Dubois was an early star of the francophone musical Starmania. He was a vocalist in the Canadian famine relief song "Tears Are Not Enough" and was nominated Most Promising Male Vocalist at the Juno Awards of 1985.
Slipping the game disk of Railroad Tycoon II into iTunes reveals a collection of tracks attributed to Claude Dubois titled Ma Préférance. Dubois' music seems to make up the entire musical content of the game and harkens back to the era of coal and steam locomotion.
Comme un million de gens
Claude Dubois Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Il était le septième enfant
D'une famille d'ouvriers
N'ayant pas peur de travailler
Comme un million de gens,
Ils ont grandi dans un quartier
Où il fallait, pour subsister,
Serrer les dents et les poings fermés
Des hommes semblables en dedans
En mangeant un morceau de pain,
Il avait vu que le voisin
Avait quelque chose sur le sien
Qu'il aurait bien aimé goûter
Comme un million de gens,
Il a cessé d'étudier,
Car il fallait, pour mieux manger,
Serrer les dents et travailler
Autour de lui, y avait plus petit et plus grand
Des hommes semblables en dedans
Puis un jour, il a rencontré
Une femme qu'il a mariée
Sans pour cela se demander
Si, du moins, il pouvait l'aimer
Comme un million de gens,
Ils ont vieilli dans leur quartier
Et leurs enfants, pour subsister,
Serrent les dents, les poings fermés
Mais autour d'eux, y aura plus petit et plus grand
Des hommes semblables en dedans
Comme un million de gens
Qui pourraient se rassembler
Pour être beaucoup moins exploités
Et beaucoup plus communiquer,
Se distinguer,
Se raisonner,
S'émanciper,
Se libérer,
S'administrer,
Se décaver,
S'équilibrer,
S'évaporer,
S'évoluer,
Se posséder
Mais autour d'eux, y avait plus petit et plus grand
Des hommes semblables en dedans
The song "Comme un million de gens" by Claude Dubois describes the story of an individual who was born in a working-class family and grew up in a neighborhood where people had to work hard to sustain themselves. The individual stopped studying because he realized that he had to work harder to earn more money and have a better life. He eventually got married to a woman without considering whether he loved her or not. Together, they grew old in the same neighborhood where they raised their children, who also had to work hard to make ends meet. The song ends with the idea that if people like them could come together, they could struggle less and communicate more, therefore liberating themselves.
The lyrics speak deeply to the struggles of the working-class and the difficulties that they face in making a living. It portrays the uncertainty and hardships that many people face in their lives. The lyrics highlight the cyclical nature of poverty, as the singer's children also face the same struggles as their parents had. The song also touches upon the idea of unity, suggesting that many people face similar hardships and could come together to create a more equitable society.
Overall, "Comme un million de gens" is a poignant and thought-provoking song that speaks to the experiences of many individuals who are trying to make ends meet. The lyrics are compelling and paint a vivid picture of the difficulties that many people face in their daily lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Il est né un jour de printemps
He was born on a spring day
Il était le septième enfant
He was the seventh child
D'une famille d'ouvriers
From a family of workers
N'ayant pas peur de travailler
Not afraid to work
Comme un million de gens,
Like a million people,
Ils ont grandi dans un quartier
They grew up in a neighborhood
Où il fallait, pour subsister,
Where it was necessary, to survive,
Serrer les dents et les poings fermés
To grit your teeth and clench your fists
Autour de lui, y avait plus petit et plus grand
Around him, there were those smaller and bigger
Des hommes semblables en dedans
Men similar inside
En mangeant un morceau de pain,
While eating a piece of bread,
Il avait vu que le voisin
He had seen that his neighbor
Avait quelque chose sur le sien
Had something on his own
Qu'il aurait bien aimé goûter
That he would have liked to taste
Il a cessé d'étudier,
He stopped studying,
Car il fallait, pour mieux manger,
Because it was necessary, to eat better,
Serrer les dents et travailler
To grit your teeth and work
Puis un jour, il a rencontré
Then one day, he met
Une femme qu'il a mariée
A woman whom he married
Sans pour cela se demander
Without wondering
Si, du moins, il pouvait l'aimer
If, at least, he could love her
Ils ont vieilli dans leur quartier
They grew old in their neighborhood
Et leurs enfants, pour subsister,
And their children, to survive,
Serrent les dents, les poings fermés
Grit their teeth, and clench their fists
Mais autour d'eux, y aura plus petit et plus grand
But around them, there will be those smaller and bigger
Des hommes semblables en dedans
Men similar inside
Qui pourraient se rassembler
Who could come together
Pour être beaucoup moins exploités
To be much less exploited
Et beaucoup plus communiquer,
And much more communicate
Se distinguer,
Distinguish themselves
Se raisonner,
Reason with themselves
S'émanciper,
Emancipate themselves
Se libérer,
Free themselves
S'administrer,
Administer themselves
Se décaver,
Splinter themselves
S'équilibrer,
Balance themselves
S'évaporer,
Evaporate themselves
S'évoluer,
Evolve themselves
Se posséder
Possess themselves
Mais autour d'eux, y avait plus petit et plus grand
But around them, there were those smaller and bigger
Des hommes semblables en dedans
Men similar inside
Contributed by Gianna B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Mars Betelgeuse
C'est tellement un classique intemporel . ✌️
Réjean Laflamme
Le son est effectivement très bon!Une très grande chanson! Plusieurs se reconnaissent dans cette chanson!
Lesley Dujeu
J'adore cette chanson! Merci pour le partage!
Jean-Christophe Mercier
Elle sonne mieux que la version 33 tours de l'album ''Profil vol 1'' parue sur Pingouin en 1981
rpmcanada1971
Effectivement, rien n'est mieux que le pressage original, de 1969!
Ordy Horizon rivière du nord
🦉
Claudia France
:) xx