Mourir pour des idées- a deeply felt song where he pleads for tolerance and restraint

Mourir pour des idées

A heartfelt poem against those who propagate suicidal ideals.

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 Mourir pour des idées, l'idée est excellente. Moi j'ai failli mourir de ne l'avoir pas eue,(1) Car tous ceux qui l'avaient, multitude accablante, En hurlant à la mort me sont tombés dessus. Ils ont su me convaincre et ma muse insolente, Abjurant ses erreurs, se rallie à leur foi Avec un soupçon de réserve toutefois : Mourons pour des idées, d'accord, mais de mort lente, D'accord, mais de mort lente. Jugeant qu'il n'y a pas péril en la demeure(2), Allons vers l'autre monde en flânant en chemin Car, à forcer l'allure, il arrive qu'on meure Pour des idées n'ayant plus cours le lendemain. Or, s'il est une chose amère, désolante, En rendant l'âme à Dieu c'est bien de constater Qu'on a fait fausse route, qu'on s'est trompé d'idée, Mourons pour des idées, d'accord, mais de mort lente, D'accord, mais de mort lente. Les Saint Jean Bouche d'Or qui prêchent le martyre, Le plus souvent, d'ailleurs, s'attardent ici-bas. Mourir pour des idées, c'est le cas de le dire, C'est leur raison de vivre, ils ne s'en privent pas. Dans presque tous les camps on en voit qui supplantent Bientôt Mathusalem dans la longévité. J'en conclus qu'ils doivent se dire, en aparté (2) "Mourons pour des idées, d'accord, mais de mort lente, D'accord, mais de mort lente. Des idées réclamant le fameux sacrifice, Les sectes de tout poil en offrent des séquelles,(3) Et la question se pose aux victimes novices (4) Mourir pour des idées, c'est bien beau mais lesquelles ? Et comme toutes sont entre elles ressemblantes, Quand il les voit venir, avec leur gros drapeau, Le sage, en hésitant, tourne autour du tombeau. (5) Mourons pour des idées, d'accord, mais de mort lente, D'accord, mais de mort lente. Encor s'il suffisait de quelques hécatombes (6) Pour qu'enfin tout changeât, qu'enfin tout s'arrangeât ! Depuis tant de grands soirs que tant de têtes tombent, (7) Au paradis sur terre on y serait déjà Mais l'âge d'or sans cesse est remis aux calendes, Les dieux ont toujours soif, (8)n'en ont jamais assez, Et c'est la mort, la mort toujours recommencée... Mourons pour des idées, d'accord, mais de mort lente, D'accord, mais de mort lente. Ô vous, les boutefeux, ô vous les bons apôtres, Mourez donc les premiers, nous vous cédons le pas. Mais de grâce, morbleu ! laissez vivre les autres,  La vie est à peu près leur seul luxe ici-bas ; Car, enfin, la Camarde est assez vigilante, Elle n'a pas besoin qu'on lui tienne la faux. Plus de danse macabre autour des échafauds ! Mourons pour des idées, d'accord, mais de mort lente, D'accord, mais de mort lente. 1972 – Fernande.

To die for your ideas. The idea is excellent But I came close to dying for not having one, For all those who had it, an overwhelming mass, While howling for my blood came at me with full force. They managed to convince me, and my insolent muse Recanting her mistakes, rallies to their belief With one tiny proviso all the same Let us die for ideas, fine! but let death come slow Fine! But, let death come slow. Judging that there’s is no great risk in hanging on Let us go to the other world taking our time Because, forcing the pace, chance is that you might die For ideas, no longer current on the morrow. Now if there is a thing, bitter, and heart-breaking On rendering one’s soul to God, it’s to find out That you went wrong and latched onto the wrong idea. Let us die for ideas, fine! but let death come slow Fine! But, let death come slow. The Saint John Chrysotoms (3) who preach for martyrdoms Most often, besides, dawdle down here on earth. To die for  ideas, we are quite right to say so Is their reason for living, they won’t do without. In almost all the groups, you see some  supplanting Soon Methuselah’s record for longevity. I conclude that they must whisper to each other: Let us die for ideas, fine! but let death come slow Fine!! But, let death come slow. Ideas demanding the supreme sacrifice Sects of every ilk offer followers of these And the question is asked of the novice victims: To die for ideas, is very nice - but which? And as they are all alike, one with the other When he sees them coming, with their great big standard The wise man, hesitating, gives the tomb more time. Let us die for ideas, fine! but let death come slow Fine! But, let death come slow Again, if it took only a few mass slaughters For all at last to change, all at last be put right Since so many grand nights when so many heads fell In our heaven on earth we’d be already there But the golden age is postponed constantly The gods are still athirst, have never had enough And it is death, death, over and over again Let us die for ideas, fine! but let death come slow Fine! But, let death come slow Oh you firebrands, oh you the good apostles, Be the first to die then, we stand aside for you. But for mercy’s sake, heavens! allow the rest to live. Life is nearly their sole luxury down here For in truth, the grim reaper keeps close enough watch enough She does not need people to hold for her the scythe No more dance macabre around the grim scaffolds Let us die for ideas, fine! but let death come slow Fine! But, let death come slow

(1)     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", in which he asked for equal sympathy for one of his uncles who died fighting for the Allied cause and a second who died fighting for the Fascist cause. The ideas that he expressed towards the war caused great anger in the majority of the population.

(2)     la demeure –the general meaning is “dwelling”, but it has a secondary meaning of a legal delay or stay.  Il n'y a pas péril en la demeure is an idiom  meaning  « One is not taking any risk by waiting »

(3)     Saint John Chrysotom the 14th century bishop was known as the “Golden Mouth” on account of the power of his oratory.

(4)     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.

(5)     Les séquelles usually means consequences, things that follow. Brassens is using its archaic meaning of “followers”. 

(6)     Brassens’ little joke. Martyrdom is something you can’t build up experience in. All martyrs are novices. 

(7)     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. 

(8)     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. 

(9)     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. 

(10)  « 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:

..... 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.

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