Paroles de la chanson The Ballad Of Terry Fox par
The wind was cold and thin
Out on the highway's edge
A solitary figure
With a solemn pledge
One leg of bone, one leg of steel
A skip and a heavy heel
Brought up in BC and Manitoba
He didn't fail to make us feel
Yeah, the road was long where he once ran
He did the best any human can
Get across the country, that's the plan
That's the spirit of our man
He didn't run for medals
He didn't run for gold
Out on the highway's edge
A solitary figure
With a solemn pledge
One leg of bone, one leg of steel
A skip and a heavy heel
Brought up in BC and Manitoba
He didn't fail to make us feel
Yeah, the road was long where he once ran
He did the best any human can
Get across the country, that's the plan
That's the spirit of our man
He didn't run for medals
He didn't run for gold
But for the people and their stories
That never will be told
Across the asphalt and the gravel
Through the heat and rain
He carried the nation's weight for twenty-six miles
Then he'd go again
Yeah, the road was long where he once ran
He did the best any human can
Get across the country, that's the plan
That's the spirit of our man
Well, the road was lined with people
Who came out to see him run
But the lungs grew tired and he got weary
Before he was done
On a lonely stretch
That never will be told
Across the asphalt and the gravel
Through the heat and rain
He carried the nation's weight for twenty-six miles
Then he'd go again
Yeah, the road was long where he once ran
He did the best any human can
Get across the country, that's the plan
That's the spirit of our man
Well, the road was lined with people
Who came out to see him run
But the lungs grew tired and he got weary
Before he was done
On a lonely stretch
Near Thunder Bay
His stride was halted
The body gave way
Yeah, the road was long where he once ran
He did the best any human can
Get across the country, that's the plan
That's the spirit of our man
The finish line was in his mind
Not a city on a map
There was no closing ceremony
Just a roadside clap
He might have had to stop the run
But the fight still carries on
For every heart that followed him
The race was bravely won
His stride was halted
The body gave way
Yeah, the road was long where he once ran
He did the best any human can
Get across the country, that's the plan
That's the spirit of our man
The finish line was in his mind
Not a city on a map
There was no closing ceremony
Just a roadside clap
He might have had to stop the run
But the fight still carries on
For every heart that followed him
The race was bravely won
Well, the road was long where he once ran
He did the best any human can
Get across the country, that's the plan
That's the spirit of our man
If there ever was a hero
If there ever was a saint
He ran through fire and through pain
Any lesser soul would faint
He said it's a mission greater than himself
And his words are still ringing true
He ran for everybody
And he ran for me and you
He did the best any human can
Get across the country, that's the plan
That's the spirit of our man
If there ever was a hero
If there ever was a saint
He ran through fire and through pain
Any lesser soul would faint
He said it's a mission greater than himself
And his words are still ringing true
He ran for everybody
And he ran for me and you
Que racontent les paroles de la chanson The Ballad Of Terry Fox de Bryan Adams ?
Un homme, une route, un pays retenant son souffle
Il y a des histoires qui n'ont pas besoin d'être inventées pour être grandes. Celle de Terry Fox en fait partie, et Bryan Adams le sait. Quand il pose les premiers accords de cette ballade, on est immédiatement dehors, au bord d'une autoroute quelque part au Canada, dans ce froid particulier qui mord la peau tôt le matin. Un homme avance. "A solitary figure with a solemn pledge" — une silhouette solitaire portant une promesse grave. On n'a pas encore besoin de connaître son histoire pour sentir le poids de ce qu'il porte.
Chaque pas comme une déclaration
Ce que Bryan Adams réussit ici, c'est de ne jamais tomber dans le pathos facile. Il aurait pu. L'histoire s'y prêtait. Au lieu de ça, il choisit les mots les plus simples, les images les plus concrètes — "the asphalt and the gravel", "the heat and rain" — pour que l'effort soit presque physiquement ressenti par l'auditeur. On sent la chaleur de l'asphalte, la pluie froide, le gravier qui dérape sous la prothèse. Et ce refrain qui revient, têtu, patient, comme le rythme d'une foulée : "He did the best any human can". Pas un surhomme. Un homme. C'est ça qui rend la chose insupportablement belle.
Là où la course se transforme en flamme
Lorsque la voix d'Adams raconte l'arrêt près de Thunder Bay, il n'y a aucun drame appuyé, juste cette phrase nue : "his stride was halted, the body gave way". Et pourtant quelque chose continue. La chanson refuse le deuil pour lui préférer la transmission. "For every heart that followed him / The race was bravely won" — pour chaque cœur qui l'a suivi, la course a été gagnée avec bravoure. Terry Fox est devenu quelque chose de plus grand qu'une traversée inachevée : un élan collectif, une idée vivante. Adams ne chante pas un mort. Il chante une flamme qui circule encore, de génération en génération, au Canada et bien au-delà.
Il y a des histoires qui n'ont pas besoin d'être inventées pour être grandes. Celle de Terry Fox en fait partie, et Bryan Adams le sait. Quand il pose les premiers accords de cette ballade, on est immédiatement dehors, au bord d'une autoroute quelque part au Canada, dans ce froid particulier qui mord la peau tôt le matin. Un homme avance. "A solitary figure with a solemn pledge" — une silhouette solitaire portant une promesse grave. On n'a pas encore besoin de connaître son histoire pour sentir le poids de ce qu'il porte.
Chaque pas comme une déclaration
Ce que Bryan Adams réussit ici, c'est de ne jamais tomber dans le pathos facile. Il aurait pu. L'histoire s'y prêtait. Au lieu de ça, il choisit les mots les plus simples, les images les plus concrètes — "the asphalt and the gravel", "the heat and rain" — pour que l'effort soit presque physiquement ressenti par l'auditeur. On sent la chaleur de l'asphalte, la pluie froide, le gravier qui dérape sous la prothèse. Et ce refrain qui revient, têtu, patient, comme le rythme d'une foulée : "He did the best any human can". Pas un surhomme. Un homme. C'est ça qui rend la chose insupportablement belle.
Là où la course se transforme en flamme
Lorsque la voix d'Adams raconte l'arrêt près de Thunder Bay, il n'y a aucun drame appuyé, juste cette phrase nue : "his stride was halted, the body gave way". Et pourtant quelque chose continue. La chanson refuse le deuil pour lui préférer la transmission. "For every heart that followed him / The race was bravely won" — pour chaque cœur qui l'a suivi, la course a été gagnée avec bravoure. Terry Fox est devenu quelque chose de plus grand qu'une traversée inachevée : un élan collectif, une idée vivante. Adams ne chante pas un mort. Il chante une flamme qui circule encore, de génération en génération, au Canada et bien au-delà.