or desist
come New Year’s.

Let us resolve without paling
to not resolve ourselves.
Let us stay identical
and let us beat that heart
still a whole year.

Day after day, in silence,
under cover of our lives,
we doubt our hinges
but never life.
Let us stay identical.