Quiet Days in Clichy (1970) - full transcript
Not so quiet, Joey and Carl's days in Clichy... The two men, living in a small apartment, are penniless writers, with not enough to eat, which does not prevent them from enjoying life. One of their main interests is to get laid with women of various ages, physical appearances and nationalities. Among them, a neighbor in need, a fourteen-year-old half-witted girl, an American newspaper vendor who tends to smash up everything before making love, a Swedish woman who mourns her late husband..., all being merely sex toys they play with
Come on, people, and listen to me
I'll tell you the story of Carl and Joey
The girls they fucked
and the women they laid
This is the story of the love they made
Now, don't get excited
Be patient, please
Just put your hand on your lover's knee
And during the movie if you get a chance
Put your hand inside her pants
Oh
Quiet days in Clichy
Oh
Quiet days in Clichy
And now perhaps you are ready to see
The story of the place Clichy
So come and let us spend a while
With Joey and his French friend Carl
Oh
Quiet days in Clichy
Oh
Quiet days in Clichy
Oh
Quiet days in Clichy
Oh
Quiet days in Clichy
Gentlemen.
How much will you give me
for staying with you tonight?
I must have, as a matter of fact,
200 francs for my rent,
which is due tomorrow.
Whatever you want, I'll do it.
If you want me to suck you off,
or if you want me
to do it dog-fashion,
it is all the same to me.
My breasts are still firm
and exciting.
See?
I know men who would pay 1,000 francs
to sleep with me,
but I cannot be bothered
hunting them up.
Tell your friend to get ready.
I will sleep with him first.
What's the time?
Better see what's up.
No! You go.
I'm afraid of her.
Hmm. Okay.
She must be out of her mind.
She's smearing the walls
with her poems. Look.
"Pocahontas.
Claire de terre.
This is the BBC home service."
"Chateau. Picasso.
My nose is red.
The moon is down.
Balzac.
De Gaulle!
Balzac. Balzac.
Shakespeare?"
Here.
Uh, 200 francs.
Ohh!
Eh?
"Cowboy."
"Shit the fucking British."
Okay.
"Gulfstream."
No, no, me first!
She's dangerous!
Wine.
Paper and pencil.
All right, gentlemen,
my revolver.
- What?
- The one in my black bag.
I feel like shooting somebody.
You had a good time
for your 200 francs.
Now it's my turn!
Joey! See if there?s
a gun in her bag!
Joey, see if there?s
a gun in her bag- Oww!
Ow! Ow!
Ow! Jesus Christ!
Ow!
- Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!
No! No! No!
Joey! Joey!
Throw water on her! Quick!
She's going to have a fit!
Pardon.
E-E-Excuse me, gentlemen.
I'm very... nervous...
this evening.
No.
- American?
- Yeah.
I don't want to be known here.
Understand?
You've made a faux pas.
Oh, this one.
Is this really French?
Oh, it's excellent French.
And yet it isn't.
I mean...
I don't read so many books.
It's too much for my feeble brain.
There are lots of other things
to do in life.
Too fat?
You're marvelous.
You're like a Renoir.
Renoir?
Renoir?
Are we going
to see more of each other?
I want to ask you a question.
I want you to do me a great favor.
Will you do it if I ask you?
Sure. But how?
I mean money.
Oh.
Here.
That's all I've got.
It's the best I can do.
Shit!
Damn.
Stop.
Stop.
Stop.
Shit. Stop!
Stop. Stop.
Stop!
That's enough.
[ Man, Woman Conversing,
Faint, Indistinct ]
Carl?
Carl, is that you?
Carl?
Hey, Carl!
I'm hungry!
Oh! So you're awake!
What's the matter?
Are you sick?
No, I'm hungry. Ravenous.
You got any change?
Nope.
I'm cleaned out.
Not even a franc?
Don't worry about francs
right now.
I brought a girl home with me.
She can't be more than 1 4,
but she says she's 1 7.
I just gave her a lay!
Did you hear me?
I just gave her a lay!
Yeah, yeah.
A lay, yeah?
She's a virgin.
You mean, she was.
Do you want to look
at the sheets?
Suppose I'll have to
throw them away now.
I can't send them to the laundry.
They'd suspect me
of having committed a crime.
Hey, Joey.
Joey?
Can I come in?
Do you want to see Colette?
I'll show her to you.
Make some light, Joey.
This is Colette.
That's her.
We've got to do something
for her, Joey.
She's got no place to stay.
I found her in the street,
walking around in a trance.
A little demented,
I thought at first,
but she's okay.
She's not very bright,
but she's a good sort.
Probably from a good family.
She?s just a kid.
You'll see.
Maybe I'll marry her
when she comes of age.
Anyway, I spent my last cent
buying her a meal.
Too bad you had to
go to bed without dinner.
You should have been with us.
We had oysters, shrimps, lobster
and a wonderful wine.
It was a Chablis, year 1 9...
Fuck the year!
I'm hungry! I want money!
Take it easy.
Take it easy, Joey.
I've always got a few francs
for emergency.
Don't worry.
There'll be one or two here.
Say "bonjour, " Colette.
- Colette.
This is Colette.
What do you think of her?
She's a little idiot,
but look at those tits.
I don't believe she's 1 7,
but she swears!
Look here.
Pretty ripe for 1 4.
Of course I'm French, Colette.
We don't speak Belgian.
She might be slow sometimes,
but you should
take a look at our sheets.
Then get her to wash them.
There's enough
she can do around here.
So you want her to stay?
You know it's illegal.
We could go to jail for this.
Do you speak English?
He is English.
Now say good-bye.
Jesus.
Take her away.
Keep her locked up.
I'm not gonna be responsible
for what happens around here
when you're away.
Now get out!
Out!
Hmm. We've got a serious
problem on our hands, Joey.
And you've got to help me.
We can't let her fall
into the hands of the police.
If we do,
they'll send her away.
And they'll send us away too.
Yeah.
The thing is
what to tell the concierge.
Maybe I'll say
that she's a cousin of mine
here on a visit.
Nights when I go to work
you take her to the movies,
or take her for a walk.
You could teach her geography
or something like that.
And besides,
you'll improve your French.
Sure, sure.
But for God's sake, remember,
don't knock her up.
Can't think of abortions
right now.
And anyway I don't know where
my Hungarian doctor lives anymore.
Good night.
Hey, Joey.
Do you remember those girls
from the restaurant at Place Blanche?
Remember that big, tall,
thin, black-haired girl
with the long cigarette holder?
And- And the big, blonde,
bulbous German one...
that kept sitting in a corner
all night and laughing?
And then the American one
with the red hair?
There were two girls from the cafe
We picked both of them up one day
We took both of them to our flat
And the redheaded one
gave Carl the clap
Oh
Quiet days in Clichy
Oh
Quiet days in Clichy
The dark-haired girl took off her shoe
She smiled at Joey
and then she was through
He tried everything but just his luck
The one from Jamaica just wouldn't fuck
Oh
Quiet days in Clichy
Oh
Quiet days in Clichy
Now, come on.
Brush your teeth.
Be a good girl.
Do like this.
Up, down, up, down.
Up, down.
Up, down. That's it.
Up, down, up, down.
No, not with the head.
Just the brush.
Just the brush. Hmm?
Up, down. Come on.
Sad-eyed girl from the grocery store
Her American husband
didn't love her anymore
He deserted her
He vanished away
And she wants to speak English now
night and day
Oh
Quiet days in Clichy
Oh
Quiet days in Clichy
They would go to a movie
and then for a walk
And to the apartment
for some fun and talk
She would sleep with one
or she would sleep with the other
As long as they spoke English
it really didn't matter
Oh
Quiet days in Clichy
Oh
Quiet days in Clichy
Is it Carl?
Is it Carl?
Say it in English.
Little Colette She has no sense
Serving the breakfast without her pants
Spoiling the coffee
Burning the eggs
All of her brains are between her legs
Oh
Quiet days in Clichy
Oh
Quiet days in Clichy
Baby Colette She's all grown up
Sweeping the floor and washing the tub
Cleaning the dishes
and ironing the clothes
What she's thinking
God only knows
Oh
Quiet days in Clichy
Oh
Quiet days in Clichy
Then there was Jeanne
from the Herald Tribune
Bringing bottles of wine
up to their room
They could squeeze her tits
and rub her crack
But the thought of fucking
drove her quite mad
Oh
Quiet days in Clichy
Oh
Quiet days in Clichy
At the thought of a cock inside her cunt
She would always begin
to smash the place up
She would weep and screech
and scream and cry
And then come back for another try
Oh
Quiet days in Clichy
Oh
Quiet days in Clichy
Oh
Quiet days in Clichy
Oh
Quiet days in Clichy
Oh
Quiet days in Clichy
Hey, look at Colette.
The homeless waif-cum-combination
of Cinderella, concubine and cook.
Sometimes she disappears for days.
She never tells us why.
Once we followed her for a whole day.
It was like following an animal
or a sleepwalker.
All she did was to aimlessly ramble
from one street to another,
stopping to peer at shop windows,
resting on a bench among the birds,
buying lollipops,
standing for minutes on end
as if in a trance,
and then striking out again
in the same aimless fashion.
We followed her for hours,
to discover nothing but that
we had a child on our hands.
Hah.
[ Man, Woman,
French Continues ]
What does she intend
to do now?
Keep walking, I suppose.
But she's done that for so long.
When I'm on my job at the paper,
you've got to fuck her.
You know, she's able
to fuck her brains out all night...
and be ready for more
in the morning.
If you don't, I'll never
get out of bed this way.
As it I've given up all my writing
because of that little bitch.
I've already done that every day
for a whole week.
She's got all her brains in her cunt,
the little half-wit.
But you told me this week
that you would marry her
when she came of age.
But of course, Joey.
Of course I will.
She?s just a child.
She's so simpleminded
and so beautiful.
Look at her, Joey.
Look. Look, look!
She's gone.
Disappeared.
She can't have disappeared.
Nobody disappears.
It happens.
I hope her parents
haven't found her. Or the police.
Joey, you're right.
This is the end.
They'll be coming along
for me soon, and for you too.
I'm not that serious
about Colette.
She has no attraction for me.
I'm thinking of Nys.
I'm in love with her.
We've been good friends.
Colette, that poor soul,
she has no idea
what to do about herself.
But Nys...
Every time I leave her
I have a feeling
of a day well spent.
She's still hanging out
at the Cafe Wepler.
Yes, we're really good friends now.
No question of money anymore.
I bring her little gifts,
but that's different.
Nights when I can't see Nys,
when she's taken, I...
I wander around down there by myself,
stopping off at little bars
in the side streets,
subterranean dives where
other girls are plying
their trade in stupid,
senseless fashion.
Sometimes, out of sheer boredom,
I take one on,
even though it leaves
a taste of ashes.
Sometimes I'm wishing
I'm like her- lazy.
A female owning nothing
but an attractive cunt.
How wonderful to put one's cunt to work
and use one's brains for pleasure.
A good meal, a good fuck.
What better way to pass the day?
Floating with the tide,
nothing more.
That's how I dream after spending
the day with Nys in the open.
I never pump her about her past.
It's always about the future
we're talking.
At least she's talking
about the future.
Like so many French women, her dream
is to find a house in the country,
somewhere in the Midi preferably.
She doesn't care much about Paris.
It's unhealthy, she says.
"And what would you do with yourself
to pass the time away?" I want to ask.
"What would I do?" she answered.
"I'd do nothing.
Nothing, of course.
Just live."
What an idea.
What a sane idea.
It's an idea I've never flirted with.
To accomplish it, one-
one must have an empty mind,
or else a full, rich one.
It would be better
to have an empty mind.
Now and then I induce her
to take the afternoon off.
We go to little places
along the Seine and
take the train to
some nearby forest...
where we lay down in the grass,
fucking to our hearts' content.
I envy her phlegm, her indolence.
I could urge her to talk about it at
length- about doing nothing, I mean.
Just to watch her eat is inspiring.
She's lazy, yes. Lazy as sin.
But everything she talks about
is interesting,
even when it's about nothing.
She enjoys every morsel of food,
which she selects with great care.
By care I don't mean concern
about calories and vitamins.
No, she's very careful
to choose the things she likes...
because she relishes them.
She can drag the meal out interminably,
her good humor constantly augmenting,
her indolence becoming
more and more seductive,
her spirits growing
keener, livelier, brighter.
There are no worms
to devour her conscience,
no cares which she can't throw off...
floating with the tide, nothing more.
She will produce no children,
contribute nothing
to the welfare of the community,
leave no mark upon the world in going.
But wherever she goes,
she'll make life easier,
more attractive, more fragrant.
And that is no little thing.
To fall in love with happiness.
To become as useless as possible.
To develop a conscience
as tough as a crocodile's skin.
And when old and no longer attractive,
to buy a fuck if needs be or buy a dog
and train him to do what's what.
Die when the time comes,
naked and alone,
without guilt, without regret,
without remorse.
I have a friend
A wonderful friend
Behind the golden sun
Yeah
I have a friend
A wonderful friend
Behind the golden sun
Joey. Joey, look.
Colette.
Colette in the car. Joey.
Yes, I must say it looks like her.
It was her in that car.
That means that they've caught her.
Her parents.
Now they'll be coming along
for both of us.
Joey, you know this is serious.
God. I hope it's her parents
who are coming and not the police.
Joey.
Joey, they're here.
They? Who are they?
Colette and her mother.
They're here, in my room.
Yeah?
Joey?
Did she leave her watch here?
They say they're looking for a watch.
What watch?
What mother?
And what's the matter?
The mother.
Colette's mother's here.
And there's a man.
I don't know who he is.
Perhaps a detective.
I'll introdu...
Are you a writer?
Mm-hmm.
Do you write in French?
I'm sorry. I must bemoan the fact
that although I've been here in France,
this exquisite country of yours,
some five or six years,
and although I'm conversant
with your magnificent... literature...
I translate myself occasionally...
my native inadequacies
have prevented me...
from mastering
your beautiful language sufficiently...
to express myself as I wish.
Yes. I'm working on an essay...
intended to show the relations...
between Marcel Proust's metaphysics
and the occult tradition.
Particularly the doctrine
of Hermes Trimestigus.
Hermes Trismegiste.
Whom I like very much.
Gentlemen, you must understand...
that this is a very serious matter.
You must know,
as I told you before,
that Colette is only 1 5 years old.
She ran away from home before.
This could bring you
1 5 years in jail...
if I would bring this case
before the court.
Perhaps you don't know that.
Yes, of course.
Monsieur will not press
the case against you...
on the condition, of course, that you
promise never to see Colette again.
Colette, say good-bye
to the gentlemen.
Joey, you saved my life.
Or maybe it was Proust.
Let's get out of here.
Come on, Joey. Where shall we go?
Belgium?
No. Belgians are boring.
Come on, Joey. Look at your map.
Where do you think?
I know it. Luxembourg.
Bitch. But the mother-
did you have a look at her?
You know, she could be
a duchess or a marquise.
The moment I saw her,
I fell in love with her.
CafeJuden-Frei.
Parlez-vous Anglais?
Oui, Oui.
Then let me tell you this.
Though I'm not a Jew,
I look upon you as an idiot.
Haven't you anything better
to think of?
You're swallowing
your own shit.
Listen, you fucked-up
piece of cheese.
Do you know what you are?
You are an old cunt.
Joey, look. Paris again.
Yeah.
I feel like going out
and getting myself a dose of real clap.
Those Luxembourg cunts
are full of buttermilk.
A dose of clap or something anyway.
Luxembourg.
That prosperous combination
off at and cows.
You know, it's better
to die like a louse in Paris...
than live in Luxembourg
on the fat of the country.
I don't feel like clap now.
Anyway, I think
I've got a dose already.
My cock's feeling itchy.
Joey, for Christ's sake,
where do you think
I could have got it?
My friend, if you?ve got it, there's
no great harm in getting it again.
Get a double dose.
Spread it abroad.
Infect the entire continent.
Better a venereal disease
than a moribund peace and quiet.
You know, now I know
what makes the world civilized.
It's vice, disease,
mendacity, lechery, shit.
The French are a great people
even if they are syphilitic.
But don't ever ask me
to go to a neutral country again.
I don't want to see any more cows,
human or otherwise.
I don't know.
Hey. Hello.
A drink, please.
Hello.
These are not whores.
They are nymphomaniacs.
You'll wait until closing time,
won't you?
Please. Please, don't go.
I want to go home with you.
Oh!
Oh!
Here we are.
Whoo!
This is too much.
What are you doing?
I'll not stay in this bathtub
one more minute.
Aren't you ashamed?
And how are you going to pay us?
- What's the matter?
I just pissed.
I took a leak in the bathtub.
And how are you going to pay us?
You are the most incredible,
dirty, monstrous swine.
- You are a couple of disgusting huns.
- Degenerate English!
Yankee, go home!
No, no, no.
I've known these gentlemen
for a very long time.
They have always acted
like real gentlemen.
You have checks.
Give them a check, please.
A hundred francs each.
That's very cheap.
A check?
Mm-hmm.
Sure. That's an idea.
Hey, Joey.
The old checkbook.
You know, the flat one.
Hand me my trousers, will you?
I always have to pay.
Why not wait
until tomorrow, girls?
- Won't they trust us, Adrienne?
No. No.
Trust you? No, no, no.
Then piss off. I'm fed up.
Don't be so mean.
Give us a hundred francs.
Please, please, please.
We won't speak more about it.
Each?
You're crazy.
Cut the comedy, Carl.
Write the checks
and let's get rid of them. I'm tired.
Cut the comedy?
After giving them a check?
Hey. What do I get for this?
I want something unique.
Not just a lay.
Hey.
They'd like to know
if you could possibly try...
to dig up some change for a taxi.
They live very far away.
Far away?
Mmm.
How far away?
Menilmontant.
Menilmontant?
Take it easy, Joey.
There's a girl for you too.
I'm not sure if she?s a whore or not,
but does that matter?
She?s just your type. Don't worry.
I know your type.
Not a day over 35.
She'll be just like Christine
from Ile Saint-Louis, only much better.
Her name is Mara.
If you want to meet her,
go see for yourself.
She'll be standing at the Champs-Elysees
in front of the Fiat building.
She'll be wearing a tight black dress
and a rabbit fur.
And under her arm, she'll be holding
an embroidered handbag.
English? Hmm?
I'm Mara.
Please, talk English with me.
I'm dying to talk English.
It remembers me of Mr. Winchell.
You know,
I learned my English in Costa Rica...
and Mr. Winchell.
Oh, I had good times in Costa Rica.
He was a gentleman...
a generous, charming
American gentleman.
He was so kind too.
You know,
I had a nightclub in Costa Rica.
And when I came back to Paris
from Costa Rica,
Mr. Winchell, he took me up.
He belonged to some-
some athletic club in America.
His wife lived there too.
And, uh...
And he treated me so kind.
You cannot imagine
how kind he treated me.
We went to Deauville, all three...
Mr. Winchell,
his wife and me.
Mr. Winchell, he was so kind.
He was like a prince, I tell you.
He treated me like a prince.
You cannot imagine.
But when Mr. Winchell proposed
that we should sleep three in the bed,
his wife got very angry.
I don't blame her.
Then came Ramon.
When Mr. Winchell left for America,
he gave me a check.
But Ramon...
You know,
we had a cabaret in Madrid.
And when they found out
that he was a communist,
they closed it down,
took everything away, all his money.
He was such a swell guy.
I trust him.
I don't know
where he disappeared to.
But one day
he will write me a letter, I'm sure.
But Mr. Winchell,
he was a gentleman, like you.
Tell me. What are you
doing here in Paris?
Are you not hungry?
You must be hungry.
I'm hungry. Very hungry.
No, no, no, no. Not here.
It's too expensive.
I know you don't have
much money like Mr. Winchell.
You are not a millionaire.
Let us find some
ordinary little restaurant.
I don't care where.
There's plenty around here.
Please, let's find another one.
You're such a swell guy.
I don't know how to thank you.
Believe me,
I know the good life very well.
You know, I had a nightclub.
Mr. Winchell, he said I was not
cut out to be what I am now.
And believe me, I am so sick of it.
I've given myself to many men.
In Costa Rica. All over.
It doesn't matter
because I have loved them.
They always remember Mara because I
have given myself, body and soul.
Hmm?
Sometimes I go with a man.
You know, he never talks to me.
He doesn't want to know who I am.
He doesn't want to know about me, Mara.
The only thing he wants to know
is about my body.
What can I give a man like that?
Feel me, how hot I am.
I'm burning.
Here. Look at my hands.
Study my palms.
That is what life can do to you.
No. No, no, no, no.
I'm- Mara is not beautiful.
Once- Once I was beautiful.
Now I'm tired, worn out.
Listen. I can tell you.
I want to get out of here- Paris.
It looks beautiful, huh?
It stinks.
I assure you, it stinks.
I've always worked for everything.
Here. Look at my hands again.
I'm French.
They want to suck the blood
out of you here.
I hate my countrymen.
They are hard, mercenary,
without pity for my kind.
Where are you taking me?
Huh?
It's the Avenue Wagram.
What's the matter with you?
Taste.
This is too rich too.
Don't spend more money on me.
I hope you are not rich.
I don't care about money.
You should know
what a privilege it is...
just to talk to you.
Oh! It makes me feel so good.
So good.
You don't know what it's like
to be treated like... a human being.
Mara never forgets
the way you treated me tonight,
the way you talked to me.
I'll never forget it.
It is better...
than if you had given me...
a thousand francs.
I mean, anytime you want to see Mara...
You don't have to give me anything.
Look, couldn't you call me tomorrow?
Why not let me take you to dinner, huh?
Look.
Here.
My address.
But don't come here.
It's only temporary.
So you're Polish then.
No.
Mara is Jewish.
I am born in Poland.
Anyway,
that's not my real name.
Mara, you must
excuse me a moment.
I'm going downstairs.
Mara, it's late,
and I must be going.
Oh, please,
don't play that game with me.
I know why you left the table.
You were so kind, really.
I don't know how to thank you.
Oh, please, don't go.
He'll stay. I told him to.
Please, let's walk
a little way together, huh?
Let?s just talk a little
before we have to say good-bye. Yes?
Put your arms around me.
Kiss me.
Kiss me.
Mmm.
Mara knows how to love.
Mara will do anything for you.
Never leave Mara.
Kiss me.
Kiss me. Kiss me.
Good-bye.
What if he doesn't come?
Oh, he will.
Here.
Take this.
Just in case he shouldn't come.
Au revoir.
Mara wants to thank you.
You are so kind.
Don't give me money,
not that much.
You and Mr. Winchell...
What's the matter with you?
Hasn't anyone ever
treated you decently?
Green and silver
They're off to the moon
I've lost my way
You've lost yours too
Now that we love
What shall we do
Passing the time
Till tomorrow
Yes, I should have married her.
Christine.
We should have followed
the shop woman's advice and married.
That's the sad truth.
Still, as I walk at
night, I think of her,
stopping up before the
old house on the Ile
Saint-Louis, looking
up at the window.
She's not with her husband anymore.
She must be lonesome.
But that's not the Christine
I wanted to tell you about.
It's strange how some
come into one's life for a moment or two
and then disappear...
forever.
And yet, there's nothing accidental
about such meetings.
At this very moment,
she might be sobbing in her sleep.
I can't help thinking of strange cities
where it's night now or early morning...
godforsaken places
where lonesome women are crying.
Those sobs in the dark-
they keep ringing in my ears.
A week later
at the home of a Hindu dancer,
I was introduced to an extraordinarily
beautiful Danish girl,
newly arrived from Copenhagen.
She was decidedly not my type,
but she was ravishingly beautiful,
no denying it.
A sort of legendary Norse figure.
But this time everybody, except the
dancer, had too much to drink,
including the Danish beauty.
Her reserve was broken down.
Approaching me,
she said with a seductive grin,
"Are you the man
who writes those terrible books?
I'm a married woman and
I've two children,
daughters- two
beautiful daughters.
Do you like children?
If I were free, would
you then marry me?"
"Yes," I said. "I'd marry you tomorrow.
Right now, if you say the word."
"Don't be too quick," she replied.
"I might take you at your word."
And then I rattled more silly nonsense,
placed my hand on her cunt.
I was steaming like manure
under her dress.
"Christine- what a wonderful name.
Only a woman like you
could own such a romantic name.
It makes me think of icy fiords,
offir trees dripping with wet snow.
If you were such a tree,
I would pull you up by the roots,
carve my initials into your trunk,"
all the time clutching her firmly,
pushing my finger into her gluey crack.
I don't know how far it would have gone
if we hadn't been interrupted.
It was all fine when we broke up
You've got to help us out
on this somehow, yeah
Where's that box
you keep her safe hid
She had the typical seductive charm
of the Nordic woman...
in whom lasciviousness and prudery
battle for supremacy.
You know, say anything you like,
do anything you like,
but use the language of love...
glamorous, sentimental,
romantic words...
that conceal-
You should see my girl.
She's not bad.
Met her at the Circus Medrano.
You don't waste time
with preliminaries.
Just whisper a few kind words
and push her over.
She's got a cunt
like a suction pump.
Ah, there you are.
How do you like her, Joey?
Not bad. Not bad.
Here. Turn around.
I want to show him your ass.
Feel it, Joey.
It's like velvet.
Mmm.
That must be your cunt.
Joey, why didn't you tell me
how beautiful she was?
She's fantastic.
She's the best cunt you ever dug up.
What does "cunt" mean?
It means that you're
beautiful, dazzling, radiant.
Like fragile lace
in the moonlight.
Is dinner ready soon, Joey?
Come on.
How can you think of food
when I'm here?
You've got her there, Carl.
How do you say "cheers" in Danish?
Skaal.
Tell me, Christine.
Your husband...
does he give you a good fuck
now and then, eh?
My husband is dead.
Dead.
Dead?
I love you.
We all love you.
When I was in the chorus
of the gaieties
No! I cannot.
Why?
I'm thinking of my husband.
Hey, Carl.
Wait a minute.
Hold on. I've got to wash.
That bitch is bleeding
like a stuck pig.
Yeah, but wait a minute.
Listen, Carl.
Carl, look, it's your turn now.
Why don't you take over here
and I'll go and check Corinne.
Great.
She's babbling
about that husband all the time.
Joey, stop. It's me.
Yeah, I wake up in the morning
Someone was knocking at my door
Well, he asked for his money
Yeah, he said
he couldn't wait no more
Well, I gave him five dollars
Then I gave her what I had
Then in come my partner
And asked if I was sad
Leave me alone.
Leave me alone, I said!
Christine, don't leave us.
Shut up, you disgusting,
terrible, perverse pigs!
Ducks and geese
In diamond skies
She comes to me
With open eyes
To tell of us
And things that fly
Passing the time
Till tomorrow
And I alone beside her sit
There?s just a lonely candle lit
It casts a glowing over it
Tomorrow
Green is amber Blue is gold
A not-so-different story told
Please take my arms
They're growing cold
Tomorrow
Green and silver
They're off to the moon
I've lost my way
You've lost yours too
Now that we love
What shall we do
Passing the time
Till tomorrow
I'll tell you the story of Carl and Joey
The girls they fucked
and the women they laid
This is the story of the love they made
Now, don't get excited
Be patient, please
Just put your hand on your lover's knee
And during the movie if you get a chance
Put your hand inside her pants
Oh
Quiet days in Clichy
Oh
Quiet days in Clichy
And now perhaps you are ready to see
The story of the place Clichy
So come and let us spend a while
With Joey and his French friend Carl
Oh
Quiet days in Clichy
Oh
Quiet days in Clichy
Oh
Quiet days in Clichy
Oh
Quiet days in Clichy
Gentlemen.
How much will you give me
for staying with you tonight?
I must have, as a matter of fact,
200 francs for my rent,
which is due tomorrow.
Whatever you want, I'll do it.
If you want me to suck you off,
or if you want me
to do it dog-fashion,
it is all the same to me.
My breasts are still firm
and exciting.
See?
I know men who would pay 1,000 francs
to sleep with me,
but I cannot be bothered
hunting them up.
Tell your friend to get ready.
I will sleep with him first.
What's the time?
Better see what's up.
No! You go.
I'm afraid of her.
Hmm. Okay.
She must be out of her mind.
She's smearing the walls
with her poems. Look.
"Pocahontas.
Claire de terre.
This is the BBC home service."
"Chateau. Picasso.
My nose is red.
The moon is down.
Balzac.
De Gaulle!
Balzac. Balzac.
Shakespeare?"
Here.
Uh, 200 francs.
Ohh!
Eh?
"Cowboy."
"Shit the fucking British."
Okay.
"Gulfstream."
No, no, me first!
She's dangerous!
Wine.
Paper and pencil.
All right, gentlemen,
my revolver.
- What?
- The one in my black bag.
I feel like shooting somebody.
You had a good time
for your 200 francs.
Now it's my turn!
Joey! See if there?s
a gun in her bag!
Joey, see if there?s
a gun in her bag- Oww!
Ow! Ow!
Ow! Jesus Christ!
Ow!
- Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!
No! No! No!
Joey! Joey!
Throw water on her! Quick!
She's going to have a fit!
Pardon.
E-E-Excuse me, gentlemen.
I'm very... nervous...
this evening.
No.
- American?
- Yeah.
I don't want to be known here.
Understand?
You've made a faux pas.
Oh, this one.
Is this really French?
Oh, it's excellent French.
And yet it isn't.
I mean...
I don't read so many books.
It's too much for my feeble brain.
There are lots of other things
to do in life.
Too fat?
You're marvelous.
You're like a Renoir.
Renoir?
Renoir?
Are we going
to see more of each other?
I want to ask you a question.
I want you to do me a great favor.
Will you do it if I ask you?
Sure. But how?
I mean money.
Oh.
Here.
That's all I've got.
It's the best I can do.
Shit!
Damn.
Stop.
Stop.
Stop.
Shit. Stop!
Stop. Stop.
Stop!
That's enough.
[ Man, Woman Conversing,
Faint, Indistinct ]
Carl?
Carl, is that you?
Carl?
Hey, Carl!
I'm hungry!
Oh! So you're awake!
What's the matter?
Are you sick?
No, I'm hungry. Ravenous.
You got any change?
Nope.
I'm cleaned out.
Not even a franc?
Don't worry about francs
right now.
I brought a girl home with me.
She can't be more than 1 4,
but she says she's 1 7.
I just gave her a lay!
Did you hear me?
I just gave her a lay!
Yeah, yeah.
A lay, yeah?
She's a virgin.
You mean, she was.
Do you want to look
at the sheets?
Suppose I'll have to
throw them away now.
I can't send them to the laundry.
They'd suspect me
of having committed a crime.
Hey, Joey.
Joey?
Can I come in?
Do you want to see Colette?
I'll show her to you.
Make some light, Joey.
This is Colette.
That's her.
We've got to do something
for her, Joey.
She's got no place to stay.
I found her in the street,
walking around in a trance.
A little demented,
I thought at first,
but she's okay.
She's not very bright,
but she's a good sort.
Probably from a good family.
She?s just a kid.
You'll see.
Maybe I'll marry her
when she comes of age.
Anyway, I spent my last cent
buying her a meal.
Too bad you had to
go to bed without dinner.
You should have been with us.
We had oysters, shrimps, lobster
and a wonderful wine.
It was a Chablis, year 1 9...
Fuck the year!
I'm hungry! I want money!
Take it easy.
Take it easy, Joey.
I've always got a few francs
for emergency.
Don't worry.
There'll be one or two here.
Say "bonjour, " Colette.
- Colette.
This is Colette.
What do you think of her?
She's a little idiot,
but look at those tits.
I don't believe she's 1 7,
but she swears!
Look here.
Pretty ripe for 1 4.
Of course I'm French, Colette.
We don't speak Belgian.
She might be slow sometimes,
but you should
take a look at our sheets.
Then get her to wash them.
There's enough
she can do around here.
So you want her to stay?
You know it's illegal.
We could go to jail for this.
Do you speak English?
He is English.
Now say good-bye.
Jesus.
Take her away.
Keep her locked up.
I'm not gonna be responsible
for what happens around here
when you're away.
Now get out!
Out!
Hmm. We've got a serious
problem on our hands, Joey.
And you've got to help me.
We can't let her fall
into the hands of the police.
If we do,
they'll send her away.
And they'll send us away too.
Yeah.
The thing is
what to tell the concierge.
Maybe I'll say
that she's a cousin of mine
here on a visit.
Nights when I go to work
you take her to the movies,
or take her for a walk.
You could teach her geography
or something like that.
And besides,
you'll improve your French.
Sure, sure.
But for God's sake, remember,
don't knock her up.
Can't think of abortions
right now.
And anyway I don't know where
my Hungarian doctor lives anymore.
Good night.
Hey, Joey.
Do you remember those girls
from the restaurant at Place Blanche?
Remember that big, tall,
thin, black-haired girl
with the long cigarette holder?
And- And the big, blonde,
bulbous German one...
that kept sitting in a corner
all night and laughing?
And then the American one
with the red hair?
There were two girls from the cafe
We picked both of them up one day
We took both of them to our flat
And the redheaded one
gave Carl the clap
Oh
Quiet days in Clichy
Oh
Quiet days in Clichy
The dark-haired girl took off her shoe
She smiled at Joey
and then she was through
He tried everything but just his luck
The one from Jamaica just wouldn't fuck
Oh
Quiet days in Clichy
Oh
Quiet days in Clichy
Now, come on.
Brush your teeth.
Be a good girl.
Do like this.
Up, down, up, down.
Up, down.
Up, down. That's it.
Up, down, up, down.
No, not with the head.
Just the brush.
Just the brush. Hmm?
Up, down. Come on.
Sad-eyed girl from the grocery store
Her American husband
didn't love her anymore
He deserted her
He vanished away
And she wants to speak English now
night and day
Oh
Quiet days in Clichy
Oh
Quiet days in Clichy
They would go to a movie
and then for a walk
And to the apartment
for some fun and talk
She would sleep with one
or she would sleep with the other
As long as they spoke English
it really didn't matter
Oh
Quiet days in Clichy
Oh
Quiet days in Clichy
Is it Carl?
Is it Carl?
Say it in English.
Little Colette She has no sense
Serving the breakfast without her pants
Spoiling the coffee
Burning the eggs
All of her brains are between her legs
Oh
Quiet days in Clichy
Oh
Quiet days in Clichy
Baby Colette She's all grown up
Sweeping the floor and washing the tub
Cleaning the dishes
and ironing the clothes
What she's thinking
God only knows
Oh
Quiet days in Clichy
Oh
Quiet days in Clichy
Then there was Jeanne
from the Herald Tribune
Bringing bottles of wine
up to their room
They could squeeze her tits
and rub her crack
But the thought of fucking
drove her quite mad
Oh
Quiet days in Clichy
Oh
Quiet days in Clichy
At the thought of a cock inside her cunt
She would always begin
to smash the place up
She would weep and screech
and scream and cry
And then come back for another try
Oh
Quiet days in Clichy
Oh
Quiet days in Clichy
Oh
Quiet days in Clichy
Oh
Quiet days in Clichy
Oh
Quiet days in Clichy
Hey, look at Colette.
The homeless waif-cum-combination
of Cinderella, concubine and cook.
Sometimes she disappears for days.
She never tells us why.
Once we followed her for a whole day.
It was like following an animal
or a sleepwalker.
All she did was to aimlessly ramble
from one street to another,
stopping to peer at shop windows,
resting on a bench among the birds,
buying lollipops,
standing for minutes on end
as if in a trance,
and then striking out again
in the same aimless fashion.
We followed her for hours,
to discover nothing but that
we had a child on our hands.
Hah.
[ Man, Woman,
French Continues ]
What does she intend
to do now?
Keep walking, I suppose.
But she's done that for so long.
When I'm on my job at the paper,
you've got to fuck her.
You know, she's able
to fuck her brains out all night...
and be ready for more
in the morning.
If you don't, I'll never
get out of bed this way.
As it I've given up all my writing
because of that little bitch.
I've already done that every day
for a whole week.
She's got all her brains in her cunt,
the little half-wit.
But you told me this week
that you would marry her
when she came of age.
But of course, Joey.
Of course I will.
She?s just a child.
She's so simpleminded
and so beautiful.
Look at her, Joey.
Look. Look, look!
She's gone.
Disappeared.
She can't have disappeared.
Nobody disappears.
It happens.
I hope her parents
haven't found her. Or the police.
Joey, you're right.
This is the end.
They'll be coming along
for me soon, and for you too.
I'm not that serious
about Colette.
She has no attraction for me.
I'm thinking of Nys.
I'm in love with her.
We've been good friends.
Colette, that poor soul,
she has no idea
what to do about herself.
But Nys...
Every time I leave her
I have a feeling
of a day well spent.
She's still hanging out
at the Cafe Wepler.
Yes, we're really good friends now.
No question of money anymore.
I bring her little gifts,
but that's different.
Nights when I can't see Nys,
when she's taken, I...
I wander around down there by myself,
stopping off at little bars
in the side streets,
subterranean dives where
other girls are plying
their trade in stupid,
senseless fashion.
Sometimes, out of sheer boredom,
I take one on,
even though it leaves
a taste of ashes.
Sometimes I'm wishing
I'm like her- lazy.
A female owning nothing
but an attractive cunt.
How wonderful to put one's cunt to work
and use one's brains for pleasure.
A good meal, a good fuck.
What better way to pass the day?
Floating with the tide,
nothing more.
That's how I dream after spending
the day with Nys in the open.
I never pump her about her past.
It's always about the future
we're talking.
At least she's talking
about the future.
Like so many French women, her dream
is to find a house in the country,
somewhere in the Midi preferably.
She doesn't care much about Paris.
It's unhealthy, she says.
"And what would you do with yourself
to pass the time away?" I want to ask.
"What would I do?" she answered.
"I'd do nothing.
Nothing, of course.
Just live."
What an idea.
What a sane idea.
It's an idea I've never flirted with.
To accomplish it, one-
one must have an empty mind,
or else a full, rich one.
It would be better
to have an empty mind.
Now and then I induce her
to take the afternoon off.
We go to little places
along the Seine and
take the train to
some nearby forest...
where we lay down in the grass,
fucking to our hearts' content.
I envy her phlegm, her indolence.
I could urge her to talk about it at
length- about doing nothing, I mean.
Just to watch her eat is inspiring.
She's lazy, yes. Lazy as sin.
But everything she talks about
is interesting,
even when it's about nothing.
She enjoys every morsel of food,
which she selects with great care.
By care I don't mean concern
about calories and vitamins.
No, she's very careful
to choose the things she likes...
because she relishes them.
She can drag the meal out interminably,
her good humor constantly augmenting,
her indolence becoming
more and more seductive,
her spirits growing
keener, livelier, brighter.
There are no worms
to devour her conscience,
no cares which she can't throw off...
floating with the tide, nothing more.
She will produce no children,
contribute nothing
to the welfare of the community,
leave no mark upon the world in going.
But wherever she goes,
she'll make life easier,
more attractive, more fragrant.
And that is no little thing.
To fall in love with happiness.
To become as useless as possible.
To develop a conscience
as tough as a crocodile's skin.
And when old and no longer attractive,
to buy a fuck if needs be or buy a dog
and train him to do what's what.
Die when the time comes,
naked and alone,
without guilt, without regret,
without remorse.
I have a friend
A wonderful friend
Behind the golden sun
Yeah
I have a friend
A wonderful friend
Behind the golden sun
Joey. Joey, look.
Colette.
Colette in the car. Joey.
Yes, I must say it looks like her.
It was her in that car.
That means that they've caught her.
Her parents.
Now they'll be coming along
for both of us.
Joey, you know this is serious.
God. I hope it's her parents
who are coming and not the police.
Joey.
Joey, they're here.
They? Who are they?
Colette and her mother.
They're here, in my room.
Yeah?
Joey?
Did she leave her watch here?
They say they're looking for a watch.
What watch?
What mother?
And what's the matter?
The mother.
Colette's mother's here.
And there's a man.
I don't know who he is.
Perhaps a detective.
I'll introdu...
Are you a writer?
Mm-hmm.
Do you write in French?
I'm sorry. I must bemoan the fact
that although I've been here in France,
this exquisite country of yours,
some five or six years,
and although I'm conversant
with your magnificent... literature...
I translate myself occasionally...
my native inadequacies
have prevented me...
from mastering
your beautiful language sufficiently...
to express myself as I wish.
Yes. I'm working on an essay...
intended to show the relations...
between Marcel Proust's metaphysics
and the occult tradition.
Particularly the doctrine
of Hermes Trimestigus.
Hermes Trismegiste.
Whom I like very much.
Gentlemen, you must understand...
that this is a very serious matter.
You must know,
as I told you before,
that Colette is only 1 5 years old.
She ran away from home before.
This could bring you
1 5 years in jail...
if I would bring this case
before the court.
Perhaps you don't know that.
Yes, of course.
Monsieur will not press
the case against you...
on the condition, of course, that you
promise never to see Colette again.
Colette, say good-bye
to the gentlemen.
Joey, you saved my life.
Or maybe it was Proust.
Let's get out of here.
Come on, Joey. Where shall we go?
Belgium?
No. Belgians are boring.
Come on, Joey. Look at your map.
Where do you think?
I know it. Luxembourg.
Bitch. But the mother-
did you have a look at her?
You know, she could be
a duchess or a marquise.
The moment I saw her,
I fell in love with her.
CafeJuden-Frei.
Parlez-vous Anglais?
Oui, Oui.
Then let me tell you this.
Though I'm not a Jew,
I look upon you as an idiot.
Haven't you anything better
to think of?
You're swallowing
your own shit.
Listen, you fucked-up
piece of cheese.
Do you know what you are?
You are an old cunt.
Joey, look. Paris again.
Yeah.
I feel like going out
and getting myself a dose of real clap.
Those Luxembourg cunts
are full of buttermilk.
A dose of clap or something anyway.
Luxembourg.
That prosperous combination
off at and cows.
You know, it's better
to die like a louse in Paris...
than live in Luxembourg
on the fat of the country.
I don't feel like clap now.
Anyway, I think
I've got a dose already.
My cock's feeling itchy.
Joey, for Christ's sake,
where do you think
I could have got it?
My friend, if you?ve got it, there's
no great harm in getting it again.
Get a double dose.
Spread it abroad.
Infect the entire continent.
Better a venereal disease
than a moribund peace and quiet.
You know, now I know
what makes the world civilized.
It's vice, disease,
mendacity, lechery, shit.
The French are a great people
even if they are syphilitic.
But don't ever ask me
to go to a neutral country again.
I don't want to see any more cows,
human or otherwise.
I don't know.
Hey. Hello.
A drink, please.
Hello.
These are not whores.
They are nymphomaniacs.
You'll wait until closing time,
won't you?
Please. Please, don't go.
I want to go home with you.
Oh!
Oh!
Here we are.
Whoo!
This is too much.
What are you doing?
I'll not stay in this bathtub
one more minute.
Aren't you ashamed?
And how are you going to pay us?
- What's the matter?
I just pissed.
I took a leak in the bathtub.
And how are you going to pay us?
You are the most incredible,
dirty, monstrous swine.
- You are a couple of disgusting huns.
- Degenerate English!
Yankee, go home!
No, no, no.
I've known these gentlemen
for a very long time.
They have always acted
like real gentlemen.
You have checks.
Give them a check, please.
A hundred francs each.
That's very cheap.
A check?
Mm-hmm.
Sure. That's an idea.
Hey, Joey.
The old checkbook.
You know, the flat one.
Hand me my trousers, will you?
I always have to pay.
Why not wait
until tomorrow, girls?
- Won't they trust us, Adrienne?
No. No.
Trust you? No, no, no.
Then piss off. I'm fed up.
Don't be so mean.
Give us a hundred francs.
Please, please, please.
We won't speak more about it.
Each?
You're crazy.
Cut the comedy, Carl.
Write the checks
and let's get rid of them. I'm tired.
Cut the comedy?
After giving them a check?
Hey. What do I get for this?
I want something unique.
Not just a lay.
Hey.
They'd like to know
if you could possibly try...
to dig up some change for a taxi.
They live very far away.
Far away?
Mmm.
How far away?
Menilmontant.
Menilmontant?
Take it easy, Joey.
There's a girl for you too.
I'm not sure if she?s a whore or not,
but does that matter?
She?s just your type. Don't worry.
I know your type.
Not a day over 35.
She'll be just like Christine
from Ile Saint-Louis, only much better.
Her name is Mara.
If you want to meet her,
go see for yourself.
She'll be standing at the Champs-Elysees
in front of the Fiat building.
She'll be wearing a tight black dress
and a rabbit fur.
And under her arm, she'll be holding
an embroidered handbag.
English? Hmm?
I'm Mara.
Please, talk English with me.
I'm dying to talk English.
It remembers me of Mr. Winchell.
You know,
I learned my English in Costa Rica...
and Mr. Winchell.
Oh, I had good times in Costa Rica.
He was a gentleman...
a generous, charming
American gentleman.
He was so kind too.
You know,
I had a nightclub in Costa Rica.
And when I came back to Paris
from Costa Rica,
Mr. Winchell, he took me up.
He belonged to some-
some athletic club in America.
His wife lived there too.
And, uh...
And he treated me so kind.
You cannot imagine
how kind he treated me.
We went to Deauville, all three...
Mr. Winchell,
his wife and me.
Mr. Winchell, he was so kind.
He was like a prince, I tell you.
He treated me like a prince.
You cannot imagine.
But when Mr. Winchell proposed
that we should sleep three in the bed,
his wife got very angry.
I don't blame her.
Then came Ramon.
When Mr. Winchell left for America,
he gave me a check.
But Ramon...
You know,
we had a cabaret in Madrid.
And when they found out
that he was a communist,
they closed it down,
took everything away, all his money.
He was such a swell guy.
I trust him.
I don't know
where he disappeared to.
But one day
he will write me a letter, I'm sure.
But Mr. Winchell,
he was a gentleman, like you.
Tell me. What are you
doing here in Paris?
Are you not hungry?
You must be hungry.
I'm hungry. Very hungry.
No, no, no, no. Not here.
It's too expensive.
I know you don't have
much money like Mr. Winchell.
You are not a millionaire.
Let us find some
ordinary little restaurant.
I don't care where.
There's plenty around here.
Please, let's find another one.
You're such a swell guy.
I don't know how to thank you.
Believe me,
I know the good life very well.
You know, I had a nightclub.
Mr. Winchell, he said I was not
cut out to be what I am now.
And believe me, I am so sick of it.
I've given myself to many men.
In Costa Rica. All over.
It doesn't matter
because I have loved them.
They always remember Mara because I
have given myself, body and soul.
Hmm?
Sometimes I go with a man.
You know, he never talks to me.
He doesn't want to know who I am.
He doesn't want to know about me, Mara.
The only thing he wants to know
is about my body.
What can I give a man like that?
Feel me, how hot I am.
I'm burning.
Here. Look at my hands.
Study my palms.
That is what life can do to you.
No. No, no, no, no.
I'm- Mara is not beautiful.
Once- Once I was beautiful.
Now I'm tired, worn out.
Listen. I can tell you.
I want to get out of here- Paris.
It looks beautiful, huh?
It stinks.
I assure you, it stinks.
I've always worked for everything.
Here. Look at my hands again.
I'm French.
They want to suck the blood
out of you here.
I hate my countrymen.
They are hard, mercenary,
without pity for my kind.
Where are you taking me?
Huh?
It's the Avenue Wagram.
What's the matter with you?
Taste.
This is too rich too.
Don't spend more money on me.
I hope you are not rich.
I don't care about money.
You should know
what a privilege it is...
just to talk to you.
Oh! It makes me feel so good.
So good.
You don't know what it's like
to be treated like... a human being.
Mara never forgets
the way you treated me tonight,
the way you talked to me.
I'll never forget it.
It is better...
than if you had given me...
a thousand francs.
I mean, anytime you want to see Mara...
You don't have to give me anything.
Look, couldn't you call me tomorrow?
Why not let me take you to dinner, huh?
Look.
Here.
My address.
But don't come here.
It's only temporary.
So you're Polish then.
No.
Mara is Jewish.
I am born in Poland.
Anyway,
that's not my real name.
Mara, you must
excuse me a moment.
I'm going downstairs.
Mara, it's late,
and I must be going.
Oh, please,
don't play that game with me.
I know why you left the table.
You were so kind, really.
I don't know how to thank you.
Oh, please, don't go.
He'll stay. I told him to.
Please, let's walk
a little way together, huh?
Let?s just talk a little
before we have to say good-bye. Yes?
Put your arms around me.
Kiss me.
Kiss me.
Mmm.
Mara knows how to love.
Mara will do anything for you.
Never leave Mara.
Kiss me.
Kiss me. Kiss me.
Good-bye.
What if he doesn't come?
Oh, he will.
Here.
Take this.
Just in case he shouldn't come.
Au revoir.
Mara wants to thank you.
You are so kind.
Don't give me money,
not that much.
You and Mr. Winchell...
What's the matter with you?
Hasn't anyone ever
treated you decently?
Green and silver
They're off to the moon
I've lost my way
You've lost yours too
Now that we love
What shall we do
Passing the time
Till tomorrow
Yes, I should have married her.
Christine.
We should have followed
the shop woman's advice and married.
That's the sad truth.
Still, as I walk at
night, I think of her,
stopping up before the
old house on the Ile
Saint-Louis, looking
up at the window.
She's not with her husband anymore.
She must be lonesome.
But that's not the Christine
I wanted to tell you about.
It's strange how some
come into one's life for a moment or two
and then disappear...
forever.
And yet, there's nothing accidental
about such meetings.
At this very moment,
she might be sobbing in her sleep.
I can't help thinking of strange cities
where it's night now or early morning...
godforsaken places
where lonesome women are crying.
Those sobs in the dark-
they keep ringing in my ears.
A week later
at the home of a Hindu dancer,
I was introduced to an extraordinarily
beautiful Danish girl,
newly arrived from Copenhagen.
She was decidedly not my type,
but she was ravishingly beautiful,
no denying it.
A sort of legendary Norse figure.
But this time everybody, except the
dancer, had too much to drink,
including the Danish beauty.
Her reserve was broken down.
Approaching me,
she said with a seductive grin,
"Are you the man
who writes those terrible books?
I'm a married woman and
I've two children,
daughters- two
beautiful daughters.
Do you like children?
If I were free, would
you then marry me?"
"Yes," I said. "I'd marry you tomorrow.
Right now, if you say the word."
"Don't be too quick," she replied.
"I might take you at your word."
And then I rattled more silly nonsense,
placed my hand on her cunt.
I was steaming like manure
under her dress.
"Christine- what a wonderful name.
Only a woman like you
could own such a romantic name.
It makes me think of icy fiords,
offir trees dripping with wet snow.
If you were such a tree,
I would pull you up by the roots,
carve my initials into your trunk,"
all the time clutching her firmly,
pushing my finger into her gluey crack.
I don't know how far it would have gone
if we hadn't been interrupted.
It was all fine when we broke up
You've got to help us out
on this somehow, yeah
Where's that box
you keep her safe hid
She had the typical seductive charm
of the Nordic woman...
in whom lasciviousness and prudery
battle for supremacy.
You know, say anything you like,
do anything you like,
but use the language of love...
glamorous, sentimental,
romantic words...
that conceal-
You should see my girl.
She's not bad.
Met her at the Circus Medrano.
You don't waste time
with preliminaries.
Just whisper a few kind words
and push her over.
She's got a cunt
like a suction pump.
Ah, there you are.
How do you like her, Joey?
Not bad. Not bad.
Here. Turn around.
I want to show him your ass.
Feel it, Joey.
It's like velvet.
Mmm.
That must be your cunt.
Joey, why didn't you tell me
how beautiful she was?
She's fantastic.
She's the best cunt you ever dug up.
What does "cunt" mean?
It means that you're
beautiful, dazzling, radiant.
Like fragile lace
in the moonlight.
Is dinner ready soon, Joey?
Come on.
How can you think of food
when I'm here?
You've got her there, Carl.
How do you say "cheers" in Danish?
Skaal.
Tell me, Christine.
Your husband...
does he give you a good fuck
now and then, eh?
My husband is dead.
Dead.
Dead?
I love you.
We all love you.
When I was in the chorus
of the gaieties
No! I cannot.
Why?
I'm thinking of my husband.
Hey, Carl.
Wait a minute.
Hold on. I've got to wash.
That bitch is bleeding
like a stuck pig.
Yeah, but wait a minute.
Listen, Carl.
Carl, look, it's your turn now.
Why don't you take over here
and I'll go and check Corinne.
Great.
She's babbling
about that husband all the time.
Joey, stop. It's me.
Yeah, I wake up in the morning
Someone was knocking at my door
Well, he asked for his money
Yeah, he said
he couldn't wait no more
Well, I gave him five dollars
Then I gave her what I had
Then in come my partner
And asked if I was sad
Leave me alone.
Leave me alone, I said!
Christine, don't leave us.
Shut up, you disgusting,
terrible, perverse pigs!
Ducks and geese
In diamond skies
She comes to me
With open eyes
To tell of us
And things that fly
Passing the time
Till tomorrow
And I alone beside her sit
There?s just a lonely candle lit
It casts a glowing over it
Tomorrow
Green is amber Blue is gold
A not-so-different story told
Please take my arms
They're growing cold
Tomorrow
Green and silver
They're off to the moon
I've lost my way
You've lost yours too
Now that we love
What shall we do
Passing the time
Till tomorrow