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.
Eh ! Toto
Boby Lapointe Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Eh Toto, y a t'il ta maman? (L'est pas là maman)
Eh Toto, y a t'il ton pépé? (L'est pas là pépé)
Eh Toto, y a t'il ta mémé? (Y est pas y est pas)
Eh Toto, y a t'il ton tonton? (Y est pas y est pas)
Eh Toto, y a t'il ta tata? (Y est pas y est pas)
S'il n'y a pas ni ton papa ni ta tata, etcetera
Ah quel bonheur, je viens voir ta sœur
Oui, car c'est bien la plus belle
La plus sensationnelle
La plus ceci cela et la plus, la plus, et tout ça
Je sais pas si tu te rends compte
Mais dès qu'on la rencontre
On se dit "ouh là Ouh là là là, tiens la voilà"
Salut je ne t'ai pas apporté de fleurs (ça ne m'étonne pas)
Mais me voilà avec mon cœur (ça ne m'étonne pas)
Et aussi avec mon scooter (ça ne m'étonne pas)
Tous deux ne battent que pour toi, tip tap, tip tap
Laisse-moi te prendre dans mes bras (bas les pattes bas les pattes)
Laisse-moi te faire un bisou là (bas les pattes bas les pattes)
Oh la vilaine si c'est comme ça
Je vais voir ta bonne belle Irma
Et je l'emmène au cinéma, na
Car c'est bien la plus belle
La plus sensationnelle
La plus ceci cela et la plus, la plus, et tout ça
Je sais pas si tu te rends compte
Mais dès qu'on la rencontre
On se dit "Ouh là là Ouh là là tiens la voilà"
Salut Irma, tu viens au cinéma? (Non)
The song "Eh Toto" by French singer Boby Lapointe is a playful and humorous tune with lyrics that revolve around Toto, a child asking about his family members. The repeated questions about Toto's family members and the answers 'l'est pas là' (not here) create a comical and rhythmic effect. The lyrics suggest that Toto's family members are absent, leaving him to be propositioned unsuccessfully by a visiting admirer who is more interested in Toto's sister Irma. He introduces himself to Toto's sister with enthusiasm, praising her beauty and personality, but she doesn't seem interested, so he threatens to take her friend Irma instead.
The repetition of the song's name "Eh Toto" is reminiscent of a familiar scenario where someone repeats the same thing several times, trying to get the attention of the person they're talking to. The lyrics of the song, which are often nonsensical, highlight Lapointe's ability to play with words and make them rhyme in a playful way. Lapointe's playful style and use of humour reflect the culture of the period in which the song was written, encapsulating the carefree nature of French society in the 60s.
Line by Line Meaning
Eh Toto, y a t'il ton papa? (L'est pas là papa)
Hey Toto, is your dad there? (No, he's not here)
Eh Toto, y a t'il ta maman? (L'est pas là maman)
Hey Toto, is your mom there? (No, she's not here)
Eh Toto, y a t'il ton pépé? (L'est pas là pépé)
Hey Toto, is your grandpa there? (No, he's not here)
Eh Toto, y a t'il ta mémé? (Y est pas y est pas)
Hey Toto, is your grandma there? (No, she's not there, she's not there)
Eh Toto, y a t'il ton tonton? (Y est pas y est pas)
Hey Toto, is your uncle there? (No, he's not there, he's not there)
Eh Toto, y a t'il ta tata? (Y est pas y est pas)
Hey Toto, is your aunt there? (No, she's not there, she's not there)
S'il n'y a pas ni ton papa ni ta tata, etcetera
Ah quel bonheur, je viens voir ta sœur
If neither your dad nor your aunt, etcetera are here
Oh, what a joy, I came to see your sister
Oui, car c'est bien la plus belle
La plus sensationnelle
La plus ceci cela et la plus, la plus, et tout ça
Je sais pas si tu te rends compte
Mais dès qu'on la rencontre
On se dit "ouh là Ouh là là là, tiens la voilà"
Yes, because she's the most beautiful,
The most sensational,
The most this and that and the most, the most, all of that
I don't know if you realize,
But as soon as we meet her,
We say "Ooh there she is, there she is"
Salut je ne t'ai pas apporté de fleurs (ça ne m'étonne pas)
Mais me voilà avec mon cœur (ça ne m'étonne pas)
Et aussi avec mon scooter (ça ne m'étonne pas)
Tous deux ne battent que pour toi, tip tap, tip tap
Hello, I didn't bring you flowers (I'm not surprised)
But here I am with my heart (I'm not surprised)
And also with my scooter (I'm not surprised)
Both only beat for you, tip tap, tip tap
Laisse-moi te prendre dans mes bras (bas les pattes bas les pattes)
Laisse-moi te faire un bisou là (bas les pattes bas les pattes)
Oh la vilaine si c'est comme ça
Je vais voir ta bonne belle Irma
Et je l'emmène au cinéma, na
Let me hug you (get your paws off get your paws off)
Let me give you a kiss (get your paws off get your paws off)
Oh, you naughty girl, if it's like that
I'm going to see your good beautiful Irma
And I'll take her to the cinema, na
Car c'est bien la plus belle
La plus sensationnelle
La plus ceci cela et la plus, la plus, et tout ça
Je sais pas si tu te rends compte
Mais dès qu'on la rencontre
On se dit "Ouh là là Ouh là là tiens la voilà"
Because she's the most beautiful,
The most sensational,
The most this and that and the most, the most, all of that
I don't know if you realize,
But as soon as we meet her,
We say "Ooh there she is, there she is"
Salut Irma, tu viens au cinéma? (Non)
Hello Irma, are you coming to the cinema? (No)
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Boby Lapointe
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
monsieur content
Je l'ai apprise au cm1 mdr je m'en rappel encore, et je vais avoir 25 ans mdr... Mais respect à boby
Elsa Berthault
Moi je l’apprend maintenant(en 5eme)😜😂
not chefdedodle the great
moi aussi
Oyamaboy
Mon enfance ce mec :')
De tout Mon Cœur
Enfance enfance…10 ans en arrière 🥹
Nass Shadok
Je la connais par cœur ❤️
best-tom99
Moi aussi
Dominique Poisot
Moi aussi
Nosheen Pervaiz Gill
Au college on apprend cette musique elle es trop bien
Marie Baji
Punaise mon papa, tout ces petitous qui apprennent ça à l'école... tu vis encore à travers eux... ❤❤❤😭