Between the French lyrics

This is a 1931 Chanson réaliste composed by Leo Daniderff and written by Emile Ronn.
It was first recorded by the French singer Damia. And has been.

A typical Chanson realiste of the era, it tells the story of a girl of the street and a pimp.

Love:
“Quand je danse avec le grand frisé (When I dance with the tall guy with curly hair)
Il a une façon de m’enlacer (He has a way to embrace me)
Que j’en perds la tête, (That I lose my mind)
Je suis comme une bête.” (I am like an animal)

Introduction to something more dramatic:
“Y’a pas, je suis sa chose à lui, (No doubt, I am his thing)
Je l’ai dans le sang, quoi, c’est mon chéri, (I’ve got him under my skin, so, he is my darling)
Aussi, je l’aime,” (And also, I love him)

The girl of the street and the pimp:
“Quand il s’agit de s’occuper (When it comes to keeping oneself busy)
Je ne vais pas au clair de la lune (I don’t go admiring the moonlight)
Perdre mon temps à rêvasser (Wasting my time dreaming)
Y’a pas, faut que l’pognon rcapplique (For sure, the money must come in)
Pour que l’hiver, quand il fait froid. (For the cold winter)
J’y paye une pelure en poil de bique (To buy him a goat hair’s coat)
Et des godasses en peau de chamois.” (And some shammy leather shoes)

The violence:
“Il me cogne, il me démolit, il me crève, (he beats me, he destroys me, he kills me)
Mais, que voulez-vous, moi, j’aime ça. (but what can you do, I love it)
Après, je m’endors dans un rêve, (After that, I fall asleep in a dreamy state)
En me pelotonnant bien dans ses bras.” (whilst I snuggle up in his arms)

The dramatic beginning:
“Je me revois, lorsque j’étais toute gosse (I can picture myself when I was a wee girl)
Et que me câlinait ma maman, (And my mum was cuddling me)
Que j’ai tuée de chagrin en faisant la noce. (I killed her with grief as I was painting the town red)
Aussi, tout ce qui m’reste maintenant, (So, all I have now)
Quoi, c’est mon homme…” (Yes, it’s my man)

Some expression in context:

J’en perds la tête: Perdre la tête (To lose one’s head)
In French, to lose one’s mind is translated as to lose one’s head.
An expression you will often find in the context of love is to be smitten.

Je l’ai dans le sang: Avoir quelqu’un dans le sang (To have someone in one’s blood)
It would best translate in English as to have someone under one’s skin. It reflects the idea of having an obsessive love-pursuit.

Je ne vais pas au clair de lune: Aller au clair de lune (to go under the moonlight)
Au clair de la lune is a famous nursery rhyme, talking about someone who is asking for a pen and candle to write a love letter.
Au clair de lune is often used to describe a romantic scene in French literature and poetry.

Le pognon (the dosh) is a French slang expression for money.

Une pelure en poil de bique: (an overcoat made of goat’s hair)
Pelure is a slang word for an overcoat. Using goat’s hair, the author implies a cheap or tacky fur coat.
Des godasses en peau de chamois (Some shammy leather clodhoppers)
Godasses is a slang word for shoes. By using a shammy skin, the author implies softness and a cheap material.

Il me cogne, il me demolit, il me crève (He beats me, he destroys me, he kills me)
Cogner is a slang verb for hitting someone.
Demolir quelqu’un means to demolish someone, and is sometimes used in French slang for having sex. (Je l’ai démolie – I shagged her)
Crever is a slang word for to kill. But a common French expression is Se crever au travail (to kill oneself working) or to work, burning the candle at both ends.

Je me revois quand j’etais toute gosse (I picture myself when I was a little girl)
Gosse is a common slang word for kid or kiddo in French.
And often used for poor kids: un gosse de la rue (a kid of the street)

En faisant la noce: (whilst making a wedding)
However, faire la noce often means to have a wild or late-night out, involving drinking and general debauchery. A good English equivalent would be to paint the town red.