The Deserter is a famous anti-war song written by the French poet and musician Boris Vian. It was first performed on the day of the decisive French defeat in the First Indochina War on May 7, 1954.

It was sung by Marcel Mouloudji on that day in concert, and he recorded it a week later. Its sale and broadcast were however forbidden by the French national radio committee until 1962.

Several parts of the song were altered by Boris Vian at the request of and in collaboration with Michel Mouloudji, who was the only singer willing to record it. The biggest change is in the last stanza. In the original version, the deserter has a weapon and intends to defend himself against the forces of law if they pursue him. In the version of Mouloudji (used by many subsequent artists) he promises to be unarmed and be ready to die if pursued. The following is the altered stanza:

If you pursue me, Warn your policemen, That I won't be carrying a weapon, and that they can shoot me.

The resulting version, in spite of its pacifist leaning, was banned from 1954 to 1962 from public broadcast.