Félix Leclerc (August 2, 1914-August 8, 1988) was a Québécois folk singer, … Read Full Bio ↴Félix Leclerc (August 2, 1914-August 8, 1988) was a Québécois folk singer, poet, writer, actor and political activist.

He was born in La Tuque, Quebec from a family of pioneers in 1914, sixth in a family of eleven children. He began his studies at the University of Ottawa but was forced to stop due to the Depression.

Leclerc worked at various jobs before taking jobs as a radio announcer in Quebec City and Trois-Rivières from 1934 to 1937. In 1939, he began working as a writer at Radio-Canada in Montreal, developing scripts for radio dramas, including Je me souviens. He performed some of his earliest songs there. He also acted in various dramas, including Un Homme et son péché. He published a number of his scripts and founded a performing company which presented his plays through Quebec.

In 1950, he was discovered by Paris impresario, Jacques Canetti, and performed his songs in France to great success. He signed a recording contract with Polydor Records. He returned to Quebec in 1953. In 1958, he received the top award of the Académie Charles-Cros in France for his second album. He was awarded the Order of Canada in 1971, the National Order of Quebec in 1985 and became a Chevalier of the French Légion d'honneur in 1986.

He died in his sleep on the Île d'Orléans in 1988. A monument in his memory was constructed there in 1989.

Leclerc played a major role in revitalising the Quebec folk song ("chanson") tradition. He also was a strong voice for Quebec nationalism.

Various parks, roads and schools in Quebec that have been named in his honour. The Felix Awards, given to Quebec recording artists, are named after him. In 2000, the Government of Canada honoured him with his image on a postage stamp.

Les Algues
Félix Leclerc Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

On grandit comme l'arbre
On durcit comme marbre
Puis on se salit un peu
Puis on se passe dans le feu

On s'accroche comme l'algue
On s'enfonce peu à peu
Et au-dessus de la vague

Toujours le silence bleu

Mes retailles de misères
Plus un fil de mystère
Quelques pardons, du velours
Font un grand manteau d'amour

J'ai vu traîne royale
Piquée d'or et d'étoiles
Manteau d'amour que le nom
C'étaient des pleurs et du plomb

On est comme des algues
Qui dérivent la nuit

Sur le gros dos de la vague
Sans but, sans fin, sans bruit

Overall Meaning

The song "Les Algues" by Félix Leclerc talks about the journey of life and how we change and grow as we go through it. The first stanza talks about how we start out soft and pliable like a tree, but as we grow older and face life's hardships, we become hardened like marble. We also get "a little dirty" along the way, but ultimately we are forged in the fire of life's experiences.

The second stanza uses the analogy of seaweed to describe how we sink gradually over time, becoming more and more submerged and isolated from the world around us. The repetition of "always the blue silence" emphasizes the isolation and separateness of our individual journeys.

The third and final stanza talks about how we can overcome our struggles and create something beautiful out of our "scraps of misery". The image of a "coat of love" made from "some pardons, some velvet" is a powerful metaphor for the ability of love to heal even the deepest wounds. The final lines reiterate the analogy of the seaweed, describing how we drift aimlessly through life, without direction or sound.

Line by Line Meaning

On grandit comme l'arbre
We grow up like trees

On durcit comme marbre
We harden like marble

Puis on se salit un peu
Then we get a little dirty

Puis on se passe dans le feu
Then we pass through the fire

On s'accroche comme l'algue
We cling like seaweed

On s'enfonce peu à peu
We sink little by little

Et au-dessus de la vague
And above the wave

Toujours le silence bleu
Always the blue silence

Mes retailles de misères
My scraps of misery

Plus un fil de mystère
Plus not a thread of mystery

Quelques pardons, du velours
Some forgiveness, some velvet