Free Man in Paris

Joni Mitchell

Lyrics Translation

The way I see it, he said, you just can't win it
Everybody's in it for their own gain
You can't please 'em all
There's always somebody calling you down

I do my best
And I do good business
There's a lot of people asking for my time
They're trying to get ahead
They're trying to be a good friend of mine

I was a free man in Paris
I felt unfettered and alive
There was nobody calling me up for favors
And no one's future to decide
You know I'd go back there tomorrow
But for the work I've taken on
Stoking the star-maker machinery
Behind the popular song

I deal in dreamers
And telephone screamers
Lately I wonder what I do it for
If I had my way
I'd just walk out those doors
And wander down the Champs-Élysées
Going café to cabaret
Thinking how I'll feel when I find
That very good friend of mine

I was a free man in Paris
I felt unfettered and alive
Nobody was calling me up for favors
No one's future to decide
You know I'd go back there tomorrow
But for the work I've taken on
Stoking the star-maker machinery
Behind the popular song

The way I see it, he said, you just can't win it
Do jeito que eu vejo, ele disse, você simplesmente não pode ganhar
Everybody's in it for their own gain
Todo mundo está nisso para seu próprio ganho
You can't please 'em all
Você não pode agradar a todos
There's always somebody calling you down
Sempre tem alguém te chamando
I do my best
Eu faço meu melhor
And I do good business
E eu faço bons negócios
There's a lot of people asking for my time
Tem muita gente pedindo meu tempo
They're trying to get ahead
Eles estão tentando progredir
They're trying to be a good friend of mine
Eles estão tentando ser um bom amigo meu
I was a free man in Paris
Eu era um homem livre em Paris
I felt unfettered and alive
Eu me senti livre e vivo
There was nobody calling me up for favors
Não havia ninguém me ligando pedindo favores
And no one's future to decide
E o futuro de ninguém para decidir
You know I'd go back there tomorrow
Você sabe que eu voltaria amanha
But for the work I've taken on
Mas pelo trabalho que assumi
Stoking the star-maker machinery
Alimentando o maquinário criador de estrelas
Behind the popular song
Por trás da música popular
I deal in dreamers
Eu lido com sonhadores
And telephone screamers
E gritadores de telefone
Lately I wonder what I do it for
Ultimamente me pergunto para que faço isso
If I had my way
Se eu tivesse meu caminho
I'd just walk out those doors
Eu apenas entraria por aquelas portas
And wander down the Champs-Élysées
E vagar pela Champs-Élysées
Going café to cabaret
Indo de café a cabaré
Thinking how I'll feel when I find
Pensando em como vou me sentir quando encontrar
That very good friend of mine
Aquele muito bom amigo meu
I was a free man in Paris
Eu era um homem livre em Paris
I felt unfettered and alive
Eu me senti livre e vivo
Nobody was calling me up for favors
Ninguém estava me ligando pedindo favores
No one's future to decide
Futuro de ninguém para decidir
You know I'd go back there tomorrow
Você sabe que eu voltaria amanha
But for the work I've taken on
Mas pelo trabalho que assumi
Stoking the star-maker machinery
Alimentando o maquinário criador de estrelas
Behind the popular song
Por trás da música popular
The way I see it, he said, you just can't win it
La forma en que lo veo, él dijo, solamente no se puede ganar
Everybody's in it for their own gain
Todos están en ello por su propia conveniencia
You can't please 'em all
No los puedes complacer a todos
There's always somebody calling you down
Siempre habrá alguien criticándote
I do my best
Hago lo mejor que puedo
And I do good business
Y hago buenos negocios
There's a lot of people asking for my time
Hay mucha gente pidiendo por mi tiempo
They're trying to get ahead
Intentan ponerse más adelante
They're trying to be a good friend of mine
Intentan ser buenos amigos míos
I was a free man in Paris
Fui un hombre libre en París
I felt unfettered and alive
Me sentí sin restricciones y vivo
There was nobody calling me up for favors
No había nadie llamándome por favores
And no one's future to decide
Y el futuro de nadie para decidir
You know I'd go back there tomorrow
Sabes que regresaría ahí mañana
But for the work I've taken on
Pero por el trabajo que he tomado
Stoking the star-maker machinery
Alimentando la maquinaria de estrellas
Behind the popular song
Detrás de la canción popular
I deal in dreamers
Yo negocio con soñadores
And telephone screamers
Y con los que gritan por teléfono
Lately I wonder what I do it for
Últimamente me pregunto por qué lo hago
If I had my way
Si hiciera de las mías
I'd just walk out those doors
Solamente caminaría por esas puertas
And wander down the Champs-Élysées
Y vagaría por los Campos Elíseos
Going café to cabaret
Yendo de un café a un cabaret
Thinking how I'll feel when I find
Pensando en cómo me sentiría cuando encuentre
That very good friend of mine
Aquel muy buen amigo mío
I was a free man in Paris
Fui un hombre libre en París
I felt unfettered and alive
Me sentí sin restricciones y vivo
Nobody was calling me up for favors
No había nadie llamándome por favores
No one's future to decide
Y el futuro de nadie para decidir
You know I'd go back there tomorrow
Sabes que regresaría ahí mañana
But for the work I've taken on
Pero por el trabajo que he tomado
Stoking the star-maker machinery
Alimentando la maquinaria de estrellas
Behind the popular song
Detrás de la canción popular
The way I see it, he said, you just can't win it
Ce que moi j'en pense, il m'a dit, c'est que tu n'peux tout simplement pas gagner
Everybody's in it for their own gain
Tout le monde y est pour leurs propres gains
You can't please 'em all
Et tu ne peux jamais tous les satisfaire
There's always somebody calling you down
Il y a toujours quelqu'un qui te ramène au fond
I do my best
Je fais de mon mieux
And I do good business
Et mes affaires vont bien
There's a lot of people asking for my time
Il y a beaucoup de gens qui veulent un peu de mon temps
They're trying to get ahead
Ils essayent de s'avancer
They're trying to be a good friend of mine
Ils essayent de figurer parmi mes bons amis
I was a free man in Paris
J'étais un homme libre à paris
I felt unfettered and alive
Je me sentais libre, et vivant
There was nobody calling me up for favors
Il n'y avait personne qui m'appelait demandant un service
And no one's future to decide
Et aucun futur qui dépendait de moi
You know I'd go back there tomorrow
Tu sais que je retournerais à cette vie dès demain
But for the work I've taken on
Si il n'y avait pas ce boulot que j'ai assumé
Stoking the star-maker machinery
En nourrissant cette machine qui créé les stars
Behind the popular song
Derrière les chansons populaires
I deal in dreamers
Mon métier, c'est les rêveurs
And telephone screamers
Ceux qui crient dans les téléphones
Lately I wonder what I do it for
Ces temps-ci, je me demande pourquoi je fais tout ça
If I had my way
Si je pouvais choisir
I'd just walk out those doors
Je passerait tout simplement par ces portes
And wander down the Champs-Élysées
Pour me promener jusqu'aux Champs-Élysées
Going café to cabaret
Passant du café au cabaret
Thinking how I'll feel when I find
En pensant à ce que je ressentirai
That very good friend of mine
Quand je trouverai cette très spéciale amie à moi
I was a free man in Paris
J'étais un homme libre à paris
I felt unfettered and alive
Je me sentais libre, et vivant
Nobody was calling me up for favors
Il n'y avait personne qui m'appelait demandant un service
No one's future to decide
Et aucun futur qui dépendait de moi
You know I'd go back there tomorrow
Tu sais que je retournerais à cette vie dès demain
But for the work I've taken on
Si il n'y avait pas ce boulot que j'ai assumé
Stoking the star-maker machinery
En nourrissant cette machine qui créé les stars
Behind the popular song
Derrière les chansons populaires
The way I see it, he said, you just can't win it
So wie ich es sehe, sagte er, kann man einfach nicht gewinnen
Everybody's in it for their own gain
Jeder ist nur auf seinen eigenen Vorteil bedacht
You can't please 'em all
Du kannst es nicht allen recht machen
There's always somebody calling you down
Es gibt immer jemanden, der dich runtermacht
I do my best
Ich tue mein Bestes
And I do good business
Und ich mache gute Geschäfte
There's a lot of people asking for my time
Es gibt eine Menge Leute, die nach meiner Zeit fragen
They're trying to get ahead
Sie versuchen, voranzukommen
They're trying to be a good friend of mine
Sie versuchen, ein guter Freund von mir zu sein
I was a free man in Paris
Ich war ein freier Mann in Paris
I felt unfettered and alive
Ich fühlte mich ungehindert und lebendig
There was nobody calling me up for favors
Niemand bat mich um einen Gefallen
And no one's future to decide
Und niemand musste über meine Zukunft entscheiden
You know I'd go back there tomorrow
Du weißt, ich würde morgen dorthin zurückkehren
But for the work I've taken on
Aber für die Arbeit, die ich auf mich genommen habe
Stoking the star-maker machinery
Die Maschinerie des Star-Makers anzuheizen
Behind the popular song
Hinter dem populären Lied
I deal in dreamers
Ich handle mit Träumern
And telephone screamers
Und Telefonschreihälsen
Lately I wonder what I do it for
In letzter Zeit frage ich mich, wozu ich das tue
If I had my way
Wenn es nach mir ginge
I'd just walk out those doors
Würde ich einfach durch diese Türen gehen
And wander down the Champs-Élysées
Und die Champs-Élysées hinuntergehen
Going café to cabaret
Von Café zu Cabaret gehen
Thinking how I'll feel when I find
Ich denke daran, wie ich mich fühlen werde, wenn ich
That very good friend of mine
Wenn ich meinen guten Freund finde
I was a free man in Paris
Ich war ein freier Mann in Paris
I felt unfettered and alive
Ich fühlte mich ungehindert und lebendig
Nobody was calling me up for favors
Niemand verlangte Gefallen von mir
No one's future to decide
Niemand musste über meine Zukunft entscheiden
You know I'd go back there tomorrow
Du weißt, dass ich morgen dorthin zurückgehen würde
But for the work I've taken on
Aber für die Arbeit, die ich auf mich genommen habe
Stoking the star-maker machinery
Die Maschinerie des Star-Makers anzuheizen
Behind the popular song
Hinter dem populären Lied
The way I see it, he said, you just can't win it
"Per come la vedo", disse, "Non puoi vincerlo"
Everybody's in it for their own gain
Ognuno lo fa per il proprio tornaconto
You can't please 'em all
Non puoi soddisfarli tutti
There's always somebody calling you down
C'è sempre qualcuno che ti critica
I do my best
Faccio del mio meglio
And I do good business
E faccio buoni affari
There's a lot of people asking for my time
Ci sono molte persone che chiedono il mio tempo
They're trying to get ahead
Tentano di andare avanti
They're trying to be a good friend of mine
Tentano di essere i miei amici
I was a free man in Paris
Ero un uomo libero a Parigi
I felt unfettered and alive
Mi sentivo senza vincoli e vivo
There was nobody calling me up for favors
Non c'era nessuno che mi chiamava per favori
And no one's future to decide
E nessun futuro da decidere
You know I'd go back there tomorrow
Sai che tornerei là domani
But for the work I've taken on
Se non altro per il lavoro che ho intrapreso
Stoking the star-maker machinery
Alimentare il meccanismo che crea le stelle
Behind the popular song
Dietro la canzone popolare
I deal in dreamers
Ho a che fare con i sognatori
And telephone screamers
E gente che urla al telefono
Lately I wonder what I do it for
Ultimamente mi chiedo per cosa lo faccio
If I had my way
Se avessi avuto la mia strada
I'd just walk out those doors
Uscirei da quelle porte
And wander down the Champs-Élysées
E vagherei giù per gli Champs Elysees
Going café to cabaret
Andando al bar e al cabaret
Thinking how I'll feel when I find
Pensando come mi sentirò quando avrò trovato
That very good friend of mine
Quel vero buon amico mio
I was a free man in Paris
Ero un uomo libero a Parigi
I felt unfettered and alive
Mi sentivo senza vincoli e vivo
Nobody was calling me up for favors
Non c'era nessuno che mi chiamava per favori
No one's future to decide
E nessun futuro da decidere
You know I'd go back there tomorrow
Sai che tornerei là domani
But for the work I've taken on
Se non altro per il lavoro che ho intrapreso
Stoking the star-maker machinery
Alimentare il meccanismo che crea le stelle
Behind the popular song
Dietro la canzone popolare
The way I see it, he said, you just can't win it
私の見たところ、彼は言った、あなたはそれを勝ち取ることはできない
Everybody's in it for their own gain
誰もが自分の利益のためにそれをする
You can't please 'em all
あなたはすべてを喜ばせることはできない
There's always somebody calling you down
いつだって誰かしら非難する人は居る
I do my best
最善を尽くす
And I do good business
そして良い仕事をする
There's a lot of people asking for my time
沢山の人が私の時間を求めてる
They're trying to get ahead
彼らは成功しようとしてる
They're trying to be a good friend of mine
私と良い友達になろうとしてる
I was a free man in Paris
私はパリで自由人だった
I felt unfettered and alive
束縛されず生きてると感じてた
There was nobody calling me up for favors
頼み事をするために電話をしてくる人も居なかった
And no one's future to decide
誰の将来を決定する事もなかった
You know I'd go back there tomorrow
明日にでもそこに戻りたいさ
But for the work I've taken on
でも引き受けた仕事の為に
Stoking the star-maker machinery
スターメーカー装置に火をくべるんだ
Behind the popular song
人気曲の裏側でね
I deal in dreamers
私は夢を追う人達と取り引きをする
And telephone screamers
あと電話で叫ぶような奴らとも
Lately I wonder what I do it for
最近じゃ何のためにやってるのか疑問に思う
If I had my way
もし思い通りにできるのなら
I'd just walk out those doors
そのドアを歩き抜け
And wander down the Champs-Élysées
そしてシャンゼリゼ通りをさまようわ
Going café to cabaret
カフェに行ってナイトクラブに行く
Thinking how I'll feel when I find
どんな気持ちになるかを考えながら
That very good friend of mine
とても良い友達を見つけたら
I was a free man in Paris
私はパリで自由人だった
I felt unfettered and alive
束縛されず生きてると感じてた
Nobody was calling me up for favors
頼み事をするために電話をしてくる人も居なかった
No one's future to decide
誰の将来を決定する事もなかった
You know I'd go back there tomorrow
明日にでもそこに戻りたいさ
But for the work I've taken on
でも引き受けた仕事の為に
Stoking the star-maker machinery
スターメーカー装置に火をくべるんだ
Behind the popular song
人気曲の裏側でね

Trivia about the song Free Man in Paris by Joni Mitchell

On which albums was the song “Free Man in Paris” released by Joni Mitchell?
Joni Mitchell released the song on the albums “Court and Spark” in 1974, “Shadows and Light” in 1980, “Hits” in 1996, “Dreamland” in 2004, “The Studio Albums 1968-1979” in 2012, “A Woman in the East: The 1983 Tokyo Broadcast” in 2015, “The Asylum Albums (1972-1975)” in 2022, and “Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 3: The Asylum Years (1972-1975)” in 2023.

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