Emblematic French singer from the 80's, Daniel Balavoine (1952-1986) partic… Read Full Bio ↴Emblematic French singer from the 80's, Daniel Balavoine (1952-1986) participated in the first Starmania rock-show (later played in the USA as 'Tycoon') and wrote many popular songs that shook French youth during his time, such as Le Chanteur, L'Aziza, Sauver l'amour ...

Very engaged in the civil society, he sang and personified the lust for life, the hopes and the doubts of his generation, often clashing with politicians, elites, and older generations. He is especially famous for a tense debate about the struggles, hopes and doubts of French youth with the then first secretary of the French Socialist party, François Mitterrand, who was later twice elected president of France. Later he also had problems in a misunderstood verbal clash about French veterans.

Daniel Balavoine loved Africa and this transpires in many of his songs. He dedicated himself to humanitarian projects and took part in the Paris-Dakar rallye two times. The third time he took part only for humanitarian reasons. On the 14th january 1986, around 8pm, his helicopter crashed between Mali and Burkina-Faso, killing all five passengers, putting an end to his career, and leaving behind his pregnant wife Corine and his son Jeremy.

La Porte Est Close
Daniel Balavoine Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

La porte est close
Je voudrais sortir de l'enfer
La porte est close
Ma tête explose
Ils ont emmuré nos terres
Oh! ma tête explose
Ils m'ont demandé
Ce que je faisais là

Je leur ai expliqué
Que je venais pour toi
Alors au bout de leurs fusils
Ils m'ont ramené chez moi
Ils ont dit à nos parents
Qu'à partir d 'aujourd'hui
Commençait vraiment le bon temps
Ref: C'était le treize août 1961
J'allais rue Bernauer
Je devais voir mon frère
Pour parler de liberté;
Je n'ai rien dit
Quand ils ont demandé; mon frère
Moi j'ai rien dit
M'ont interdit de retourner
Rue Bernauer
M'ont interdit
Ils nous ont raconté;
Que tu avais trahi
Que t'avais choisi
Le mauvais côté du pays
Qu'ils ne fallait rien regretter
Puisque nous, nous étions restés
Ils ont dit à nos parents
Qu'à partir d'aujourd'hui
Tu n'étais plus leur enfant

Ref: C'était le treize août 1961
J'allais ...

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "La porte est close" by Daniel Balavoine tells the story of a man who is trapped in an oppressive environment. He feels like he's in hell and wants to escape, but the door is closed. He's frustrated and angry and his head is about to explode. The verse "Ils ont emmuré nos terres" ("They walled up our lands") implies that there are political and social issues at the root of his dissatisfaction. The man has a reason to go out - he wants to see his brother to talk about freedom. However, his attempt to do so is met with hostility as he is detained and taken back home by people with guns. When he explains why he was there, he is accused of something and prohibited from returning. The authorities also tell his parents that their child is no longer theirs. The song ends with the refrain "It was August 13, 1961", which serves as a reference to the building of the Berlin Wall.

Line by Line Meaning

La porte est close
The door is closed

Je voudrais sortir de l'enfer
I want to get out of hell

La porte est close
The door is closed

Ma tête explose
My head is exploding

Ils ont emmuré nos terres
They walled off our lands

Oh! ma tête explose
Oh! My head is exploding

Ils m'ont demandé
They asked me

Ce que je faisais là
What I was doing there

Je leur ai expliqué
I explained to them

Que je venais pour toi
That I came for you

Alors au bout de leurs fusils
So at the end of their guns

Ils m'ont ramené chez moi
They brought me back home

Ils ont dit à nos parents
They told our parents

Qu'à partir d'aujourd'hui
That from now on

Commençait vraiment le bon temps
The good times really began

C'était le treize août 1961
It was August 13th, 1961

J'allais rue Bernauer
I was going to Bernauer street

Je devais voir mon frère
I had to see my brother

Pour parler de liberté;
To talk about freedom;

Je n'ai rien dit
I didn't say anything

Quand ils ont demandé; mon frère
When they asked for my brother

Moi j'ai rien dit
I didn't say anything

M'ont interdit de retourner
They forbade me from going back

Rue Bernauer
To Bernauer street

M'ont interdit
They forbade me

Ils nous ont raconté;
They told us;

Que tu avais trahi
That you had betrayed

Que t'avais choisi
That you had chosen

Le mauvais côté du pays
The wrong side of the country

Qu'ils ne fallait rien regretter
That there was nothing to regret

Puisque nous, nous étions restés
Since we had stayed

Tu n'étais plus leur enfant
You were no longer their child

Ref: C'était le treize août 1961
Ref: It was August 13th, 1961

J'allais ...
I was going...

Contributed by Grace W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS

Genre not found

Artist not found

Album not found

Search results not found

Song not found

Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@bloodm4041

3y↑5

La porte est close
Je voudrais sortir de l'enfer
La porte est close
Ma tête explose
Ils ont emmuré nos terres
Oh! ma tête explose
Ils m'ont demandé
Ce que je faisais là
Je leur ai expliqué
Que je venais pour toi
Alors au bout de leurs fusils
Ils m'ont ramené chez moi
Ils ont dit à nos parents
Qu'à partir d 'aujourd'hui
Commençait vraiment le bon temps
Ref: C'était le treize août 1961
J'allais rue Bernauer
Je devais voir mon frère
Pour parler de liberté;
Je n'ai rien dit
Quand ils ont demandé; mon frère
Moi j'ai rien dit
M'ont interdit de retourner
Rue Bernauer
M'ont interdit
Ils nous ont raconté;
Que tu avais trahi
Que t'avais choisi
Le mauvais côté du pays
Qu'ils ne fallait rien regretter
Puisque nous, nous étions restés
Ils ont dit à nos parents
Qu'à partir d'aujourd'hui
Tu n'étais plus leur enfant