In… Read Full Bio ↴Thomas Fersen is a French singer-composer born in 1963 in Paris.
In his youth, he joined a punk band, before playing the piano in cafés-théatre. His first album in 1993 brought him an immediate success.
Fersen is a poet, who enjoys playing with language -he writes his lyrics exclusively in french-, using words, rhymes, symbols and images of vegetal or animal world. He tells strange and funny stories, impressions and dreams of casual life. His smoker's deep voice gives a particular tone to his songs. His musical style varies from one album to another (rock, folk, jazz and blues..).
He is one of the first who joined the Tot Ou tard/WM France label.
Au café de la Paix
Thomas Fersen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
À la brasserie
Du café de la paix.
Je t'attendrai.
Je porte un feutre
De couleur neutre
Et mon pardessus
N'est pas brillant non plus.
Je poserai mon journal
Sur le bar devant moi.
Je poserai mon journal,
Tu me reconnaîtras.
Si t'es en retard,
Passé le quart
Je prendrai un demi
Pour noyer mon ennui.
Si t'est en retard,
Jusqu'au soir
Je prendrai un sérieux
Pour le noyer mieux.
Je plierai mon journal
Sur le bar devant moi,.
Je plierai mon journal.
Tu me reconnaîtras,
Lalala.
On ira
Où tu voudras.
Tu me prendras le bras
Comme autrefois.
On ira voir note rue,
Notre chambre au sixième.
Tout ça n'existe plus
Mais on ira quand même.
L'annonce dans le journal
Est paru il y un mois.
Si tu lis ce journal,
Tu te reconnaîtras,
Lalala.
On ira voir la Seine
Et le coeur de Paris...
Ma maison de carton
Au pont Marie...
On ira voir ailleurs,
On ira faire fortune...
On ira voir ailleurs
Parce qu'il est l'heure.
Les chaises sont sur les tables.
C'est la fin de la fable.
Je pose ce qu'il me reste
Sur le bar devant moi:
Trois clous et un bouton de veste.
Tu ne me reconnaîtras pas.
La nuit étreint le ciel,
La nuit étreint le ciel.
Allez, mon rossignol,
La vie est belle.
The song "Au café de la paix" by Thomas Fersen is a melancholic masterpiece that captures the essence of nostalgia and longing. The lyrics narrate a rendezvous between two former lovers at the café de la paix, a famous Parisian brasserie. The singer is waiting for his old flame, wearing an unremarkable hat and an old coat. He places his newspaper on the bar and waits for her to recognize him. The mood is tense, and the anxiety of anticipation is conveyed effectively.
The song's chorus goes, "On ira voir ailleurs, on ira faire fortune" ("We will go elsewhere, we will make our fortune"), which can be interpreted as the singer's desire to reunite with his lover in a new place, away from their past. They reminisce about their past and visit the streets and places they once knew, but they also acknowledge that those places no longer exist. The singer is willing to move on and start anew.
The last verse marks the end of their meeting, and the singer leaves the café, leaving behind three nails and a button. The song ends with the line, "La nuit étreint le ciel, la nuit étreint le ciel, allez, mon rossignol, la vie est belle" ("The night embraces the sky, the night embraces the sky, come on, my nightingale, life is beautiful"), conveying that although the past is behind them, life can still be beautiful.
Overall, the song captures the bittersweet nature of memories and the longing that accompanies nostalgia. The singer knows that it is time to move on and start anew, but he does not forget the memories that once brought him joy and sadness.
Line by Line Meaning
Rendez-vous
Let's meet up
À la brasserie
At the brewery
Du café de la paix.
Of the cafe of peace.
Je t'attendrai.
I'll wait for you.
Je porte un feutre
I'm wearing a felt hat
De couleur neutre
With a neutral color
Et mon pardessus
And my overcoat
N'est pas brillant non plus.
Is not shining either.
Je poserai mon journal
I will lay down my newspaper
Sur le bar devant moi.
On the bar in front of me.
Tu me reconnaîtras.
You'll recognize me.
Si t'es en retard,
If you're late,
Passé le quart
After a quarter past
Je prendrai un demi
I'll order a half
Pour noyer mon ennui.
To drown my boredom.
Si t'est en retard,
If you're late,
Jusqu'au soir
Until the evening
Je prendrai un sérieux
I'll order a serious one
Pour le noyer mieux.
To drown it better.
Je plierai mon journal
I'll fold my newspaper
Sur le bar devant moi,.
On the bar in front of me,
Tu me reconnaîtras,
You'll recognize me,
Lalala.
Lalala.
On ira
We'll go
Où tu voudras.
Wherever you want.
Tu me prendras le bras
You'll take my arm
Comme autrefois.
Like before.
On ira voir note rue,
We'll go see our street,
Notre chambre au sixième.
Our room on the sixth floor.
Tout ça n'existe plus
All that doesn't exist anymore
Mais on ira quand même.
But we'll still go.
L'annonce dans le journal
The announcement in the newspaper
Est paru il y un mois.
Was published a month ago.
Si tu lis ce journal,
If you read this newspaper,
Tu te reconnaîtras,
You'll recognize yourself,
Lalala.
Lalala.
On ira voir la Seine
We'll go see the Seine
Et le coeur de Paris...
And the heart of Paris...
Ma maison de carton
My cardboard house
Au pont Marie...
At the Marie bridge...
On ira voir ailleurs,
We'll go see elsewhere,
On ira faire fortune...
We'll go find our fortune...
On ira voir ailleurs
We'll go see elsewhere
Parce qu'il est l'heure.
Because it's time.
Les chaises sont sur les tables.
The chairs are on the tables.
C'est la fin de la fable.
This is the end of the fable.
Je pose ce qu'il me reste
I put down what is left of me
Sur le bar devant moi:
On the bar in front of me:
Trois clous et un bouton de veste.
Three nails and a jacket button.
Tu ne me reconnaîtras pas.
You won't recognize me.
La nuit étreint le ciel,
The night embraces the sky,
La nuit étreint le ciel.
The night embraces the sky.
Allez, mon rossignol,
Come on, my nightingale,
La vie est belle.
Life is beautiful.
Contributed by Kaitlyn G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.