His atypical group, mixing Delta blues and the "Main" also includes Benoit Paradis with the trombone, Éric Villeneuve at the drums, Taï Nguyen with the banjo and guitar. They are sometimes joined by Sylvain Delisle with the contra-bass.
Bernard Adamus is inspired by old American blues, Montréal daily life, gospel music, love, country music and Quebecer lyricism.
Launched Mai 4th, 2009 at Cheval Blanc in Montréal his first album, Brun, is well received.
In 2010, he participated in Francouverte and won first prize.
Les obliques
Bernard Adamus Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Et c’est l’revers de la nuit
C’tait bon d’descendre la pente
Vers chez toi mon amie
Là-bas les couvertes pèsent une tonne
Y’a ton corps qui ronronne
Pis Gogo... pose d’la tapisserie...
Tes seins qui m’demandent
« Coudonc, t’es-tu fou mon ostie? »
Pis mon corps qui chante
Une toune qui t’ennuie
« Coudonc y’est donc ben tard
T’es toujours en r’tard que’que part
Lâche-les donc pis dors »
Les matins qui s’lèvent
Quand t’tais à’ job, t’tais partie
Mes sens f’saient la grève
Dans’ cuisine y’avait Val pis Franki
Eux aut’ c'est pas des jokes
Passent au travers la tête haute
Moi chus lourd comme fer, pis l’alcool c’est ma dope
The lyrics to Bernard Adamus's song Les obliques describe a night spent with a lover, ending with the sunrise of a new day. The first verse describes how the "obliques" sway, referring to the swaying movements of trees, which being the opposite of the stillness of the night, signals a new day. The singer of the song reflects on the pleasure he felt in being with his lover and descending the slope, presumably towards her house. They arrive, and she is sleeping, so the singer quietly joins her in bed, feeling the weight of the blankets on them. They are interrupted by Gogo, who is doing some work on the wall, and the sound of his hammering, along with his monotonous work, provide a kind of background for the slumbering lovers.
In the second verse, the tone shifts slightly, as the singer reflects on the almost comical contrast between the intimacy of the moment and the mundaneness of everyday life. He notes his lover's breasts asking if he is crazy, and then sings a tune that bores her, insisting she should just sleep. The third verse describes the next morning, after the singer's lover has left for work. The emptiness of the apartment is filled with the presence of Val and Franki, presumably roommates or friends. The singer reflects on how they are different from him, as they are much more carefree, a stark contrast to how he feels at that moment- weighed down by something heavy and dependent on alcohol to get him through.
Overall, Les obliques paints a vivid picture of intimacy, boredom, and how they interact in a relationship, with the background setting of a new morning on the horizon.
Line by Line Meaning
Les obliques tanguent
The diagonals sway
Et c’est l’revers de la nuit
And it's the night's reverse
C’tait bon d’descendre la pente
It was good to go down the slope
Vers chez toi mon amie
Towards your place, my friend
Là-bas les couvertes pèsent une tonne
There, the blankets weigh a ton
Y’a ton corps qui ronronne
Your body is purring
Pis Gogo... pose d’la tapisserie...
And Gogo... puts up wallpaper
Tes seins qui m’demandent
Your breasts asking me
« Coudonc, t’es-tu fou mon ostie? »
"Are you crazy, my god?"
Pis mon corps qui chante
And my body singing
Une toune qui t’ennuie
A tune that bores you
« Coudonc y’est donc ben tard
"It's so late
T’es toujours en r’tard que’que part
You're always late somewhere
Lâche-les donc pis dors »
Just let it go and sleep"
Les matins qui s’lèvent
The mornings that rise
Quand t’tais à’ job, t’tais partie
When you were at work, you were gone
Mes sens f’saient la grève
My senses were on strike
Dans’ cuisine y’avait Val pis Franki
In the kitchen, there was Val and Franki
Eux aut’ c'est pas des jokes
They are not jokes
Passent au travers la tête haute
Going through it with their heads held high
Moi chus lourd comme fer, pis l’alcool c’est ma dope
I'm heavy as iron, and alcohol is my dope
Lyrics © Dare To Care (Les éditions)
Written by: Bernard Adamus
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind