Grand-mère
Anne Sylvestre Lyrics
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Grand-mère, Grand-mère
Vous êtes morte cette nuit
Grand-mère, Grand-mère
Vous êtes morte d'ennui {x2}
Dans votre intérieur modèle
Entre vos nappes brodées
Vous avez capitulé
Du haut de leurs étagères
Vos confitures en pot
Vos terrines, vos tourtières
Ont enfin eu votre peau
{au Refrain}
Dans la chambre sans lumière
Vous souriez à demi
Armand, qui a fait deux guerres
Dit que vous l'avez trahi
Armand crie, Armand tempête
"Tu n' peux pas me faire ça !"
Il sanglote "Et mes chaussettes !
Qui donc me les lavera ?"
{au Refrain}
Vous ne verrez plus les plaques
Disant "Essuyez vos pieds"
Quand il y aura des flaques,
Qui viendra les essuyer ?
Armand n'aura plus personne
À réveiller le matin
Comme le clairon qui sonne
Comme le diable et son train
{au Refrain}
N'aurez plus besoin de châles
De tricots, ni de chaussons,
Est bien moins froide la dalle
Que n'était cette maison
Dont vous astiquiez sans trêve
Les gigantesques panneaux
En enterrant votre rêve
De chaumière au bord de l'eau
{au Refrain}
Votre jardin de poète
Amoureusement soigné
Vos lys, vos pieds-d'alouette
Vos roses, vos giroflées
Ne vous suivront pas, Grand-mère,
Sur l'horrible monument
Qu'Armand veut garder austère
Pour impressionner les gens
{au Refrain}
Vous serez bien à votre aise
Là-haut, dans le paradis
Je le sais, sainte Thérèse
Vous l'a si souvent promis
Quand Armand, je veux le croire,
Prendra le même chemin
Un séjour en purgatoire
Lui fera le plus grand bien
{au Refrain}
The song "Grand-mère" by Anne Sylvestre is a touching tribute to a grandmother who has recently passed away. The refrain of the song repeats Grand-mère, Grand-mère, vous êtes morte cette nuit, Grand-mère, Grand-mère, vous êtes morte d'ennui, which translates to "Grandmother, Grandmother, you died tonight, Grandmother, Grandmother, you died of boredom." This sets the tone for the rest of the song, which reflects on the ways in which the grandmother's life, so full of domestic tasks and caretaking, led to her eventual death. Her house, filled with lace doilies and jars of preserves, is described as a "modèle intérieur" that she has given up on. Even her garden of carefully tended flowers and plants won't follow her to the "horrible monument" her husband Armand plans to erect in her memory.
The second verse focuses more on Armand, the grandfather, who is left behind after his wife's passing. He is angry and confused, feeling as though his wife has betrayed him by leaving him alone. He cries over the loss of her and worried about small things like who will do his laundry now that she is gone. The third verse explores the practicalities of her death, such as who will now wipe up puddles and who will wake up Armand in the morning. The final verse brings a hint of hope, framing the grandmother as being at peace now that she is in heaven with Sainte Thérèse. The singer notes that Armand will join them someday, but that he will need to spend some time in purgatory before he can be reunited with his wife again.
Overall, the song paints a poignant picture of a woman's life, filled with mundane tasks and domesticity, and the way that those tasks can lead to a sense of sameness and boredom. Despite this, however, there is a sense of warmth and love throughout the song - the grandmother is remembered fondly, even if her life seems too small and constrained.
Line by Line Meaning
Grand-mère, Grand-mère
The singer is addressing her deceased grandmother
Vous êtes morte cette nuit
The grandmother has recently passed away
Vous êtes morte d'ennui
The grandmother had a dull and uneventful life
Dans votre intérieur modèle
The grandmother's home was well organized and tidy
Entre vos nappes brodées
The grandmother had embroidered tablecloths
Vos napperons de dentelle
The grandmother had lace doilies
Vous avez capitulé
The grandmother had surrendered, given up
Du haut de leurs étagères
The grandmother kept her jars and terrines on shelves
Vos confitures en pot
The grandmother had jars of homemade jam
Vos terrines, vos tourtières
The grandmother made meat pies and other savory dishes
Ont enfin eu votre peau
The grandmother's preserves and baked goods outlasted her
Dans la chambre sans lumière
The grandmother passed away alone in a dimly lit room
Vous souriez à demi
The grandmother had a half-smile on her face
Armand, qui a fait deux guerres
Armand is a man who fought in two wars
Dit que vous l'avez trahi
Armand feels that the grandmother betrayed him
Armand crie, Armand tempête
Armand yells and becomes upset
"Tu n' peux pas me faire ça !"
Armand feels like the grandmother wronged him
Il sanglote "Et mes chaussettes !
Armand cries over the loss of the grandmother's help with his socks
Qui donc me les lavera ?"
Armand wonders who will wash his socks now
Vous ne verrez plus les plaques
The grandmother will no longer see the signs asking people to wipe their feet
Disant "Essuyez vos pieds"
The signs ask visitors to dry their shoes
Quand il y aura des flaques
When there are puddles on the ground
Qui viendra les essuyer ?
Armand wonders who will clean up the mess now that the grandmother is gone
Armand n'aura plus personne
Armand will be alone now
À réveiller le matin
The grandmother used to wake Armand up in the morning
Comme le clairon qui sonne
Like a trumpet waking up soldiers
Comme le diable et son train
Like a noisy and chaotic experience
N'aurez plus besoin de châles
The grandmother won't need shawls anymore
De tricots, ni de chaussons,
She won't need knitted items or slippers anymore
Est bien moins froide la dalle
The ground she's buried in is less cold than her house was
Que n'était cette maison
The grandmother's home was very cold
Dont vous astiquiez sans trêve
The grandmother tirelessly cleaned her large painted panels
Les gigantesques panneaux
The grandmother had massive walls and doors
En enterrant votre rêve
All the while, she neglected her dream of living in a cottage by the water
De chaumière au bord de l'eau
The grandmother dreamed of living in a thatched cottage by the water
Votre jardin de poète
The grandmother had a poetic garden
Amoureusement soigné
She tended to her garden lovingly
Vos lys, vos pieds-d'alouette
The garden had lilies and larkspurs
Vos roses, vos giroflées
The garden had roses and carnations
Ne vous suivront pas, Grand-mère,
The grandmother's garden won't follow her to the afterlife
Sur l'horrible monument
The grandmother's grave will be marked with a somber tombstone
Qu'Armand veut garder austère
Armand wants to keep the grave marker plain and simple
Pour impressionner les gens
Armand wants the grave to be bleak to impress others
Vous serez bien à votre aise
The singer is comforting her grandmother by telling her that she will be comfortable in the afterlife
Là-haut, dans le paradis
The grandmother is going to Heaven
Je le sais, sainte Thérèse
The singer knows this because of Saint Therese
Vous l'a si souvent promis
Saint Therese promised the grandmother that she would go to Heaven
Quand Armand, je veux le croire,
The singer hopes that Armand will also go to Heaven
Prendra le même chemin
When Armand dies
Un séjour en purgatoire
Armand will go to purgatory
Lui fera le plus grand bien
This will be good for him
Contributed by Samantha S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.