Robert (Boby) Lapointe (April 16, 1922 - June 29, 1972) was a French singer… Read Full Bio ↴Robert (Boby) Lapointe (April 16, 1922 - June 29, 1972) was a French singer, noted for his humorous texts full of puns, alliterations, spoonerisms and paronyms. He was a friend of Georges Brassens who helped him along on the Parisian scene.

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.

La Question Ne Se Pose Pas
Boby Lapointe Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

La question ne se pose pas
La question ne se pose pas
La question ne se pose pas

Je f'sais réchauffer des paupiettes
De veau, quand j'ai senti la mitraillette
Bang Bang, dont tu me menaçais fillette
Bang bang, en me disant : "T'es sous ma loi"

Ah ah ah ah !
Et je suis resté coi
Et je suis resté coi
La question ne se pose pas {x3}

Ému j'ai baissé les paupiettes
Su' l'gaz, car tu me cherchais la p'tite bête
Hum hum, en m'arrachant jusqu'aux chaussettes
Hum hum, tu m'as même oté mon sang froid.
Ah ah ah ah !
Et je me tenais coi
Et je me tenais coi
La questions ne se pose pas {x3}

Que s'est-il passé dans ta tête ?
Tu as pris la poudre d'escompette
Sans explication est-ce bête
Sans raison tu m'as planté là
Ah ah ah ah !
Sans plus me dire quoi
Sans plume d'iroquois,
je pense bien !
Dans cette tenue
Une plume d'iroquois
Qu'en aurai-je fait ?

La question ne se pose pas {x3}
AH !

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Boby Lapointe's song "La Question Ne Se Pose Pas" convey a sense of absurdity and humor, using wordplay and nonsensical imagery. The repeated phrase "La question ne se pose pas" (The question doesn't arise) sets the tone for the whole song, implying that there is no rational or logical explanation for the events that occur.

The verses describe a situation in which the singer is being threatened with a gun by a girl who then proceeds to criticize him and humiliate him. Despite this, he remains silent and submissive, unable to defend himself. The use of culinary metaphors such as "paupiettes de veau" (veal stuffed with breadcrumbs) adds to the surrealistic quality of the song.

In the final verse, the girl disappears without explanation, leaving the singer to wonder what happened and what he would have done if he had been given a chance to respond. The mention of the "plume d'iroquois" (a feather used by Native Americans for headdresses) adds another layer of absurdity and randomness to the lyrics.

La Question Ne Se Pose PasBoby Lapointe Lyrics

La Question Ne Se Pose Pas
Boby Lapointe Lyrics