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.