Son of an opera singer and an Italian piano teacher (Liette), he was raised by his grandparents in Toulouse, where he heard Glenn Miller, Édith Piaf and Louis Armstrong (among others) on the radio.
In 1947 he failed his baccalaureat and commenced a career in journalism, writing for various journals including Le Journal des Curistes at Vichy and L'Echo d'Alger. At the same time he wrote songs for Marcel Amont (Le barbier de Belleville, Le balayeur du roi) and Philippe Clay (Joseph, La sentinelle). He met Georges Brassens, who became his friend and mentor.
In 1949 he performed his military service in the foreign legion at Rabat, Morocco.
He sent his lyrics to Marguerite Monnot, Édith Piaf's songwriter, who put them to music. (Méphisto, Le Sentier de la guerre). He started to sing for a livelihood in 1959 in a Parisian cabaret in Montmartre, Le lapin agile.
In 1962, he decided to sing his works himself: Une petite fille and Cécile ma fille (dedicated to his daughter, born in 1962 to his wife Sylvie, whom he met at Le lapin agile). These songs made him immediately known to the larger public, which he had already started to penetrate by participating in the concerts of Dalida.
A car accident immobilised him for several months in 1963. The following year he travelled to Brazil, and sang in prestigious halls in Paris: the Olympia, the Palais, the Théâtre de la Ville.
Following the death of his friend Jacques Audiberti in 1965 he wrote, in homage, the song Chanson pour le maçon.
The events of May 1968 inspired him to the torrential Paris Mai, a plea for life, which would be banned from the airwaves. The same year he recorded his first live album at the Olympia: Une soirée avec Claude Nougaro.
His career continued normally punctuated with success: Le jazz et la java, Tu verras, Île de Ré, Armstrong, Toulouse, Petit taureau. But in 1984, his recording company did not renew his contract. Nougaro left for New York, seeking inspiration, and while there wrote and recorded a self-financed disc, Nougayork, whose resounding success was a surprise.
In 1988 Victoires de la musique rewarded him with best album and best artist, and between 1993 and 1997 he released three new albums.
His health deteriorated after 1995, when he underwent a heart operation. In 2003, his condition left him unable to appear at the festival du Verbe at Toulouse. From 1998 to 2004 he devoted himself more to concerts and festivals, apart from an album in aid of children suffering from AIDS. Having undergone further surgery in early 2004, he died of cancer in March, 74 years old.
His music drew inspiration, among other sources, from American jazz, from which he borrowed heavily (Charles Mingus, Louis Armstrong, Dave Brubeck, Sonny Rollins), but also from Brazilian music (Antonio Carlos Jobim, Baden Powell de Aquino, Chico Buarque).
Les Chenilles
Claude Nougaro Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Compositeur : Aldo Romano
Edition : Miss Terre / Editions Jean-Marie Salhani
LES CHENILLES
Tant qu’il y aura des hommes il
Y aura des tanks qu’il y au
Ra des hommes il y aura
Des tanks qu’il y aura des hommes il
Y aura des
Tanks qu’il y aura des hommes
Il y aura des tanks qu’il y au
Ra des hommes il
Y aura des tanks qu’il y
Aura des hommes il y au
Ra des tanks qu’il y aura des
Hommes il y aura des tanks qu’il
Y aura des hommes il y
Aura des tanks qu’il y aura des
Hommes il y au
Ra des tanks qu’il y aura
Des hommes il y aura des tanks qu’il
Y aura des
Hommes il y aura des tanks
Qu’il y aura des hommes il
Y aura des tanks qu’il y au
Ra des hommes il y aura des
Tanks qu’il y aura des hommes il
Y aura des tanks qu’il y au
Ra des hommes il y aura
Des tanks qu’il y aura des hommes il
Y aura des
Tanks qu’il y aura des hommes
Il y aura des tanks qu’il y au
Ra des hommes il
Y aura des tanks qu’il y
Aura des hommes qu’il y au
Ra des tanks qu’il y aura des
Hommes il y aura des tanks, merde
Crevez chenilles! nous, nous croyons
Aux premiers pas des papillons.
The lyrics of Claude Nougaro's song "Les Chenilles" are quite repetitive and straightforward. The song talks about the continuous cycle of war and conflict as long as there are men in the world. The repeated lines "Tant qu’il y aura des hommes il y aura des tanks" (As long as there are men, there will be tanks) emphasize this never-ending pattern of violence. However, amidst this bleak reality, the song also offers a glimmer of hope by mentioning the belief in the first steps of butterflies, symbolizing the potential for transformation and peace.
The repetition of the lines highlights the persistence of war and tanks. It suggests that as long as there are humans, there will always be conflicts and wars, represented by tanks. The use of tanks as a symbol of warfare reinforces the destructive nature of these conflicts. The chorus line "Crevez chenilles! nous, nous croyons aux premiers pas des papillons" (Die, caterpillars! We believe in the first steps of butterflies) expresses a desire for a shift towards peace. The reference to butterflies represents the possibility of transformation and the emergence of something beautiful from a state of destruction and violence.
Overall, "Les Chenilles" reflects on the tragic cycle of war and the need for a positive change towards peace and transformation. It serves as a reminder of the destructive power of conflicts and the importance of embracing hope and transformation.
Line by Line Meaning
Tant qu’il y aura des hommes il
As long as there are humans, there will be
Y aura des tanks qu’il y au
There will be tanks, that's for sure
Ra des hommes il y aura
Because there are men, there
Des tanks qu’il y aura des hommes il
Will be tanks, as long as there are men
Y aura des
There will be
Tanks qu’il y aura des hommes il y
Tanks as long as there are men there
Aura des tanks qu’il y
Will be tanks, there
Ra des hommes il
Are men, there
Y aura des tanks qu’il y
Will be tanks, there
Aura des hommes il y au
Will be men, that's for sure
Ra des tanks qu’il y aura des
Because there are tanks, there
Hommes il y aura des tanks qu’il
Will be men, there will be tanks
Y aura des hommes il y
There will be men, there
Aura des tanks qu’il y aura des
Will be tanks, as long as there are
Hommes il y aura des tanks qu’il
Men, there will be tanks
Y aura des
There will be
Hommes il y aura des tanks
Men, there will be tanks
Qu’il y aura des hommes il
As long as there are men, there
Y aura des tanks qu’il y au
Will be tanks, that's for sure
Ra des hommes il y aura des
Because there are men, there will be tanks
Tanks qu’il y aura des hommes il
Tanks, as long as there are men there
Y aura des
There will be
Hommes il y aura des tanks
Men, there will be tanks
Qu’il y aura des
As long as there are
Hommes il
Men, there
Y aura des tanks qu’il y
Will be tanks, there
Aura des hommes qu’il y au
Will be men, that's for sure
Ra des tanks qu’il y aura des
Because there are tanks, there will be
Hommes il y aura des tanks, merde
Men, there will be tanks, damn it
Crevez chenilles! nous, nous croyons
Die, caterpillars! We, we believe
Aux premiers pas des papillons.
In the first steps of butterflies.
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, Les Editions Miss Terre, SALHANI JEAN MARIE EDITIONS
Written by: Aldo ROMANO, Claude NOUGARO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind