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.
Ta Katie T'A Quitté
Boby Lapointe Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Igor hagard est noir
Il n'arrête guère de boire
Car sa Katia, sa jolie Katia
Vient de le quitter
Sa Katie l'a quitté
Il a fait chou-blanc
Ses astuces, ses ruses de Russe blanc
Ma tactique était toc
Dit Igor qui s'endort
Ivre mort au comptoir du bar
Un Russe blanc qui est noir
Quel bizarre hasard! Se marrent
Les fêtards paillards du bar
Car encore Igor y dort
Mais près d' son oreille
Merveille! Un réveil vermeil
Lui prodigue des conseils
Pendant son sommeil
Tic-tac, tic-tac
Ta Katie t'a quitté
Tic-tac, tic-tac
Ta Katie t'a quitté
Tic-tac, tic-tac
T'es cocu, qu'attends-tu?
Cuite-toi, t'es cocu
T'as qu'à, t'as qu'à t' cuiter
Et quitter ton quartier
Ta Katie t'a quitté
Ta tactique était toc
Ta tactique était toc
Ta Katie t'a quitté
Ôte ta toque et troque
Ton tricot tout crotté
Et ta croûte au couteau
Qu'on t'a tant attaqué
Contre un tacot coté
Quatre écus tout comptés
Et quitte ton quartier
Ta Katie t'a quitté
Ta Katie t'a quitté
Ta Katie t'a quitté
Ta Katie t'a quitté
Tout à côté
Des catins décaties
Taquinaient un cocker coquin
Et d'étiques coquettes
Tout en tricotant
Caquetaient et discutaient et critiquaient
Un comte toqué
Qui comptait en tiquant
Tout un tas de tickets de quai
Quand tout à coup
Tic-tac-tic, et brrring!
Au matin quel réveil
Mâtin quel réveille-matin
S'écrie le Russe, blanc de peur
Pour une sonnerie
C'est une belle sonnerie!
The lyrics of the song "Ta Katie T" by Boby Lapointe describe the situation of Igor, a black and haggard Russian man who is drowning his sorrows at the train station bar because his girlfriend, Katia, has just left him. Despite all his tricks and ploys to keep her, which he calls his "Russe blanc" tactics, she still left him. As he falls asleep, completely drunk, a miraculous alarm clock wakes him up and pronounces a shocking truth: "Tic-tac-tic-tac, ta Katie t'a quitté" (Tick tock, tick tock, your Katie has left you). The alarm clock advises him to get drunk and leave his neighborhood, which seems to be a source of pain and trouble for Igor. The song ends with various characters surrounding him, including old prostitutes teasing a mischievous cocker spaniel and count who is counting tickets and a sudden ringing noise.
The lyrics of the song are full of wordplay, puns, and allusions. For example, the name Katia can also be spelled "K-T-A," which sounds like "quitté" (left) in French. The word "blanc" (white) can also be used to describe vodka, which is often associated with Russians. This is compounded by the fact that Igor is described as a "Russe blanc" (white Russian), which can refer to the cocktail made with vodka and coffee liqueur. The song is also full of rhyming and rhythmic patterns, such as "tic-tac, tic-tac" and "ta Katie t'a quitté," which add to the humorous and catchy nature of the song.
Overall, "Ta Katie T" is a humorous and playful song that describes the misfortunes of a heartbroken man in a surreal and whimsical way. The use of wordplay and humor adds to its appeal and makes it a beloved classic in French popular music.
Line by Line Meaning
Ce soir au bar de la gare
Tonight at the train station bar
Igor hagard est noir
Igor, haggard and gloomy, is black
Il n'arrête guère de boire
He never stops drinking
Car sa Katia, sa jolie Katia
Because his Katia, his pretty Katia
Vient de le quitter
Just left him
Sa Katie l'a quitté
His Katie left him
Il a fait chou-blanc
He failed
Ce grand-duc avec ses trucs
This grand duke with his tricks
Ses astuces, ses ruses de Russe blanc
His tricks, his schemes of a white Russian
Ma tactique était toc
My tactics were flopped
Dit Igor qui s'endort
Says Igor who falls asleep
Ivre mort au comptoir du bar
Dead drunk at the bar counter
Un Russe blanc qui est noir
A white Russian who is black
Quel bizarre hasard! Se marrent
What a bizarre coincidence! The revelers laugh
Les fêtards paillards du bar
The lewd party-goers of the bar
Car encore Igor y dort
Because Igor is still asleep there
Mais près d' son oreille
But close to his ear
Merveille! Un réveil vermeil
Wonder! A red alarm clock
Lui prodigue des conseils
Gives him advice
Pendant son sommeil
During his sleep
Tic-tac, tic-tac
Tick-tock, tick-tock
Ta Katie t'a quitté
Your Katie left you
T'es cocu, qu'attends-tu?
You're cuckolded, what are you waiting for?
Cuite-toi, t'es cocu
Get drunk, you're cuckolded
T'as qu'à, t'as qu'à t' cuiter
You just have to get drunk
Et quitter ton quartier
And leave your neighborhood
Ôte ta toque et troque
Take off your hat and exchange
Ton tricot tout crotté
Your all dirty sweater
Et ta croûte au couteau
And your bread crust cut with a knife
Qu'on t'a tant attaqué
That they have so often attacked
Contre un tacot coté
For a cheap car
Quatre écus tout comptés
Four coins counted
Et quitte ton quartier
And leave your neighborhood
Tout à côté
Right next to it
Des catins décaties
Decrepit whores
Taquinaient un cocker coquin
Were teasing a mischievous cocker spaniel
Et d'étiques coquettes
And skinny coquettes
Tout en tricotant
While knitting
Caquetaient et discutaient et critiquaient
Were chatting, discussing, and criticizing
Un comte toqué
An eccentric count
Qui comptait en tiquant
Who counted by ticking off
Tout un tas de tickets de quai
A whole bunch of platform tickets
Quand tout à coup
When all of a sudden
Tic-tac-tic, et brrring!
Tick-tock, tick-tock, and brrring!
Au matin quel réveil
What a wake-up in the morning
Mâtin quel réveille-matin
Damn, what a wake-up call
S'écrie le Russe, blanc de peur
The Russian exclaims, white with fear
Pour une sonnerie
For a ringtone
C'est une belle sonnerie!
It's a beautiful ringtone!
Lyrics © WARNER CHAPPELL MUSIC FRANCE
Written by: Boby Lapointe
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Olena K
Ce soir au bar de la gare
Igor hagard est noir
Il n'arrête guère de boire
Car sa Katia, sa jolie Katia
Vient de le quitter
Sa Katie l'a quitté
Il a fait chou-blanc
Ce grand-duc avec ses trucs
Ses astuces, ses ruses de Russe blanc
Ma tactique était toc
Dit Igor qui s'endort
Ivre mort au comptoir du bar
Un Russe blanc qui est noir
Quel bizarre hasard! Se marrent
Les fêtards paillards du bar
Car encore Igor y dort
Mais près d' son oreille
Merveille! Un réveil vermeil
Lui prodigue des conseils
Pendant son sommeil
Tic-tac, tic-tac
Ta Katie t'a quitté
Tic-tac, tic-tac
Ta Katie t'a quitté
Tic-tac, tic-tac
T'es cocu, qu'attends-tu?
Cuite-toi, t'es cocu
T'as qu'à, t'as qu'à t' cuiter
Et quitter ton quartier
Ta Katie t'a quitté
Ta tactique était toc
Ta tactique était toc
Ta Katie t'a quitté
Ôte ta toque et troque
Ton tricot tout crotté
Et ta croûte au couteau
Qu'on t'a tant attaqué
Contre un tacot coté
Quatre écus tout comptés
Et quitte ton quartier
Ta Katie t'a quitté
Ta Katie t'a quitté
Ta Katie t'a quitté
Ta Katie t'a quitté
Tout à côté
Des catins décaties
Taquinaient un cocker coquin
Et d'étiques coquettes
Tout en tricotant
Caquetaient et discutaient et critiquaient
Un comte toqué
Qui comptait en tiquant
Tout un tas de tickets de quai
Quand tout à coup
Tic-tac-tic, et brrring!
Au matin quel réveil
Mâtin quel réveille-matin
S'écrie le Russe, blanc de peur
Pour une sonnerie
C'est une belle sonnerie!
Irene Rossi
I think , if you are learning french the day you manage to sing this , they really should grant you french citizenship 😂😂😂
꧁ Ce caribou la ꧂
If you are not french you just can’t sing this
docline333
lol
Lara Taumi
🤣🤣🤣
missbreenie
Agreed!
Débora Marina Damas
Apareci aqui graças a série Amor Ocasional, da Netflix 😍❤️
Dary Moreira
E eu vim aqui pq eu já ouvi essa canção em algum lugar Antes.. porém só agora prestei a atenção.. que demais, quero aprender a cantar ela ... Kkkkk
Algérienne
Merci Plan coeur 😭😭❤️❤️
Bernard Jacq
Grave
Kiwpo
👽👽💩👶