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.
Le petit homme
Édith Piaf Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Il y avait le chahut des carrefours
Et puis les gens qui achetaient leurs journaux
Et puis tous ceux qui prenaient le métro,
Il y avait la parade des boulevards,
Les boniments du vieux camelot bavard
Et se mirant dans l'eau sale des ruisseaux,
Le ciel d'avril qui faisait le gros dos.
Il y avait un petit homme
Qui s'en allait à pas comptés.
Il avait l'air bien économe,
Le petit homme
Avec son vieux veston râpé
Mais il avait une maîtresse
Qui lui coûtait beaucoup d'argent.
Elle lui vendait sa belle jeunesse
Et des caresses
Que le petit homme payait comptant
Il y avait sa vie des samedis soirs.
Il y avait l'escalier, le couloir.
Il y avait la porte tout au bout
Et puis deux bras attachés à son cou.
Il y avait des fleurs sur le piano.
Il y avait la blancheur des rideaux
Et puis des heures sur le grand divan bleu
Et puis tout ça qui le rendait heureux.
Il y a eu la porte close
Avec un mot passé dessous,
Joli papier bordé de roses
Pour dire des choses
Que l'on comprend du premier coup.
Un petit homme qu'on abandonne
Ne peut rien faire que s'en aller.
Dans la rue froide où tout résonne
Et sans personne
Tout à fait seul, pour mieux pleurer.
Il y avait la vie de tous les jours
Qui continuait sa fanfare de toujours.
Il y avait les valses des phonos
Qui éclataient en sortant des bistrots.
Il y avait un garçon qui chantait.
Il y avait une fille qui riait
Et puis la ronde de l'amour merveilleux
Et le petit homme
Qui pleurait au milieu
In this poignant song, Edith Piaf sings about the life of a small man who goes about his days unnoticed in the bustling streets of Paris. Despite the noise and chaos, the little man goes about his business carefully and silently. He is economical in his appearance, often wearing a shabby vest, but he does have a mistress who costs him a lot of money, and pays for her attention and love. The little man's life centers around his Saturdays, which involve climbing up the stairs, down the hall, and a doorway, where he is greeted with open arms by his lover. His small apartment is filled with flowers, piano tunes, and hours spent together on the blue sofa. But things change for the little man, as one day he finds a note under the door from his lover. The note is written on beautiful rose-bordered paper and says goodbye.
The little man has no choice but to leave, wandering the cold and desolate streets of Paris, feeling completely alone and abandoned. The daily life in the city continues without a pause, and people go about their business, falling in love or experiencing joy, as the little man cries in the middle of it all. This song highlights the sharp contrast between those who experience love, laughter, and happiness and those who are left behind with nothing.
Line by Line Meaning
Il y avait de tous les jours,
Everyday life was bustling,
Il y avait le chahut des carrefours
Street intersections were noisy,
Et puis les gens qui achetaient leurs journaux
People were buying their daily newspapers,
Et puis tous ceux qui prenaient le métro,
Everyone was taking the metro,
Il y avait la parade des boulevards,
Boulevards were lively with activity,
Les boniments du vieux camelot bavard
The old, chatty street vendor’s persuasive talk,
Et se mirant dans l'eau sale des ruisseaux,
And peering at their reflection in dirty streams,
Le ciel d'avril qui faisait le gros dos.
The April sky that loomed large.
Il y avait un petit homme
There was a little man
Qui s'en allait à pas comptés.
Walking away slowly.
Il avait l'air bien économe,
He looked quite thrifty,
Le petit homme
The little man
Avec son vieux veston râpé
In his threadbare old coat
Mais il avait une maîtresse
But he had a mistress
Qui lui coûtait beaucoup d'argent.
Who cost him a lot of money.
Elle lui vendait sa belle jeunesse
She was selling him her youthfulness
Et des caresses
And caresses
Que le petit homme payait comptant
That the little man paid for in cash.
Il y avait sa vie des samedis soirs.
His Saturday night life existed.
Il y avait l'escalier, le couloir.
There were the stairs, the corridor.
Il y avait la porte tout au bout
At the end of it all, there was a door.
Et puis deux bras attachés à son cou.
And then two arms wrapped around his neck.
Il y avait des fleurs sur le piano.
There were flowers on the piano.
Il y avait la blancheur des rideaux
There was the whiteness of the curtains.
Et puis des heures sur le grand divan bleu
And then hours on the big blue couch.
Et puis tout ça qui le rendait heureux.
And all of it made him happy.
Il y a eu la porte close
Then, the door was closed,
Avec un mot passé dessous,
With a note slipped underneath,
Joli papier bordé de roses
Pretty paper with roses around it,
Pour dire des choses
Saying things
Que l'on comprend du premier coup.
That one understands on the first read.
Un petit homme qu'on abandonne
A little man who is abandoned
Ne peut rien faire que s'en aller.
Can do nothing but leave.
Dans la rue froide où tout résonne
In the cold street where everything echoes
Et sans personne
And with nobody
Tout à fait seul, pour mieux pleurer.
Completely alone, to cry better.
Il y avait la vie de tous les jours
Everyday life existed
Qui continuait sa fanfare de toujours.
Continuing its never-changing cacophony.
Il y avait les valses des phonos
Phonographs playing waltzes,
Qui éclataient en sortant des bistrots.
Bursting out of bistros.
Il y avait un garçon qui chantait.
There was a boy singing.
Il y avait une fille qui riait
There was a girl laughing.
Et puis la ronde de l'amour merveilleux
And then the wondrous dance of love.
Et le petit homme
And the little man
Qui pleurait au milieu
Crying in the midst of it all.
Lyrics © BEUSCHER ARPEGE
Written by: HENRI CONTET, MARGUERITE MONNOT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@barondeficit1081
Le Petit Homme
Par: Édith Piaf
🪗🪗🪗
Il y avait la vie de tous les jours
Il y avait le chahut des carrefours
Et puis les gens qui achetaient leurs journaux
Et puis tous ceux qui prenaient le métro
Il y avait la parade des boulevards
Les boniments du vieux camelot bavard
Et se mirant dans l'eau sale des ruisseaux
Le ciel d'avril qui faisait le gros dos
Il y avait un petit homme
Qui s'en allait à pas comprés
Il avait l'air bien économe
Le petit homme
Avec son vieux veston râpé
Mais il avait une maîtresse
Qui lui coûtait beaucoup d'argent
Elle lui vendait sa belle jeunesse
Et des caresses
Que le petit homme payait comptant
Il y avait sa vie des samedis soirs
Il y avait l'escalier, le couloir
Il y avait la porte tout au bout
Et puis deux bras attachés à son cou
Il y avait des fleurs sur le piano
Il y avait la blancheur des rideaux
Et puis des heures sur le grand divan bleu
Et puis tout ça qui le rendait heureux
@ashketchum1953
Here come the ‘Zemo brought me here’ and ‘I came here from Falcon and Winter Soldier’ comments
@audioplugg5310
Falcon and Winter Soldier brought me here 🤣🤣🤣. I'm bout to sample this joint!
@WJ2711
Yes!
@tidsmultimedia
Eu también
@Baynesmusic
@@audioplugg5310 send me that joint when you do Lmaoo!
@audioplugg5310
@@Baynesmusic bet!
@Memelord2020
The Falcon and The Winter Soldier
@Tallshank
Who is here after the falcon and the winter soldier😁
@sophoniebadette690
Je suis toujours là fan d'édith elle chante lui même
@genopal1020
One of the Edith's addicting vintage melodies at o:47 (repeats at 1:03 and 2:01, 2:17). But this Edith at her best, yet its subtle and the emotion is one of sweet melancholy.