Thanks to Anthony and Casper for translating the background info!
Background information about the song:
After the Ompa til du Tour tour was expanded from 15 to 150 concerts in the wake of success and live-demands in 2001-2002, there was little time to sit at home and write songs. Janove moved the pump organ from his apartment in Storhaug in Stavanger to a side room in the bar Cementen (for locals: the one that is now Gnu) and sat there in free moments. In addition, there was some writing in hotel rooms around the country. Partial amnesia might be a side effect of a hard rock life. In any case, Janove remembers nothing of the circumstances around the origin of this song, but it was made, weighed, and apparently found too light.
This version is more guitar-based, heavier, and more droning than the violently rattling demo taken up at NRK Rogaland in 2003. When we brought it out again, we felt we were able to "crack the code" and make a cool composition for a melody we had always liked, but hadn't figured out how we should resolve it. A full guitar downpour through a whole song is not something we do often, but here rock-Kaizers comes fully into its own.
The lyrics are about paranoia in the mafia world, where you can never be completely sure who is friend or enemy. The rules are such that when you've got the red feather and know that you are the next one out on the plank, it could be the person you thought was your best friend and partner who's strangling you. A kind of "keep your friends close, but your enemies closer" lesson here.
Kavalér | Gentleman |
| Du vett aldri kem som går bak din rygg | You never know who's hoodwinking you |
| Føl deg aldri trygg | Don't ever feel safe |
| Når månen henger høgt og ser på når du blir forfulgt | When the moon is up high and watches while you're being pursued |
| Det siste blikket du ser | The last gaze you see |
| Den siste stemmen som ler | The last voice that is laughing |
| Han som går i dine sko er din kavaler | He who walks in your shoes is your gentleman |
| Og når du ser at du ikkje lenger kaster skygge | And when you realize that you don't cast a shadow anymore |
| Då er di tid forbi | Then your time's out |
| Det er for seint å redde liv | It's too late to save lives |
| Redde ditt liv | To save your life |
| Du går med raske skritt | You walk with hurried steps |
| Men hans er raskere enn ditt | But his are quicker than yours |
| Ditt liv er satt ring rundt med kritt | Your life is lined in a ring of chalk |
| Men du er i live | But you are alive |
| Og du sprang gjønå regnver | And you ran through the rain |
| Og det brant en revolver | And a gun fired |
| Og du datt i en ring av kritt | And you fell in a ring of chalk |
| Og klokkene kimer | And the bells are ringing |
| Han er din kavalér | He's your gentleman |