Édith Piaf (born Édith Giovanna Gassion, 19 December, 1915 – 11 October, 19… Read Full Bio ↴Édith Piaf (born Édith Giovanna Gassion, 19 December, 1915 – 11 October, 1963), was a French singer and cultural icon who became universally regarded as France's greatest popular singer. Her singing reflected her life, with her specialty being ballads. Among her songs are "La Vie en rose" (1946), "Non, je ne regrette rien" (1960), "Hymne à l'amour" (1949), "Milord" (1959), "La Foule" (1957), "l'Accordéoniste" (1955), and "Padam... Padam..." (1951).

Despite the numerous biographies, many facts and events of Édith's life are shrouded in mystery. She was born Édith Giovanna Gassion in Belleville, Paris, France, the high-immigration district later described by Daniel Pennac. Legend has it that she was born on the pavement of Rue de Belleville 72 but according to her birth certificate that was at Hôpital Tenon, the Belleville arrondissement hospital. She was named Édith after the executed British nurse Edith Cavell (Piaf —Parisian jargon for "sparrow"— came from a nickname she would receive twenty years later).

Her mother, Annetta Giovanna Maillard (1898 – 1945), was a partly-Italian 17-year-old girl, native of Livorno, working as a café singer under the pseudonym Line Marsa; from her, Édith took the middle name of Giovanna. Her father, Louis-Alphonse Gassion (1881 – 1944), was a street acrobat with a theatrical past. The little Édith was soon abandoned and left for a short time to her maternal grandmother, Mena (probably a Kabyle). Shortly after, Édith's father brought the child to his mother, who ran a brothel in Normandy, and then joined the French Army (1916). Thus Édith was in contact with the prostitutes and the various attenders of the brothel since her early years, a circumstance which must have had a deep impact on her personality and vision of life.

From the age of three to seven she was blind. As part of Piaf's legend, she allegedly recovered her sight after her grandmother's prostitutes went on a pilgrimage to Saint Thérèse de Lisieux. In 1929 she joined her father in his acrobatic street performances. Then took a room at Grand Hôtel de Clermont (18 rue Veron, Paris 18ème) and separated from him, going her own way as a street singer in Pigalle, Ménilmontant and Paris suburbs (cf. the song "Elle fréquentait la Rue Pigalle"). She was about 16 years of age when she fell in love with a delivery-boy, Louis Dupont, and shortly after had a child, a little girl named Marcelle. Sadly, Marcelle died in infancy of meningitis.

In 1935, Édith was discovered in the Pigalle area of Paris by the nightclub owner Louis Leplée, whose club was frequented by the upper and lower classes alike. He persuaded her to sing despite her extreme nervousness, which, combined with her height of only 4' 8" (142 cm) inspired him to give her the nickname that would stay with her for the rest of her life and become her stage name: La Môme Piaf (The Little Sparrow). Her first record was produced in the same year. Shortly afterwards, Leplée was murdered and Piaf was accused of being an accessory; she was acquitted.

In 1940, Jean Cocteau wrote the successful play Le Bel Indifférent for her to star in. She began to make friends with famous people, such as the actor Maurice Chevalier and the poet Jacques Borgeat. She wrote the lyrics of many of her songs, and collaborated with composers on the tunes.

Her signature song, "La vie en rose" (which was voted a Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1998) was written in the middle of the German occupation of Paris in World War II. During this time, she was in great demand and very successful. She befriended many high-ranking Germans and sang for them. It is said that she collaborated with the Nazis, too. After the war, she toured Europe, the United States, and South America, becoming an internationally known figure. Her popularity in the U.S. was such that she appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show eight times. She helped to launch the career of Charles Aznavour, taking him on tour with her in France and the United States.

The great love of Piaf's life, the boxer Marcel Cerdan, died in 1949. Piaf was married twice. Her first husband was Jacques Pills, a singer; they married in 1952 and divorced in 1956. Her second husband, Theophanis Lamboukas (also known as Théo Sarapo), was a hairdresser-turned-singer and actor, and was twenty years younger than Piaf; they married in 1962.

In 1951 she was in a car accident, and thereafter had difficulty breaking a serious morphine habit.

The Paris Olympia is the place where Piaf achieved fame and where, just a few months before her death, she gave one of her most memorable concerts while barely able to stand. In early 1963, Piaf recorded her last song, "L'homme de Berlin".

At the early age of 47, Piaf died of cancer in Plascassier, on the French riviera, on October 10, 1963. Her friend Jean Cocteau, very shocked and afflicted by her death, died a few hours later. Her body was returned to Paris where her death was only announced on October 11, the official date of her death. She was buried in Père Lachaise cemetery, Paris. Although she was forbidden a Mass by the Roman Catholic archbishop of Paris (because of her lifestyle), her funeral procession drew hundreds of thousands of mourners onto the streets of Paris and the ceremony at the cemetery was jammed with more than forty thousand fans. Charles Aznavour recalled that Piaf's funeral procession was the only time, since the end of World War II, that Parisian traffic came to a complete stop.

There is a museum dedicated to Piaf, the Musée Édith Piaf at 5, rue Crespin du Gast, 75011, Paris.

Today she is still remembered and revered as one of the greatest singers France has ever produced. Her life was one of sharp contrasts: the range of her fame as opposed to her tragic personal life, and her fragile small figure on stage with the resounding power of her voice.

C'est A Hambourg
Édith Piaf Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

C'est à Hambourg, à Santiago,
A White Chapel, ou Bornéo,
C'est à Hambourg, à Santiago,
A Rotterdam, ou à Frisco

Hello boy! You come with me?
Amigo! Te quiero mucho!
Liebling! Kom dort mit mir!

C'est à Hambourg, au ciel de pluie,
Quand les nuages vont à pas lents,
Comme s'en vont les lourds chalands,
Le long des quais, crevant d'ennui,
C'est à Hambourg ou bien ailleurs
Qu'à tous les gars en mal d'amour,
Qu'à tous les gars, depuis toujours,
Moi je balance du rêve en plein cœur

C'est à Hambourg, à Santiago,
A White Chapel, ou Bornéo,
C'est à Hambourg, à Santiago,
A Rotterdam, ou à Frisco.

C'est à Hambourg, au ciel de pluie,
Qu'il a posé ses mains sur moi
Et qu'il m'a fait crier de joie
En me serrant fort contre lui,
M'a dit "je t'aime!" à plus finir,
"Laisse donc là tous tes marins!
Laisse donc la mer, et puis viens!
Moi, j'ai du bonheur à t'offrir"

"Ma petite gueule"

C'est à Hambourg, au ciel de pluie,
Dans les bastringues à matelots
Que je trimbale encore ma peau,
Les bras ouverts à l'infini.
Car moi je suis comme la mer,
J'ai le cœur trop grand pour un seul gars,
J'ai le cœur trop grand et c'est pour ça
Qu' j'ai pris l'amour sur toute la terre

C'est à Hambourg, à Santiago
A White Chapel, ou Bornéo

So long, boy
Adios, amigo

Nacher, Schatz
Au revoir, petite gueule!

Overall Meaning

The song "C'est À Hambourg" by Edith Piaf is a whimsical celebration of love, adventure, and travel. The singer sings about going to various places around the world, including Hambourg, Santiago, White Chapel, Bornéo, Rotterdam, and Frisco, and finding love and happiness in the arms of different men. The lyrics are full of playful and romantic phrases, as the singer addresses her lovers as "Hello boy," "Amigo," and "Liebling." The song is also infused with a sense of freedom and open-mindedness, as the singer declares that she has "taken love on all the earth" and her heart is too big for just one man.

The setting of the song is primarily in Hambourg, amidst the rainy sky and the slow-moving clouds. The singer describes the city as a place where sailors are often in search of love and where she herself has found happiness with a man who loves her truly. She contrasts this with the dreariness of the docks where ships are moored and sailors wait, bored and alone. But for her, Hambourg is a place of adventure, where dreams can come true if you open your heart and let love in.

This song is a beautiful representation of Edith Piaf's unique blend of passion, romance, and wanderlust. It is an ode to the power of love and the thrill of exploring new places and meeting new people. The lyrics are both playful and heartfelt, and they evoke a sense of joy and hope that is characteristic of Piaf's music.

Line by Line Meaning

C'est à Hambourg, à Santiago,
It could be in Hamburg, Santiago or anywhere else.

A White Chapel, ou Bornéo,
It could be in White Chapel, Borneo or somewhere else.

C'est à Hambourg, au ciel de pluie,
It was in Hamburg with rainy skies.

Quand les nuages vont à pas lents,
When the clouds move slowly.

Comme s'en vont les lourds chalands,
Like the heavy barges that move along the docks, bored.

Le long des quais, crevant d'ennui,
Along the docks, dying from boredom.

C'est à Hambourg ou bien ailleurs
It could be in Hamburg or somewhere else.

Qu'à tous les gars en mal d'amour,
For all the guys who are love-sick.

Qu'à tous les gars, depuis toujours,
For all the guys, always.

Moi je balance du rêve en plein cœur
I sprinkle dreams all over their hearts.

C'est à Hambourg, à Santiago,
It could be in Hamburg, Santiago or anywhere else.

A White Chapel, ou Bornéo,
It could be in White Chapel, Borneo or somewhere else.

C'est à Hambourg, au ciel de pluie,
It was in Hamburg with rainy skies.

Qu'il a posé ses mains sur moi
That's when he placed his hands on me.

Et qu'il m'a fait crier de joie
And he made me scream in joy.

En me serrant fort contre lui,
Holding me tight against him.

M'a dit "je t'aime!" à plus finir,
He told me "I love you" over and over again.

"Laisse donc là tous tes marins!
"Leave all your sailors behind!

Laisse donc la mer, et puis viens!
Leave the sea, and come with me!

Moi, j'ai du bonheur à t'offrir"
"I have happiness to offer you"

"Ma petite gueule"
"My little face."

C'est à Hambourg, au ciel de pluie,
It was in Hamburg with rainy skies.

Dans les bastringues à matelots
In the sailor's haunts.

Que je trimbale encore ma peau,
Where I still drag my skin around.

Les bras ouverts à l'infini.
Arms open wide to infinity.

Car moi je suis comme la mer,
Because I am like the sea,

J'ai le cœur trop grand pour un seul gars,
I have a heart too big for just one guy,

J'ai le cœur trop grand et c'est pour ça
I have a heart too big, and that's why

Qu' j'ai pris l'amour sur toute la terre
I took love all over the earth.

C'est à Hambourg, à Santiago
It could be in Hamburg, Santiago or anywhere else.

A White Chapel, ou Bornéo
It could be in White Chapel, Borneo or somewhere else.

So long, boy
"So long, boy."

Adios, amigo
"Goodbye, friend."

Nacher, Schatz
"See you later, sweetheart."

Au revoir, petite gueule!
"Goodbye, little face!"

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DELECLUSE, MONNOT, SENLIS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

Baron Déficit

1y↑1

Paroles officielles:
C'est à Hambourg, à Santiago
À White Chapel, ou Bornéo
C'est à Hambourg, à Santiago
À Rotterdam, ou à Frisco
Hello boy! You come with me?
Amigo! Te quiero mucho!
Liebling! Kom dort mit mich!
C'est à Hambourg, au ciel de pluie
Quand les nuages vont à pas lents
Comme s'en vont les lourds chalands
Le long des quais, crevant d'ennui
C'est à Hambourg ou bien ailleurs
Qu'à tous les gars en mal d'amour
Qu'à tous les gars, depuis toujours,
Moi j'balance du rêve en plein cœur
C'est à Hambourg, à Santiago
À White Chapel, ou Bornéo
C'est à Hambourg, à Santiago
À Rotterdam, ou à Frisco
C'est à Hambourg, au ciel de pluie
Qu'il a posé ses mains sur moi
Et qu'il m'a fait crier de joie
En me serrant fort contre lui
M'a dit "je t'aime!" à plus finir
"Laisse donc là tous tes marins!
Laisse donc la mer, et puis viens!
Moi, j'ai du bonheur à t'offrir"
"Ma p'tite gueule"
C'est à Hambourg, au ciel de pluie
Dans les bastringues à matelots
Que je trimballe encore ma peau
Les bras ouverts à l'infini
Car moi je suis comme la mer
J'ai l'cœur trop grand pour un seul gars
J'ai l'cœur trop grand et c'est pour ça
Qu'j'ai pris l'amour sur toute la Terre
C'est à Hambourg, à Santiago
À White Chapel, ou Bornéo
So long, boy
Adios, amigo
Nacher, Schatz
Au revoir, p'tite gueule!