If you do not live in Scandinavia, then you probably wouldn’t know that Kent are one of Sweden’s biggest alternative bands. This is a video of their latest song, La Belle Epoch, released in March from their new album Tigerdrottingen (The Tiger Queen) released on April 30th. The video is simply the lyrics to the song in Swedish and nothing more so here is a translation for the non-Swedish speakers. Thanks to Signe for help in finding the right interpretation. I have translated the perceived meaning of the lyrics without any poetic interference or attention to meter or rhyme.

La Belle Époque is French for “The Beautiful Era” and relates to a period in French history between 1871 and the start of World War 1 in 1914. This from Wikipedia:

“Occurring during the era of the Third French Republic (beginning 1870), it was a period characterized by optimism, peace at home and in Europe, new technology and scientific discoveries. The peace and prosperity in Paris allowed the arts to flourish, and many masterpieces of literature, music, theatre, and visual art gained recognition. The Belle Époque was named, in retrospect, when it began to be considered a “golden age” in contrast to the horrors of World War I”.

I am the hand that holds the flag
I am the pickpocket at Central Station
I am the bomb in the terminals
In the bag that was left behind

I am the first cold rains
I am the frost where nothing grows
I am the 6 months of darkness
In the land that God forgot

I am the tear gas in the handbag
I am in the Rave Commission
The xenophobic politics
I am the suicide statistic

I am the sparsely populated area, the Rohypnol
I am the jealousy, the alcohol
I am the instant SMS loans
I am the hounding within the schoolyard

All for all and one for one
All for all and one for one
All for all and one for one
And then we start all over again

I am the mist in the memorial garden
The wind on the bridge across the strait
I am the suspicious neighbour
Damned Finns, Norwegians, Danes

I am the knife in the inside pocket
I am all the weapons we have exported
I am the soldiers by the villages
I am the land mines

I no longer vote in the election
I am the Eurovision Song Contest
I am the ones that have nervous breakdowns
I am those that walk through the glass

I live in the biggest city
I give money to Save The Children
And my computer is full of pictures
That never should have been taken

All for all and one for one
All for all and one for one
All for all and one for one
And so we start all over again

I am the hand that rocks the cradle
I am the state and the capital
I am the safety manual
Anonymous comments

I am the bullying online
I am the Big Mac you eat
I am mosques and cathedrals
I am the Bible and the Koran

All for all and one for one
All for all and one for one
All for all and one for one
And so we start all over again

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kent_(band)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tigerdrottningen

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Belle_Epoque_(Kent_song)