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.
Mon Père Et Ses Verres
Boby Lapointe Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dans cette péniche
Ma mère dit la paix niche
Dans ce mari niais
Ma mère est habile
Mais ma bile est amère
Car mon père et ses verres
Ont les pieds fragiles
- Avez-vous jamais vu, hein ?
Monter cristaux
Et baccara sur un
Bateau
Quand père me dit : "Va Lise
Sors le cristal
Qui est dans la valise
J'ai mal
Je sors un 'coup' du servic'
Pour sa liqueur
Ça nous pousse a quelle heure ?
Vers six
A c'moment la mère monte
Leur cass' les pieds
J'ai pu sans fausse honte
L'épier
Pour ce qui est de l'hygiène
Là nous l'avons
faut bien sur un bateau
L'avoir
Quand il y a de la julienne
Nous l'avalons
Pire essuie ses lattes au
Bavoir
Et puis comme il va boire
Sans son bavoir
Pour l'empêcher mèr' perd
Ses verres
Et quand père remet ça
Sur le tapis
Son cœur pleure mais sa
Bouch'rit
Rugissant par la glotte
"hr-hr" fait l'un
Il a tout du félin
Fait l'autr'
Ma mère à son tour gronde
Fait des "hon-hon"
Ces sons aussi sont de
Lion
Alors mon père traite
De sale amie
Celle qui fut sa mie
Rosette
Que voulez-vous de plus qu'on
Vous serve là
Tout fut dit au bout d'un
Ah ! Ah !
The song "Mon Père et ses Verres" by Boby Lapointe is a humorous take on the life of a sailor and his family living in a boat. The first stanza introduces the father who is a sailor and a heavy drinker. The mother, on the other hand, is portrayed as an able individual who maintains peace in the household. However, the daughter resents her father's drinking habits that leave him with fragile feet. The daughter's resentment is further fueled by the fact that her father's drinking leads to her mother breaking glasses.
The rest of the song is a comical account of the family's daily routine, including their dining habits and father's excessive drinking. The lyrics highlight the absurdity of the father's actions, such as drinking without a bib and mother cleaning his feet with a bib. The song also touches on the family's hygiene practices and ends with the father insulting his ex-girlfriend Rosette.
Overall, the song is a lighthearted take on the life of a sailor's family living on a boat. The lyrics are filled with puns, wordplay, and comical situations.
Line by Line Meaning
Mon père est marinier
My father is a sailor
Dans cette péniche
On this barge
Ma mère dit la paix niche
My mom says peace is found here
Dans ce mari niais
In this foolish husband
Ma mère est habile
My mom is skillful
Mais ma bile est amère
But my bile is bitter
Car mon père et ses verres
Because my father and his glasses
Ont les pieds fragiles
Have weak feet
Avez-vous jamais vu, hein ?
Have you ever seen, huh?
Monter cristaux
Crystal climbing
Et baccara sur un
And baccarat on a
Bateau
Boat
Quand père me dit : "Va Lise
When my father says to me: "Go Lise
Sors le cristal
Take out the crystal
Qui est dans la valise
That is in the suitcase
J'ai mal
I'm hurting
Je sors un 'coup' du servic'
I take a drink from the service
Pour sa liqueur
For his liquor
Ça nous pousse a quelle heure ?
What time does that push us to?
Vers six
Around six
A c'moment la mère monte
At that moment, mom comes up
Leur cass' les pieds
Breaking their feet
J'ai pu sans fausse honte
I was able to shamelessly
L'épier
Spy on them
Pour ce qui est de l'hygiène
As for hygiene
Là nous l'avons
We have it there
Faut bien sur un bateau
You need it on a boat
L'avoir
To have it
Quand il y a de la julienne
When there is cuttlefish
Nous l'avalons
We swallow it
Pire essuie ses lattes au
Worse wipes his slats with
Bavoir
Bib
Et puis comme il va boire
And then as he drinks
Sans son bavoir
Without his bib
Pour l'empêcher mèr' perd
To stop him, mom loses
Ses verres
His glasses
Et quand père remet ça
And when father brings it up again
Sur le tapis
On the table
Son cœur pleure mais sa
His heart cries but his
Bouch'rit
Mouth laughs
Rugissant par la glotte
Roaring through the throat
"hr-hr" fait l'un
"hr-hr" says one
Il a tout du félin
He has all of the feline
Fait l'autr'
The other does the same
Ma mère à son tour gronde
My mom grumbles in turn
Fait des "hon-hon"
Makes "hon-hon"
Ces sons aussi sont de
These sounds are also of
Lion
Lion
Alors mon père traite
So my father calls
De sale amie
A dirty friend
Celle qui fut sa mie
The one who used to be his lover
Rosette
Rosette
Que voulez-vous de plus qu'on
What more do you want than us
Vous serve là
Serving you here
Tout fut dit au bout d'un
All was said after one
Ah ! Ah !
Ah! Ah!
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: ROBERT LAPOINTE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind