Trucker Strikes, NewsRevue Lyric, 6 July 1992

Another season, another round of French truckers on strike. This song did well when the strikes were topical that summer and I did subsequently try to revive it periodically whenever the French truckers went on strike again, like that next winter, in the Bowden submission of early January 1993.

I also used this song as an excuse for a Eurocrat/Eurosceptic spat-fest. Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose, as any French trucker might put it.

Here is a link to Summer Loving from Grease with the lyrics as subtitles.

♬ TRUCKER STRIKES ♬

(To the tune of “Summer Nights”)

 

VERSE 1 – LES FRANCAISE ACCENTS

Summer trucking, static in France,

Summer traffic, doesn’t advance;

New road law, drivers don’t like,

Mitterand, get on you’re bike.

Show that toad, blockade the road,

Holding farmer and trucker strikes.

 

CHORUS 1 – ENCORE LES FRANCAISE ACCENTS

{Well-a, well-a, well-a, well-a, huh}

Change the law, change the law, or our lorries stay put;

Zoot alors, zoot alors, move your truck off my foot.

{Ah-ha, do-do, ah-ha, do-do, ah-ha, do-do-do-do-do}

 

VERSE 2 – ENGLISH TOURISTS

Summer outing, driving to Cannes,{ah-ha, do-do, ah-ha, do-do, ah-ha}

We’re not moving, blocked by a van;{ah-ha, do-do, ah-ha, do-do, ah-ha}

Took the car, cos last year’s flight,{ah-ha, do-do, ah-ha, do-do, ah-ha}

Was delayed by air traffic strikes.{do-wop-bop-bop, do-wop-bop-bop}

Switch to rail, you’ll also fail,

With all the French transport strikes.

 

CHORUS 2 – STILL ENGLISH TOURISTS

{Well-a, well-a, well-a, well-a, huh}

What a bore, what a bore, will we ever get back?

Call the law, call the law, some frog’s burning the track;

{Dow, be-do, be-do, be-do-be-do-be}

{Dow, be-do, be-do, be-do-be-do-be}

 

VERSE 3 – EUROCRAT AND EUROSCEPTIC ALTERNATELY

Single Market, borderless trade,{Dow, be-do, be-do, be-do-be-do-be}

Goods move freely apart from blockades;{Dow, be-do, be-do, be-do-be-do-be}

We’ve improved farm subsidies,{Dow, be-do, be-do, be-do-be-do-be}

Froggy farmers all disagree.{do-wop-bop-bop, do-wop-bop-bop}

Europe’s mission, more competition,

Between farmer and trucker strikes

 

CHORUS 3 – THE EUROSCEPTICS HAVE WON

{Wo-ah. wo-ah, wo-ah, huh}

Tell Delors, tell Delors, Ray McSharry’s a Mick,

Tell Delors, tell Delors, Leon Brittan’s a prick,

{Ah-ha, do-do, ah-ha, do-do, ah-ha, do-do-do-do-do}

{Ah-ha, do-do, ah-ha, do-do, ah-ha, yeh}

 

Ask Delors, ask Delors, what is his policy?

Says Delors, says Delors, “subsidiarity”.

THE JOLLITY COMES TO A SUDDEN STOP

 

VERSE 4 – MUCH SLOWER

Troubled Europe, full of dissent,

Now John Major’s the president;

He’ll use England’s best policies,

God help the other countries.

Harmony, in the EC – oh-oh

Euro transport strikes.

Sack Delors, sack Delors-ors-ors.

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