He was born in Pézenas, in the Hérault département of France. A brilliant scholar, he prepared for the entrance exam to the Centrale (engineering school) and Sup-Aero at Montpellier, but was conscripted into the Youth Building Projects in 1942 and sent to Germany in 1943 for compulsory work service. He escaped the same year, and found work as a diver in La Ciotat, a suburb of Marseilles, in 1944.
In 1946, he married Colette Maclaud. They had two children, Ticha (born 1948) and Jacky (1950).
His first published work, Les douze chants d'un imbecile, appeared in 1951. He moved to Paris and opened a fashion and baby clothes shop, still writing and producing plays. Later, he switched to being a fitter of TV aerials and began singing.
In the 1960s, Boby Lapointe started an actor’s career and acted in films by some of the greatest French directors, among which François Truffaut and Claude Sautet.
His fame grew when the actor Bourvil sang Lapointe's song Aragon et Castille in the 1954 film Poisson d'avril. In 1960, film director François Truffaut offered him a part in Tirez sur le Pianiste in which he played Framboise, accompanied by Charles Aznavour on piano. This marked the start of a career that saw Lapointe perform at major venues throughout France. His joyful character led him to build friendships with French stars Anne Sylvestre, Raymond Devos, Jacques Brel and Georges Brassens.
Lapointe was also a mathematician, and developed the bi-bi-binary system (also known as the bibi system) in 1971.
Dans Mon Pays
Boby Lapointe Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Une qui rêve, une qui pleure, une qui rit.
Celle qui pleure, je fais semblant qu'elle rit
Et celle qui rêve j'en joue que dans mon pays.
Oui, y'a que trois cordes à mon banjo pourri,
Une qui rêve, une qui pleure, une qui rit.
Celle qui pleure, je fais semblant qu'elle rit
Dans mon pays, y a tant de chaleur
Que mon banjo joue en douceur
Et dans mon coeur y'a plein de sentiments,
Un grand tout blanc pour Papa et Maman,
Un grand tout bleu réservé à ma mie,
Et puis des strapontins pour les amis.
Oui dans mon coeur y a plein de sentiments,
Mais à Paris ils affleurent prudemment.
Je ne sors que les strapontins des amis,
Les autre ne voient le soleil qu'au pays.
Dans mon pays, y a tant de douceur
Que mon banjo joue en couleur.
In the song "Dans mon pays" by Boby Lapointe, the lyrics express the singer's deep connection and love for his homeland. The first verse describes his banjo, which has only three strings. Each string represents a different emotion: dreaming, crying, and laughing. He pretends that the string that cries is actually laughing, and he only plays the string that represents dreaming in his homeland. This suggests that he is selective in expressing his true emotions and saves the deepest parts of himself for his country.
The second verse focuses on the warmth and gentleness of his homeland. The banjo plays softly because of the abundance of warmth in his country. In his heart, he carries different sentiments, represented by different colors. There is a pure white space dedicated to his father and mother, a deep blue space reserved for his loved one, and some seats for his friends. However, he only reveals the seats for his friends in Paris, and the rest of his emotions are only expressed and seen by his homeland. This implies that he is more guarded and reserved when it comes to sharing his true feelings outside of his country.
Overall, the song portrays a deep longing for home and a sense of belonging. It highlights the special bond between the singer and his homeland, where he feels comfortable and free to express his true emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
Il n'y a que trois cordes à mon banjo pourri,
My banjo is worn out, and it only has three strings.
Une qui rêve, une qui pleure, une qui rit.
One string represents dreams, another represents tears, and the third represents laughter.
Celle qui pleure, je fais semblant qu'elle rit
I pretend that the string of tears is actually the string of laughter.
Et celle qui rêve j'en joue que dans mon pays.
And I only play the string of dreams in my own country.
Oui, y'a que trois cordes à mon banjo pourri,
Yes, my banjo only has three strings.
Une qui rêve, une qui pleure, une qui rit.
One string represents dreams, another represents tears, and the third represents laughter.
Celle qui pleure, je fais semblant qu'elle rit
I pretend that the string of tears is actually the string of laughter.
Et celle qui rêve je n'en joue qu'au pays.
And I only play the string of dreams in my own country.
Dans mon pays, y a tant de chaleur
In my country, there is so much warmth.
Que mon banjo joue en douceur
That my banjo plays softly.
Et dans mon cœur y'a plein de sentiments,
And in my heart, there are plenty of emotions.
Un grand tout blanc pour Papa et Maman,
A big pure white one for Mom and Dad.
Un grand tout bleu réservé à ma mie,
A big bright blue one reserved for my sweetheart.
Et puis des strapontins pour les amis.
And then some little seats for my friends.
Oui dans mon cœur y a plein de sentiments,
Yes, my heart is full of emotions.
Mais à Paris ils affleurent prudemment.
But in Paris, they cautiously surface.
Je ne sors que les strapontins des amis,
I only show the little seats to my friends.
Les autres ne voient le soleil qu'au pays.
Others only see the sun in my own country.
Dans mon pays, y a tant de douceur
In my country, there is so much sweetness.
Que mon banjo joue en couleur.
That my banjo plays in color.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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