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Back in 1970, Britain's BBC TV aired an adaptation, in thirteen parts, of Jean-Paul Sartre's Roads to Freedom trilogy. It was a superb piece of TV drama, whatever you think of Sartre and his philosophizing. Each episode was introduced by this song. The singer is Georgia Brown, a British actress and singer. The piece seems to have been written by Richard Holmes.
The TV series has sunk without trace, the BBC apparently believing the tapes have no market value, or perhaps just having lost them.
The song lingers on in the memory of those of us who saw the series. I have been able to find it only on an old, rather scratched 45rpm vinyl disk, which a friend kindly digitized for me. Another friend, sound engineer Bob Evans, then removed the clicks and crackles. Many thanks to both!
I have been unable to find any documentation for the song, even a set of lyrics. I don't know who wrote it, though one website refers to it as "a WW2 French Resistance song." If anyone knows any more than that, please get in touch with me through the e-address encrypted on my home page.
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La route est dure, la vie est morne.
Mon âme est sûre d'aucune borne.
Que dois-je faire avec ma vie
Quand toute la terre c'est endurci?
Les mains se tendent de tous côtés
Les chaînes sont lourdes, puis-je les ôter?
Un seul pas contre la tyrannie;
Une raison d'être dans toute ma vie.
La route est dure mais je suis forte.
Mon âme est sûre, la peur est morte.
Je sais quoi faire avec la vie
Quand toute la terre sera affranchie.
Translation
[Note: I know very little French. I have consulted some native speakers of the language, all of whom tell me the French of the lyrics is not very good. Presumably the lyrics were written by a non-native speaker, perhaps some underpaid lyricist working from incomplete memories of high-school French. The second line in particular makes little sense to anyone, and eighth is also problematic. This translation is the best we can do.]
The road is hard, life is dreary.
My soul knows no boundaries.
What should I do with my life
When all the world is hardened?
My hands are bound in every way;
The chains are heavy, how can I break them?
One lone step against tryanny;
One cause to live for all my life.
The road is hard but I am strong.
My soul is steady, fear is dead.
I'll know what to do with my life
When the whole world is freed.