Index of Songs of Georges Brassens

Song List. The album is in brackets after the song title
The title of each post links directly to the song(s)
1) La mauvaise herbe – (Les amoureux des bancs publics) 1954

2) Mourir pour des idees (Fernande) 1972

3)La tondue - The girl with the shaven head-(Les copains d'abord) 1964/65

4)Three songs of love and romance- Brassens style
La chasse aux papillons (La mauvaise reputation)
J'ai rendez-vous avec vous (Les amoureux des bancs publics)
La premiere fille (Les amoureux des bancs publics)

5) La non-demande en mariage (Supplique pour etre enterre a la plage de Sete)

6) Les Trompettes de la Renommee from album of the same name

7) Saturne (Les copains d'abord

8) La Cane de Jeanne (Les Amoureux des Bancs Publics)

9) Il n'y a pas d'amour heureux (Les amoureux des bancs publics)

10) Dans l'eau de la claire fontaine (Les trompettes de la renommee)

11) L'Orage (Le Mecreant)

12) 1)Les copains d'abord (Les copains d'abord)

13) Ballade des dames du temps jadis -one verse

14) Les amours d’antan (Les trompettes de la renommé)

15) Fernande (Fernande)

16) Les amoureux des bancs publics (Les amoureux des bancs publics)

17) Auprès de mon arbre (Chanson pour l’Auvergnat)

18) Oncle Archibald (Je me suis fait tout petit)

19) Le Gorille (La mauvaise réputation)

20) Le parapluie (La mauvaise réputation)

21) La mauvaise réputation (La mauvaise réputation)

22) Je me suis fait tout petit (Je me suis fait tout petit)

23) Chanson pour l’Auvergnat (Chanson pour l’Auvergnat)

24) Il suffit de passer le pont (La mauvaise réputation)

25) Les Passantes (Fernande)

26) Une jolie fleur (Chanson pour l’Auvergnat)

Georges Brassens, born at Sète on the 22nd October 1921
Died 29th October 1981 at Saint-Gély-du-Fesc, Héraul, the region of his birth



On this blogsite I have posted twenty-eight famous songs by Georges Brassens, with videos, French lyrics and my translation.

My hope is to share my enthusiasm for his songs.

In my translation, I seek to make the meaning as clear as possible. Unfortunately a translator cannot convey the poetry, which resides solely in the words written by Georges Brassens. The quality of his verse has been honoured by the most august literary authorities in France.

He is a true lyric poet because he expresses thoughts and feelings from the heart. He crafts his words and rhythms with infinite care and skill and he tantalises and entertains with different levels of meaning.

And with all this, he does not take himself too seriously and is a great guy!

La mauvaise herbe

In this song, Brassens asks people to allow some space and tolerance to individualists, like him, who cannot accept the conventional values of society. He feels indifferent to patriotism and has a natural affinity with those whose life-style gets them looked down upon as outsiders.


La mauvaise herbe – The worthless weed (1)

La Mauvaise Herbe (live)
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Quand l' jour de gloire est arrivé, (2)
When the day of glory came
Comm' tous les autr's étaient crevés,
As all the rest were dead and gone
Moi seul connus le déshonneur
I alone knew the dishonour
De n' pas êtr' mort au champ d'honneur.
To lie not dead on the field of honour

Je suis d'la mauvaise herbe,
I am some worthless weed
Braves gens, braves gens,
Good people, good people,
C'est pas moi qu'on rumine
It’s not I, chewed to cud
Et c'est pas moi qu'on met en gerbe...(3)
And it’s not I they put in sheaves
La mort faucha les autres
Death cut down the others
Braves gens, braves gens,
Good people, good people
Et me fit grâce à moi, (4)
And me it left unharmed,
C'est immoral et c'est comm' ça !
It’s immoral and it’s like that
La la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la
Et je m' demand'
And I wonder
Pourquoi, Bon Dieu,
Why then Good God
Ça vous dérange (5)
It puts you out
Que j' vive un peu...
That I should live a bit
Et je m' demand'
And I wonder
Pourquoi, Bon Dieu,
Why then, Good God
Ça vous dérange
It puts you out
Que j' vive un peu...
That I should live a bit.

La fille à tout l'monde(6) a bon coeur,
The girl for all is good at heart,
Ell' me donne, au petit bonheur
She gives me, when luck will have it
Les p'tits bouts d' sa peau, bien cachés,
The little ends of her skin well hidden
Que les autres n'ont pas touchés.
That the others have not touched

Je suis d'la mauvaise herbe,
I am some worthless weed
Braves gens, braves gens,
Good people, good people,
C'est pas moi qu'on rumine
It’s not I, chewed to cud
Et c'est pas moi qu'on met en gerbe...
And it’s not I they put in sheaves

Elle se vend aux autres,
She charges the others
Braves gens, braves gens,
Good people, good people,
Elle se donne à moi,
She gives free to me.
C'est immoral et c'est comme ça !
It’s immoral and it’s like that !
La la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la
Et je m' demand'
And I wonder
Pourquoi, Bon Dieu,
Why then, Good God
Ça vous dérange
It puts you out
Qu'on m'aime un peu.
That I am loved a bit
Et je m' demand'
And I wonder
Pourquoi, Bon Dieu,
Why then, Good God
Ça vous dérange
It puts you out
Qu'on m'aime un peu..
That I am loved a bit.

Les hommes sont faits, nous dit-on,
All men are made, they tell us,
Pour vivre en band', comm' les moutons.
To live in groups, like flocks of sheep.
Moi, j' vis seul, et c'est pas demain
I live alone, and no time soon
Que je suivrai leur droit chemin.
Shall I follow their right direction..

Je suis d'la mauvaise herbe,
I am some worthless weed
Braves gens, braves gens,
Good people, good people,
C'est pas moi qu'on rumine
It’s not I, chewed to cud
Et c'est pas moi qu'on met en gerbe...
And it’s not I they put in sheaves

Je suis d' la mauvaise herbe,
I am some worthless weed
Braves gens, braves gens,
Good people, good people
Je pousse en liberté
I grow in liberty
Dans les jardins mal fréquentés !
In the gardens where few folk stray
La la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la
Et je m' demand'
And I wonder
Pourquoi, Bon Dieu,
Why then Good God
Ça vous dérange
It puts you out
Que j' vive un peu...
That I should live a bit

Georges Brassens
1954 - Les amoureux des bancs publics

Notes
(1) “La mauvaise herbe” means “the weed”, but I put “worthless” in front because of image conveyed in English when the epithet is applied to a person - we think of some-one weak and ineffectual. This is not appropriate for the powerful physical presence and personality of Brassens. In reality, weeds are often the biggest and sturdiest plants in our gardens and I suppose that some-one described as a weed ought to feel quite flattered.

(2) “Le jour de gloire est arrive” – a well-known line in the French National Anthem- the day of glory has arrived, with the Allied victory of 1945. Brassens had however opted out of the Second World War, hidden by his dear friend, Jeanne, in her slum Paris tenement. I tell the story more fully in my comments on the song: "Chanson pour l’Auvergnat".

(3) The “Good people” are not weeds like the author of the poem. The contrasting image for these worthy folk is the corn of the fields. They have a useful purpose in the world, just as the corn feeds the cattle and yields a fruitful harvest, evidenced by the sheaves in the fields.

(4) « Faire grâce à » means « to spare ». (I make changes occasionally to keep a certain flow to the lines)

(5) “Ça vous derange” – The “you” he is addressing is not primarily God but all the worthy people who might disapprove of him and his conduct- in which case “Good God” would seem to be more of an exclamation.

(6) The girl who sells herself to everyone has put herself outside the bounds of respectable society. She recognises that he is a fellow outsider. In their natural fellowship, the poet and the prostitute enjoy an uninhibited and sincere relationship.


Brassens had depicted himself as an outsider in his song collection of the previous year with his song; "La mauvaise reputation".

Click here to return to the full index of Brassens songs on this blog

Georges Brassens- Mourir pour des idées- with English translation and commentary

Mourir pour des idées

Brassens tells us that after the hostile response he has had after writing two recent songs (“Les deux oncles” and “La tondue”) he has decided to change his standpoint and accept that it’s a good idea to die for an ideology, his only proviso being that death should be a lifetime in coming. The song goes on to justify this delay.

mourir pour des idées
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Mourir pour des idées
Mourir pour des idées, l'idée est excellente.
To die for some ideas. The idea is excellent
Moi j'ai failli mourir de ne l'avoir pas eue,(A)
I came close to dying for not having had it, (i.e. not having had the idea)
Car tous ceux qui l'avaient, multitude accablante,
For all those who had it, a most forceful multitude
En hurlant à la mort me sont tombés dessus.
Howling out for my blood came down most hard on me
Ils ont su me convaincre et ma muse insolente,
They knew how to convince me and my insolent muse
Abjurant ses erreurs, se rallie à leur foi
Recanting her mistakes, adheres to their belief
Avec un soupçon de réserve toutefois :
With a touch of reservation all the same
Mourons pour des idées, d'accord, mais de mort lente,
Let’s die for some ideas, agreed, but dying slow
D'accord, mais de mort lente.
Agreed, but dying slow.

Jugeant qu'il n'y a pas péril en la demeure,
Judging there is no great peril in hanging on
Allons vers l'autre monde en flânant en chemin
Let’s go to the next world while dawdling on the way
Car, à forcer l'allure, il arrive qu'on meure
For, by forcing the pace, chance is you might die
Pour des idées n'ayant plus cours le lendemain.
For some ideas, nobody holds the day after
Or, s'il est une chose amère, désolante,
Now if it’s a bitter thing, and woeful
En rendant l'âme à Dieu c'est bien de constater
Rend’ring one’s soul to God, it’s a good thing to find out
Qu'on a fait fausse route, qu'on s'est trompé d'idée,
That you lost your way, that your idea was wrong.
Mourons pour des idées, d'accord, mais de mort lente,
Let’s die for some ideas, agreed, but dying slow
D'accord, mais de mort lente.
Agreed, but dying slow
.

Les Saint Jean Bouche d'Or qui prêchent le martyre,
The Saint Johns Chrysotom (1) who preach martyr’s deaths
Le plus souvent, d'ailleurs, s'attardent ici-bas.
Most frequently, themselves, stay on here below
Mourir pour des idées, c'est le cas de le dire,
To die for some ideas, we are quite right to say
C'est leur raison de vivre, ils ne s'en privent pas.
Is their reason for living, they won’t give it away.
Dans presque tous les camps on en voit qui supplantent
In almost all the groups, you see some who’ll supplant
Bientôt Mathusalem dans la longévité.
Quite soon Mathusalem as to longevity.
J'en conclus qu'ils doivent se dire, en aparté (2)
I conclude they must say under their breath:
"Mourons pour des idées, d'accord, mais de mort lente,
Let’s die for some ideas, agreed, but dying slow
D'accord, mais de mort lente.
Agreed, but dying slow



Des idées réclamant le fameux sacrifice,
Ideas demanding the supreme sacrifice
Les sectes de tout poil en offrent des séquelles,(3)
Sects of every ilk bring zealots for the act
Et la question se pose aux victimes novices (4)
And the question is asked of the novice victims:
Mourir pour des idées, c'est bien beau mais lesquelles ?
To die for some ideas, is quite fine but which ones?
Et comme toutes sont entre elles ressemblantes,
And as they are all very much alike
Quand il les voit venir, avec leur gros drapeau,
When he sees them coming, their huge flag held aloft
Le sage, en hésitant, tourne autour du tombeau. (5)
The wise man turns from the tomb, takes a bit more time
Mourons pour des idées, d'accord, mais de mort lente,
Let’s die for some ideas, agreed, but dying slow
D'accord, mais de mort lente.
Agreed, but dying slow

Encor s'il suffisait de quelques hécatombes (6)
Also if it took only a few mass slaughters
Pour qu'enfin tout changeât, qu'enfin tout s'arrangeât !
For all at last to change, for all at last go right
Depuis tant de grands soirs que tant de têtes tombent, (7)
Since so many great nights when so many heads fell
Au paradis sur terre on y serait déjà
In our heaven on earth we would be now installed
Mais l'âge d'or sans cesse est remis aux calendes,
But the golden age is postponed constantly
Les dieux ont toujours soif, (8)n'en ont jamais assez,
The gods are still athirst, have never had enough
Et c'est la mort, la mort toujours recommencée...
And it is death, death, over and over again
Mourons pour des idées, d'accord, mais de mort lente,
Let’s die for some ideas, agreed, but dying slow
D'accord, mais de mort lente.
Agreed, but dying slow

Ô vous, les boutefeux, ô vous les bons apôtres,
Oh you firebrands, oh you righteous apostles,
Mourez donc les premiers, nous vous cédons le pas.
Be the first to die then, we stand aside for you.
Mais de grâce, morbleu ! laissez vivre les autres,
But for mercy’s sake, morbleu! let the others live.
La vie est à peu près leur seul luxe ici-bas ;
Life is nearly their sole luxury down here
Car, enfin, la Camarde est assez vigilante,
For in truth, the grim reaper keeps close watch enough
Elle n'a pas besoin qu'on lui tienne la faux.
She does not need people to hold for her the scythe
Plus de danse macabre autour des échafauds !
No more dance macabre around the grim scaffolds
Mourons pour des idées, d'accord, mais de mort lente,
Let’s die for some ideas, agreed, but dying slow
D'accord, mais de mort lente.
Agreed, but dying slow
1972 – Fernande.

Notes
(A) (I missed putting this note in and so I am putting it under"A" until I renumber the whole list). When Brassens says he almost died for not having ideas, he is referring to the violent reception he was given after writing his song "Les Deux Oncles". When he says he had rejected ideas in this song, he means the ideologies that make people kill each other. He asked for equal sympathy for one of his uncles who died fighting for the Allied cause and the second who died fighting for the Fascist cause. We have to remember that France had a complex and conflicting web of political loyalties during the Second World War and that when Brassens wrote this song, the French President De Gaulle, had made Germany his major ally while he pursued anti-British policies. All people are entitled to their own opinions from their own experience. However, most people would admit that Brassens did not express himself very tactfully in "Les Deux Oncles", suggesting that all the suffering of these horrific years rested on a nationalistic fight between the "Teutons" and the "Tommies". I don't remember any reaction in Britain but the anger in some sections of the French public was intense.
(1) Saint John Chrysotom the 14th century bishop was known as the “Golden Mouth” on account of the power of his oratory..
(2) En aparté : When something is said as an aside on the stage, so that, in theory, the audience can hear but the characters in the play cannot.
(3) Les séquelles usually means consequences, things that follow. Brassens is uses its archaic meaning of “followers”
(4) Brassens’ little joke. Martyrdom is something you can’t build up experience in. All martyrs are novices.
(5) tourne autour du tombeau. There are two ideas in this line. Collins Robert tells us that “Un individu tourne autour de la maison depuis une heure” means some-one has been hanging around outside the house for an hour. The phrase could also link with the expression: “tourner autour du pot” = take your time about what you are going to do.
(6) Hécatombes- A hecatomb was originally a sacrifice to the ancient Greek and Roman gods of 100 oxen or cattle. Brassens uses it in its modern meaning of a mass slaughter.
(7) Brassens is talking about the frenzied slaughter of the French Revolution. The alliteration of the “t” in this line is the drumbeat as heads fall.
(8) « Les dieux ont soif » is Anatole France’s brilliant novel about the period of the Terror. I have a summary of the book on my literature website. To read the summary -it's long!- click here

A Footnote
Arthur Koestler made this comment about ideologies:
2)..... the crimes of violence committed for selfish, personal motives are historically insignificant compared to those committed ad majorem gloriam Dei, out of a self-sacrificing devotion to the flag, a leader, a religious faith or political conviction.

Click here to return to the full index of Brassens songs on this blog

Georges Brassens- La Tondue - with English translation and commentary

In this song Brassens expresses his shock at the cruelty of which groups of people are capable in the grip of a strong idea.
After the liberation of France from the Germans, there was a period when groups of people in France took the law into their own hands and settled scores against those who were accused of collaboration. In some cases people were arbitrarily condemned and then lined up against the wall and shot. Among the victims of these reprisals were women who had fraternised with the Germans. Some of these, we are told, were prostitutes who had worked in military brothels -as if this would excuse this public cruelty!- many were just ordinary girls who had fallen for the charms of young men of another nationality. The punishment for these women is described by Brassens

georges brassens - la tondue
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La tondue -The girl with the shaven head

La belle qui couchait avec le roi de Prusse,(1)
The beauty who slept with the Prussian king
Avec le roi de Prusse,
With the Prussian king
À qui l'on a tondu le crâne rasibus,
Whose scalp they shaved ‘til totally bald
Le crâne rasibus,
‘Til totally bald

Son penchant prononcé pour les "ich liebe dich ", (2)
Her very pronounced taste for the "ich liebe dich ",
Pour les "ich liebe dich ",
For the "ich liebe dich ",
Lui valut de porter quelques cheveux postiches,
Meant her wearing, instead, hair which was false
Quelques cheveux postiches.
Instead, hair which was false.

Les braves sans-culottes, et les bonnets phrygiens, (3)
The brave sans-culottes, and the phrygien bonnets
Et les bonnets phrygiens,
And the phrygien bonnets
Ont livré sa crinière à un tondeur de chiens,
Handed over her hairdo to a shearer of dogs
À un tondeur de chiens.
To a shearer of dogs

J'aurais dû prendre un peu parti pour sa toison,
I ought ‘have stood up a bit for the sake of her mane
Parti pour sa toison,
For the sake of her mane.
J'aurais dû dire un mot pour sauver son chignon,
Ought to have said a word to rescue her chignon
Pour sauver son chignon,
To rescue her chignon

Mais je n'ai pas bougé du fond de ma torpeur,
But I did not budge, fixed in a deep torpor
Du fond de ma torpeur.
Fixed in a deep torpor
Les coupeurs de cheveux en quatre (4) m'ont fait peur,
Cutters of hair right down to the roots made me scared,
En quatre m'ont fait peur.
To the roots, made me scared.

Quand, pire qu'une brosse, elle eut été tondue,
When worse than crew-cut, they had shaved off her hair
Elle eut été tondue,
They had shaved off her hair
J'ai dit : " C'est malheureux, ces accroch'-coeur perdus,
I said “It’s sad indeed, those soft kiss curls (5) all lost
Ces accroch'-coeur perdus. "
Those soft kiss curls all lost
Et, ramassant l'un d'eux qui traînait dans l'ornière,(6)
And picking up one such, which was left in the roadway
Qui traînait dans l'ornière,
Which was left in the roadway
Je l'ai, comme une fleur, mis à ma boutonnière,(6)
I fixed it like a flower, into my coat lapel
Mis à ma boutonnière.
Into my coat lapel

En me voyant partir arborant mon toupet,
On seeing me go off, flaunting my lock of hair
Arborant mon toupet (7)
Flaunting my lock of hair,
Tous ces coupeurs de natt's m'ont pris pour un suspect,
All those cutters of plaits, took me to be a suspect
M'ont pris pour un suspect.
Took me to be a suspect

Comme de la patrie je ne mérite guère,
As of my country my deserts are small
Je ne mérite guère
My deserts are small
J'ai pas la Croix d'Honneur, j'ai pas la Croix de Guerre,
I hold no Cross of Honour, I hold no Cross of War
J'ai pas la Croix de Guerre,
I hold no cross of war
Et je n'en souffre pas avec trop de rigueur,
And this does not pain me to any great degree
Avec trop de rigueur.
To any great degree
J'ai ma rosette (8) à moi : c'est un accroche-coeur,
I do have my rosette: It’s a girl’s kiss curl
C'est un accroche-coeur.
It’s a girl’s kiss curl.
Georges Brassens
1964 - Les copains d'abord.

NOTES
(1) Le roi de Prusse. Brassens just means a German soldier, but feels his first line will be spoiled by saying this bluntly. I can understand this and I have read several explanations for this device. My own idea is that it gives a glimpse of the romantic view of the girl in love.
(2) "ich liebe dich ". (I know I’m saying what we all know already) This phrase means « Je t’aime », the intimate form of I love you.
(3) Les braves sans-culottes, et les bonnets phrygiens. In this line Brassens identifies the mass groups of ordinary people who joined in the violent reprisals against alleged collaborators with the “sans-culottes” of the Revolution of 1789. The common people of France were then given this name because they didn't wear upper class breeches or “culottes”. The Phrygian bonnet was a symbol adopted by the 18th Century Revolution as it was worn under the Roman Empire by former slaves who had been freed. Brassens aroused the anger of left wing activists by making this analogy.
(4) Les coupeurs de cheveux en quatre. « En quatre » is used in a number of expressions to mean to the highest degree (for example “se mettre en quatre pour quelq’un” = to do your utmost for some-one. Brassens was afraid but all the same he would not have been the first choice for bullies to pick on. For a time, Brassens was employed as a bodyguard for Jean-Paul Sartre.
(5) Soft kiss curls. I put in the adjective to give a 3 syllable translation.
(6) L'ornière means « the rut ». It just did not sound right in English. I did not like the sound of the direct translation of boutonnière- buttonhole.
(7) Mon toupet has 2 meanings (a) my tuft of hair (b) my impudence. It was recognised by these administrators of rough justice as an act of defiance.
(8) A Rosette is an insignia of honour in the military and in the Légion d’honneur.

The job completed, the girl is led through the streets with her Franco-German baby.


FOOTNOTE
Arthur Koestler has said:
..... the evils of mankind are caused, not by the primary aggressiveness of individuals, but by their self-transcending identification with groups whose common denominator is low intelligence and high emotionality.

Click here to return to the full index of Brassens songs on this blog

3 songs of love and romance

La chasse aux papillons - Jai rendez-vous avec vous _ La premiere fille


I have put these three songs together as they seem to appear on Brassens favourite compilations and it might be convenient to have the translation on listening to the CD or Download


La chasse aux papillons

Brassens_La chasse aux papillons
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Un bon petit diable à la fleur de l'âge,
A right little devil in the prime of life
La jambe légère et l'oeil polisson,
Nimble of limb, mischief in his eye
Et la bouche plein' de joyeux ramages,
And his mouth full of merry chatter
Allait à la chasse aux papillons.
Was going to chase the butterflies.
Comme il atteignait l'orée du village,
As he reached the edge of the village
Filant sa quenouille, il vit Cendrillon,
Threading her distaff,(1) he saw Cind’rella
Il lui dit : « Bonjour, que Dieu te ménage,
He told her « Good day, may God keep thee well
J' t'emmène à la chasse aux papillons.»
I’m taking thee to chase the butterflies

Cendrillon, ravie de quitter sa cage
Cind’rella, delighted to leave her cage(2)
Met sa robe neuve et ses botillons ;
Puts on her new dress and her bootees
Et bras d'ssus bras d'ssous vers les frais bocages
And linked arm in arm, towards the cool groves
Ils vont à la chasse aux papillons.
They go off to chase the butterflies.
Ils ne savaient pas que sous les ombrages,
They did not know that ‘neath the shady trees
Se cachait l'amour et son aiguillon,
Was hiding Cupid with his tiny dart
Et qu'il transperçait les coeurs de leur âge,
And he was wont to pierce hearts of their age
Les coeurs des chasseurs de papillons.
The hearts of hunters of butterflies.

Quand il se fit tendre, ell' lui dit : « J' présage
When he grew amorous, she told him: « I foresee
Qu' c'est pas dans les plis de mon cotillon,
That it’s not in the folds of my underskirts,
Ni dans l'échancrure de mon corsage,
Nor in the neckline of my bodice,
Qu'on va-t-à la chasse aux papillons. »
That people go after the butterflies »
Sur sa bouche en feu qui criait : « Sois sage ! »
Upon her fiery mouth which cried out « Behave »
Il posa sa bouche en guis' de bâillon,
He placed his mouth to serve to gag her words
Et c' fut l' plus charmant des remue-ménage
And t’was the most charming carrying on
Qu'on ait vus d' mémoire de papillon.
Seen in the memory of butterfly.(3)

Un volcan dans l'âme, i' r'vinr'nt au village,
A volcano in their hearts they came back home
En se promettant d'aller des millions,
Pledging to each other to go, millions,
Des milliards de fois, et mêm' davantage,
Billions of times and even more than that,
Ensemble à la chasse aux papillons.
Together both to chase the butterflies
Mais tant qu'ils s'aim'ront, tant que les nuages
As long they love each other, as long the clouds
Porteurs de chagrins les épargneront,
Bearers of life’s woes do kindly spare them
1I' f'ra bon voler dans les frais bocages,
How nice to take flight to cool, leafy groves.
I' f'ront pas la chasse aux papillons..
They won’t be chasing any butterflies….

Notes
(1) Apparently a distaff is a tool used in spinning. It is designed to hold the unspun fibres, keeping them untangled (Wikipedia).
(2) Perhaps a reference to her virtual imprisonment by the ugly sisters.
(3) “In the memory of man/ In living memory” translates “De mémoire d’homme” hence this little joke, the butterflies being the only spectators.

Georges Brassens
(1953 - La mauvaise réputation,


J'ai rendez-vous avec vous

I could not find a Brassens video of this song and this is a recording I have just found on Daily Motion. I think the singer makes the words clear

Brassens - J'ai rendez vous avec vous
Uploaded by apocalyptique01. - See the latest featured music videos.

Monseigneur l’astre solaire,
Monseigneur the solar star
Comm’ je n’ l’admir’ pas beaucoup,
As I don't admire him a lot,
M’enlèv’ son feu, oui mais, d’ son feu, moi j’m’en fous,
Turns his light off me, yes, but for his light, I care not
J’ai rendez-vous avec vous !
My rendez-vous is with you!
La lumièr’ que je préfère,
The light that I prefer
C’est cell’ de vos yeux jaloux,
Is that of your jealous eyes
Tout le restant m’indiffère,
I’ve no concern for all else
J’ai rendez-vous avec vous !
My rendez-vous is with you!

Monsieur mon propriétaire,
Monsieur, who is my landlord
Comm’ je lui dévaste tout,
As I wreck everything
M’ chass’ de son toit, oui mais, d’ son toit, moi j'm’en fous
Has driven me from his house, yes, but for his house I care not
J’ai rendez-vous avec vous !
My rendez-vous is with you!
La demeur’ que je préfère,
The dwelling that I prefer
C’est votre robe à froufrous (1),
Is your dress with froufrous
Tout le restant m’indiffère,
I’ve no concern for all else
J’ai rendez-vous avec vous !
My rendez-vous is with you!

Madame ma gargotière,
Madame, my rest’rant keeper,
Comm’ je lui dois trop de sous,
As I owe her too much cash
M’ chass’ de sa tabl’, oui mais, d’ sa tabl’, moi j’m’en fous,
Has driven me from her tabl’, yes, but for her tabl’ I care not
J’ai rendez-vous avec vous !
My rendez-vous is with you!
Le menu que je préfère,
The menu I prefer
C’est la chair de votre cou,
Is the flesh of your neck
Tout le restant m’indiffère,
I’ve no concern for all else
J’ai rendez-vous avec vous !
My rendez-vous is with you!

Sa Majesté financière,
His Majesty the banker
Comm’ je n’ fais rien à son goût,
As I do nothing to his taste
Garde son or, or, de son or, moi j’m’en fous,
Keeps his gold, now, for his gold I care not
J’ai rendez-vous avec vous !
My rendez-vous is with you!
La fortun’ que je préfère,
The fortune that I prefer
C’est votre cœur d’amadou,
Is your heart soon on fire
Tout le restant m’indiffère,
I’ve no concern for all else
J’ai rendez-vous avec vous !
My rendez-vous is with you!

NOTES

(1) The dictionary says froufrous are showy or frilly ornamentation on a dress
(2) It is thought that Brassens included this last verse mainly because of the fun of this line with the three « ors ». The second “or” is the conjunction which means “now” not in a sense of time but holding a story together- eg: “There was once a very rich king, now this king had three daughters…….”
(3) The other word for amadou is torchwood. It is a vegetable substance which in the olden days was used to light a fire or a lamp. Sparks were dropped onto the torchwood on which you then blew on to start a flame. The lady to whom the song was dedicated was apparently quickly stirred to passion.
Georges Brassens
1954 - Les amoureux des bancs publics,


La première fille

La Première Fille (live) Brassens
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Georges Brassens got his words wrong in the last verse. I suspect that it is because he was seated so close to his audience, composed of a number of sweet young girls, and felt he had to cut out the explicit words. This led to a mix up with his accompanists.

J'ai tout oublié des campagnes
I have forgotten all the campaigns
D'Austerlitz et de Waterloo
Of Austerlitz and of Waterloo
D'Italie, de Prusse et d'Espagne,
Of Italy, of Prussia and of Spain
De Pontoise et de Landerneau
Of Pontoise and of Landernau.(1)

Jamais de la vie
In your whole lifetime
On ne l'oubliera,
You will not forget her
La première fill'
The very first girl
Qu'on a pris' dans ses bras,
Whom you took in your arms


La première étrangère
The first girl outside your group
À qui l'on a dit "tu" (2)
Whom you risked calling “ tu”
Mon coeur, t'en souviens-tu ?)
My heart do you remember ?
Comme ell' nous était chère...
How dear to us she was
Qu'ell' soit fille honnête
Whether a nice girl
Ou fille de rien,
Or not nice at all
Qu'elle soit pucelle (3)
Whether quite pure
Ou qu'elle soit putain, (3)
Or whether too free
On se souvient d'elle,
One remembers her
On s'en souviendra,
One will continue to
D'la première fill'
The very first girl
Qu'on a pris' dans ses bras
Whom you took in your arms
.

Ils sont partis à tire-d'aile
They have left me with great haste
Mes souvenirs de la Suzon,
My recollections of Susie
Et ma mémoire est infidèle
And my memory’s unfaithful
À Julie, Rosette ou Lison
To Julie, Rosette or Lison

Jamais de la vie
In your whole lifetime
On ne l'oubliera,
You will not forget her
La première fill'
The very first girl
Qu'on a pris' dans ses bras,
Whom you took in your arms

C'était un' bonne affaire
It was a good exchange
(Mon coeur, t'en souviens-tu ?)
My heart do you remember ?
J'ai changé ma vertu
I traded my virtue
Contre une primevère...
And got a primrose back (4)
Qu' ce soit en grand' pompe
Whether it be with grand pomp
Comme les gens "bien",
As « right » people do
Ou bien dans la ru',
Or else done in the street
Comm' les pauvre' et les chiens,
Like the dogs and the poor folk
On se souvient d'elle,
One remembers her
On s'en souviendra,
One will continue to
D'la première fill'
The very first girl
Qu'on a pris' dans ses bras
Whom you took in your arms

Toi, qui m'as donné le baptême
You who gave me the baptism
D'amour et de septième ciel,
Of love and seventh heaven
Moi, je te garde et, moi, je t'aime,
I keep you still and I love you
Dernier cadeau du Pèr' Noël !
The last present of Santa Claus (5)

Jamais de la vie
In your whole lifetime
On ne l'oubliera,
You will not forget her
La première fill'
The very first girl
Qu'on a pris' dans ses bras,
Whom you took in your arms

On a beau fair' le brave,
In vain the brave front
Quand ell' s'est mise nue
She took off her clothes
(Mon coeur, t'en souviens-tu ?)
My heart do you remember?
On n'en menait pas large...
You just fell through the floor
Bien d'autres, sans doute,
Many others, no doubt
Depuis, sont venues,
Since that time, have come
Oui, mais, entre toutes
Yes, but, among all
Celles qu'on a connues,
Those whom you have known
Elle est la dernière
She is the last one
Que l'on oubliera,
Whom you will forget
La première fill'
The very first girl
Qu'on a pris' dans ses bras,
Whom you took in your arms

NOTES
(1) Brassens says that he has forgotten all the history he learnt at school and to illustrate the point he includes in the last line two places that do not figure in war history.
(2) The change from using the “vous” form of you to the « tu » form is made when you assume you have reached a certain stage of familiarity. It can be a sensitive moment.
(3) pucelle means virgin and putain means whore, but I wanted to soften these lines, as the harsh moral standards of the 50s, which Brassens deplored no longer apply.
(4) Brassens uses elsewhere, the primrose, flower of early spring, as a symbol of the young love that replaces lost virginity
(5) The experience of lovemaking marked the end of childhood

Georges Brassens
(1954 - Les amoureux des bancs publics.)
Click here to return to the full index of Brassens songs on this blog

La non-demande en mariage

The title of this song: “The Non proposal of Marriage” suggests a cynical view of the relationship of a man with a woman. In fact, the song is a sincere love song, in which Brassens expresses to his lifelong fiancée, Joha Heiman, his deep appreciation for her role in their very successful and very individual partnership.

brassens - non demande en mariage
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Ma mie, de grâce, ne mettons
Beloved, for mercy’s sake, let us
Pas sous la gorge à Cupidon
Not put, beneath Cupid’s throat
Sa propre flèche,
His own arrow, (1)
Tant d'amoureux l'ont essayé
So many lovers have tried
Qui, de leur bonheur, ont payé
Who have paid with their lost joys for
Ce sacrilège...
This sacrilege…

J'ai l'honneur de
I have the honour
Ne pas te demander ta main,
Not to ask your hand in marriage
Ne gravons pas
Let’s not inscribe
Nos noms au bas
Our names at the end
D'un parchemin.
Of some parchment

Laissons le champ libre à l’oiseau, (Cupid)
Let’s leave a free hand to the fellow
Nous serons tous les deux priso-
We will both of us be two pris
nniers sur parole,
..oners on parole
Au diable, les maîtresses queux
Devil take the mistress chefs
Qui attachent les coeurs aux queues
Who pin their hearts to handles
Des casseroles!
Of pots and pans

J'ai l'honneur de
I have the honour
Ne pas te demander ta main,
Not to ask your hand in marriage
Ne gravons pas
Let’s not inscribe
Nos noms au bas
Our names at the end
D'un parchemin.
Of some parchment

Vénus se fait vieille souvent
Venus herself often grows old
Elle perd son latin devant
She loses her latin (2) faced by
La lèchefrite
The dripping pan.
A aucun prix, moi je ne veux
At no price would I ever wish
Effeuiller dans le pot-au-feu
To pluck petals for the stew from
La marguerite.
The marguerite. (3)

J'ai l'honneur de
I have the honour
Ne pas te demander ta main,
Not to ask your hand in marriage
Ne gravons pas
Let’s not inscribe
Nos noms au bas
Our names at the end
D'un parchemin.
Of some parchment

On leur ôte bien des attraits,
You remove so many of their charms
En dévoilant trop les secrets
By revealing too much the secrets
De Mélusine. (4)
Of Melusine.
L'encre des billets doux pâlit
The ink of billets doux fades
Vite entre les feuillets des li-
Fast between the pages of books
vres de cuisine.
About cooking

J'ai l'honneur de
I have the honour
Ne pas te demander ta main,
Not to ask your hand in marriage
Ne gravons pas
Let’s not inscribe
Nos noms au bas
Our names at the end
D'un parchemin.
Of some parchment

Il peut sembler de tout repos
It might well seem the easy way
De mettre à l'ombre, au fond d'un pot
To put, well out of view, at the bottom
De confiture,
Of a jam jar
La jolie pomme défendue,
The pretty forbidden fruit
Mais elle est cuite, elle a perdu
But it is cooked, it has quite lost
Son goût "nature".
Its fresh picked taste.

J'ai l'honneur de
I have the honour
Ne pas te demander ta main,
Not to ask your hand in marriage
Ne gravons pas
Let’s not inscribe
Nos noms au bas
Our names at the end
D'un parchemin.Of some parchment


De servante n'ai pas besoin,
O f servant I have no need
Et du ménage et de ses soins
And from housekeeping and its tasks
Je te dispense...
I make you free
Qu'en éternelle fiancée,
So that, eternal fiancee,
A la dame de mes pensées
Of you, lady of my choice,
Toujours je pense...
I think always.

J'ai l'honneur de
I have the honour
Ne pas te demander ta main,
Not to ask your hand in marriage
Ne gravons pas
Let’s not inscribe
Nos noms au bas
Our names at the end
D'un parchemin.
Of some parchment

NOTES
1) It was for Cupid, the God of love, to aim his arrows himself. Love should be spontaneous and it is a sacrilege for people to think to arrange things for themselves.
2) perd son latin – The phrase « J’y perds mon latin » means « I am completely baffled by it ». Brassens uses this image to conjure up the mental decline caused by domestic chores and it is humorous as the Goddess of Love was a Roman Goddess..
3) Effeuiller la marguerite. Plucking the petals of the oxeye daisy is a game that lovers play, while saying “She loves me – she loves me not.”. Another image to suggest the adulteration of love by domesticity.
4) In Breton folk-lore, Mélusine was a fairy upon whom a wicked spell had been cast which turned her into a siren on one day each week. A local nobleman, Raimond de Lusignan, came across her with other fairies in the woods and was captivated by her beauty and gentle manners. She agreed to marry him on condition that he did not seek to find out her life story or try to see her on Saturdays. They had a happy and most prosperous relationship until one Saturday…. As this is a folk tale, which are invariably very miserable you can guess the rest. Brassens is saying that both parties in a relationship are entitled to their own private space, where they retain things secret from the other.
5) The French also talk of “le fruit défendu”. I substituted “fruit” because I did not like the sound of the English word “apple” in this line.
6) la dame de mes pensées….Toujours je pense. There is a play on words here that I find impossible to translate. In the tradition of chivalry, a knight before entering the lists would choose one lady, of whom he would be the champion and to whom he would dedicate his endeavours. She became “la dame de ses pensées”. It was a relationship of the mind, a platonic love, because the lady chosen by the knight would, more often, be married to someone else. In “Je me suis fait tout petit” Brassens suggests that their relationship was of the same kind. However the mention of the forbidden apple suggests that not only was sex an element of their relationship, but that it always retained the tangy flavour of seduction.

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES
Georges Brassens and Joha Heiman shared each others’ lives, doing a lot of things together, but they lived apart in their separate homes. They had regular telephone conversations and called around to see each other frequently. She went on tour with him and stood in the wings during his performances, keeping an eye on everything. Their’s was a personal and a professional relationship but certainly not a domestic one. They each had their own space, which could be described perhaps as their Saturday of Mélusine.

Georges Brassens is reported as saying of his "Puppchen" that she was not his wife, she was his goddess. On her death in 1999, she was buried in the grave of Georges Brassens.

The day after I posted this, I read in the Times of the rise in the number middle-class, middle-aged couples, who choose to "live apart together".
Click here to return to the full index of Brassens songs on this blog

LES TROMPETTES DE LA RENOMMÉE

This is Brassens at his most shocking and offensive and he is deliberately so. Apparently he had been advised (in 1960) to liven up his image in keeping with an age that was beginning to swing. One suggestion was that he should revive public attention by leaking spicy details of his private life. Brassens thinks that this would be nasty not only for him but for those who have shared his life. In each verse he mercilessly piles on the detail of the squalid, destructive role others would have him play. He refuses to change and says he will just stand still on stage and play his guitar as always. He calls this scratching his stomach to show his disregard for presentation. If the public do not want this, he will pack it all in and rest peacefully on his laurels, which in his case is not a laurel wreath but the solitary laurel sprig he believes he has earned.

Georges Brassens - les trompettes de la renommée
Uploaded by vodka33.

Brassens chooses the winged goddess “La Renomée” for his theme, because of the aspect of fame that she represents. From his reading of Virgil, Brassens knew the goddess, Fama, was conceived by her mother, the Earth, out of revenge against the gods. She is a gigantic, grotesque monster, possessing countless tongues, ears and also mouths from which she sounds forth her trumpets.

I put this song in my collection not because it is one of my favourites but because students of Brassens’ work have referred to it.

Je vivais à l'écart de la place publique,
I lived apart from the public eye
Serein, contemplatif, ténébreux, bucolique... (1)
Serene, contemplative, sombre,
bucolic
Refusant d'acquitter la rançon de la gloir',
Refusing to hand over the ransom asked for fame
Sur mon brin de laurier je dormais comme un loir. (2)
On my sprig of laurel I would sleep dormouse like
Les gens de bon conseil ont su me fair' comprendre
People of good counsel were able to make me see
Qu'à l'homme de la ru' j'avais des compt's à rendre
That to the man in the street, I had some debts to pay
Et que, sous peine de choir dans un oubli complet,
And that, on pain of falling in complete oblivion,
J' devais mettre au grand jour tous mes petits secrets.
I must bring into the open all my little secrets

{Refrain:}
Trompettes
Trumpets
De la Renommée,
Of Goddess Fame,
Vous êtes
You make
Bien mal embouchées ! (3)
A most discordant din !

Manquant à la pudeur la plus élémentaire,
Flouting the most elementary modesty
Dois-je, pour les besoins d' la caus' publicitaire,
Must I, for the needs of the publicist’s cause,
Divulguer avec qui, et dans quell' position
Divulge with whom and in what position
Je plonge dans le stupre et la fornication?
I plunge into debauchery and fornication?
Si je publi' des noms, combien de Pénélopes(4)
If I publish names, how many Penelopes
Passeront illico pour de fieffé's salopes,
Will be seen straightaway as the most arrant whores
Combien de bons amis me r'gard'ront de travers,
How many good friends will give me funny looks?
Combien je recevrai de coups de revolver!
How many revolver shots will hit their mark on me!
{Refrain:}
Trompettes
Trumpets
De la Renommée,
Of Goddess Fame,
Vous êtes
You make
Bien mal embouchées ! (3)
A most discordant din !

Brassens omits this next verse.

A toute exhibition, ma nature est rétive,
Public display makes my nature ill at ease,
Souffrant d'un' modesti' quasiment maladive,
Suffering from modesty that’s almost unhealthy.
Je ne fais voir mes organes procréateurs
I do not show my reproductive organs
A personne, excepté mes femm's et mes docteurs.
To anyone, except my women and my doctors.
Dois-je, pour défrayer la chroniqu' (5) des scandales,
Must I, to be headline news in gossip columns,
Battre l' tambour (6) avec mes parti's génitales,
Drum up attention with my genitals as sticks.
Dois-je les arborer plus ostensiblement,
Must I raise them on high more ostensibly
As a choir boy carries the holy sacrament.
Comme un enfant de chœur porte un saint sacrement ?

Refrain
Trompettes
Trumpets
De la Renommée,
Of Goddess Fame,
Vous êtes
You make
Bien mal embouchées ! (3)
A most discordant din !


Une femme du monde, et qui souvent me laisse
A woman of society, who often gives me
Fair' mes quat' voluptés (7) dans ses quartiers d' noblesse,
Free rein to voluptuous joys in her noble quarters
M'a sournois'ment passé, sur son divan de soi',
On the quiet passed on, upon her silken couch,
Des parasit's du plus bas étage qui soit...
Parasites of the basest kind that be.
Sous prétexte de bruit, sous couleur de réclame,
Under the pretext of sensation, under the heading of publicity
Ai-j' le droit de ternir l'honneur de cette dame
Have I the right to tarnish the honour of this lady?
En criant sur les toits, et sur l'air des lampions (8) :
By shouting from the rooftops and chanting the catchphrase
" Madame la marquis' m'a foutu des morpions ! " ? (9)
“Madame la Marquise has given me her crabs!”?

Refrain
Trompettes
Trumpets
De la Renommée,
Of Goddess Fame,
Vous êtes
You make
Bien mal embouchées ! (3)
A most discordant din !


Le ciel en soit loué, je vis en bonne entente
Heaven indeed be praised, I live on the best of terms,
Avec le Pèr' Duval, (10) la calotte chantante,
With le père Duval, the singing skullcap,
Lui, le catéchumène,(11) et moi, l'énergumèn',
He the catechumen, I the non-conforming man,
Il me laisse dire « merd', je lui laiss' dire amen,
He lets me say “Shit!”, I let him say “Amen”,
En accord avec lui, dois-je écrir' dans la presse
With his approval, must I write then in the press
Qu'un soir je l'ai surpris aux genoux d' ma maîtresse,
That one evening I surprised him at the knees of my mistress,
Chantant la mélopé' d'une voix qui susurre, (12)
Singing a murmured chant in a slushing voice,
Tandis qu'ell' lui cherchait des poux dans la tonsure ? (13)
The while she searched for him the fleas in his bald patch

Refrain
Trompettes
Trumpets
De la Renommée,
Of Goddess Fame,
Vous êtes
You make
Bien mal embouchées ! (3)
A most discordant din !


Avec qui, ventrebleu ! faut-il que je couche
So with whom, ventrebleu !, must I go to bed
Pour fair' parler un peu la déesse aux cent bouches ?
To provoke a bit the goddess with hundred mouths?
Faut-il qu'un' femme célèbre, une étoile, une star, 14
Must a woman who is a celebrity, a star
Vienn' prendre entre mes bras la plac' de ma guitar' ?
Come to take in my arms the place of my guitar?
Pour exciter le peuple et les folliculaires,
To excite the people and the gutter press.
Qui'est-c' qui veut me prêter sa croupe populaire,
Who is willing to lend me her much fancied butt?
Qui'est-c' qui veut m' laisser faire, in naturalibus,
Who is willing to let me, not wearing a stitch,
Un p'tit peu d'alpinism' sur son mont de Vénus ?
Have a bit of a scramble on her mount of Venus

Refrain
Trompettes
Trumpets
De la Renommée,
Of Goddess Fame,
Vous êtes
You make
Bien mal embouchées ! (3)
A most discordant din !


Sonneraient-ell's plus fort, ces divines trompettes,
Would these trumpets of the Gods ring out more loud
Si, comm' tout un chacun, j'étais un peu tapette, (15)
If, like each and everyone, I was a bit that way,
Si je me déhanchais comme une demoiselle
If I swayed my hips more like a young woman
Et prenais tout à coup des allur's de gazelle?
And suddenly took on a gazelle like grace
Mais je ne sache pas qu'ça profite à ces drôles
But I’m not aware that these jokers gain at all,
De jouer le jeu d' l'amour en inversant les rôles,
From playing the game of love by inverting the roles,
Qu'ça confère à ma gloire un' onc' de plus-valu', (16)
That this would add one ounce more merit to my name.
Le crim' pédérastique, aujourd'hui, ne pai' plus.
The crime of same sex love, today, no longer pays.


Refrain
Trompettes
Trumpets
De la Renommée,
Of Goddess Fame,
Vous êtes
You make
Bien mal embouchées ! (3)
A most discordant din !


Après c'tour d'horizon des mille et un' recettes
After this review of the thousand and one smart tricks
Qui vous val'nt à coup sûr les honneurs des gazettes,
Which are certain to earn the honours of the press
J'aime mieux m'en tenir à ma premièr' façon
I prefer to keep to my first way of doing things
Et me gratter le ventre en chantant des chansons.
And scratch my stomach, as ever, while singing songs
Si le public en veut, je les sors dare-dare,
If the public wants, I bring them out quick time.
S'il n'en veut pas je les remets dans ma guitare,
If not, I put them all back into my guitar,
Refusant d'acquitter la rançon de la gloir',
Refusing to hand over the ransom asked for fame
Sur mon brin de laurier je m'endors comme un loir.
On my laurel sprig, I rest, sleeping like a dormouse

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NOTES From Wikipedia,

PHEME or OSSA was the goddess or spirit (daimon) of rumour, report and gossip. She was also, by extension, the dual spirit of fame and good repute in a positive sense, and infamy and scandal in the bad.
In Greek mythology, Pheme (Greek: Φήμη, Roman equivalent: Fama) was the personification of fame and renown, her favour being fame, her wrath being scandalous rumors.

MY NOTES
1) Bucolic- Brassens saw himself at home in a pastoral setting in his song “Auprès de mon arbre”. (The adjective ‘bucolic’ is derived from the Greek word for herdsmen). By using this adjective, he reminds us that his attitude has a long, honourable tradition dating back to the poets of Greece and Rome

2) Je dormais comme un loir. There are two expressions based on “sleeping” in this line. Dormir comme un loir= to sleep like a dormouse. “S’endormir sur ses lauriers” to rest on one’s laurels.

3) Trompettes… mal embouchées. Brassens is making a play on words. “Emboucher la trompette” is to put the trumpet to your lips to play – in this case wrongly. The idiom “Mal embouché » means speaking coarsely like the English to bad mouth.

4) Pénélope was the faithful wife of Ulysses.

5) défrayer la chronique = to be in the news- to be in the limelight

6) Battre l' tambour. The translation of town crier is tambour de ville because a little drum was used to draw attention, where the English used a bell

7) Mes quat' voluptés : This is a play on words from the phrase « Laisser faire à quelqu’un ses quatre voluptés » = to leave some-one a free hand to do what they like. Alone, the plural noun “voluptés” means sensual pleasures. Ses quartiers refers to the quarters on her noble coat of arms, but has a double meaning.

8) l'air des lampions : This is a chant made by a group of people, which should really be three syllables repeated on the same note. For example, where impatient English people will sing repeatedly the one line: “Why are we waiting?” the French will chant Com-men-cez.., Com-men-cez…. The chant here is shaped by the alliteration of four m sounds.

9) morpions - are pubic lice

10) le Père Duval - Brassens has just said that he should not be expected to reveal secrets of his friends and colleagues. In this verse, he does just that. Le Père Duval (1918- 1984) was a Jesuit priest, who was a gifted songwriter and solo guitarist. He appeared on the same stages as Georges Brassens and was sometimes known as Brassens in a cassock. He was very popular in the 1950s and 1960s and gave more than 3,000 concerts in 44 countries. Under the strain of his professional career he became an alcoholic and had great difficulty in overcoming this addiction. Brassens mischievously tells us he also had another weakness of the flesh.

11) Catéchumène – As this means some-one who is receiving religious instruction it does not apply to a Jesuit priest , but Brassens likes the play on the word with “énergumène” which means a rowdy person.

12) La mélopée means monotonous chant, Susurrer means to whisper. The onomatopoeia of the two French words perfectly conveys the action.

13) This line is intended to give a description of the relative positions of the man and woman rather than give an exact explanation of their activity.

14) une étoile, une star, - as the two words have the same meaning, one noun only is required in the translation.

15) Tapette- Collins Robert tells us that this equates in English to « poof » or « queer ». I am reluctant to use this as the translation would, in contemporary political correctness, make him guilty of a hate crime. As an admirer of Brassens’ character, I am absolutely certain that he did not hate homosexuals. As he says in this same line, homosexuality is all around. A large number of the leading figures in entertainment and the arts were homosexual. At some concerts, the great French songwriter and singer, Charles Trenet was on the same bill as Brassens. What was different in those days was that homosexuality was a criminal offence. Brassens cynically tells those who might have him act as if he had such inclinations to arouse the clamour of the press, that homosexuality does not pay. It is true that Brassens had on some subjects strong feelings that could be represented by the unsympathetic as hatred, but these were directed at people with power who oppressed their fellows. Those vulnerable people he refers to in this verse do not come into that category

16) plus-value is a word used in commerce = increase in value, appreciation.

17) Le crime pédérastique. In the 1950s the word pédéraste was used to describe a homosexual. The homosexual act was not decriminalised in France until the 4th August 1982.

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