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 soupirs
Félix Leclerc Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Le plancher à polir,
L'examen à subir,
Le malade de dormir...
Il donnerait bien deux "toquens", Casimir,
Pour pouvoir guérir...
La mer qui se déplie,
Tourne et tourne à s'étourdir,
L'enfant puni pousse des soupirs
Fuir ! Fuir ! Fuir !
Faut monter la falaise,
Toute couronne pèse,
Écrasés sur nos chaises
À quand fin des malaises ?
J'ai vu le loup courir la brebis
Toute la nuit...
Encore un peu de neige,
Un nid dans le bouleau,
Que la ville se taise
Ou renfonce sous l'eau,
Devenir homme, c'est tomber de haut
Ho ! Ho ! Ho !...
Le feu dans la forêt,
À neuf heures le toscin,
Un mort dans le marais
Une bouteille de vin,
La roue du cirque tourne sans arrêt,
Rouge, jaune, vert...
Recule, avance, cours,
Lève, tombe, au secours!
L'oiseau léger est si lourd...
À chaque jour, je fais pleurer l'amour,
Boo, boo, boo...
Mes jouets sont brisés
La rivière est gelée,
Portes de ma Vallée
On nous a verrouillées...
Marthe, Fidor
Vivez-vous encore,
Please, please, please ?...
Signes du paradis,
La nuit je vous épie,
Y a mon amie qui rit
Et mon frère qui prie...
Moi, j'ai les deux yeux rivés au port,
J'attends le vaisseau d'or...
The lyrics of Félix Leclerc's song Les soupirs express a deep yearning for an escape from the mundane and oppressive daily routine. The song is a call to break free from the constraints of society and seek freedom and liberation. The first verse mentions everyday duties and responsibilities that weigh heavy on the singer's mind, highlighted by the repetition of the phrase "Fuir! Fuir! Fuir!" (escape! escape! escape!) in the end. This feeling of being trapped is reinforced by the mention of a caged bear and a punished child in the second verse. The imagery of the sea and the desire for healing adds to the sense of longing for relief.
The song then takes a turn towards the outdoors, with the singer calling for an ascent up a cliff and a desire for snow and nature. However, even in the natural world, there are still dangers, such as the fire in the forest and the constant turning of the circus wheel. The repetition of action words in the third verse, such as "recule, avance, cours" (back up, move forward, run), adds to the theme of stagnation and the need for change.
The fourth verse sees the singer reflecting on their own emotions and experiences. Their toys are broken and their valley is locked up, and they wonder about the fate of their friends Marthe and Fidor. The final lines of the song, "Signes du paradis, / La nuit je vous épie, / J'attends le vaisseau d'or..." (Signs of paradise, / At night I spy on you / I'm waiting for the golden ship...), reveal a dreamy, hopeful side to the singer's longing, hinting towards a belief in a better future beyond daily struggles.
Line by Line Meaning
Ah ! Si ça peut finir!
Oh! If only it could end!
Le plancher à polir,
The floor to polish,
L'examen à subir,
The exam to take,
Le malade de dormir...
The sick person struggling to sleep...
Il donnerait bien deux "toquens", Casimir,
He would give two "toquens", Casimir,
Pour pouvoir guérir...
To be able to heal...
La mer qui se déplie,
The unfolding sea,
L'ours dans sa cage qui Tourne et tourne à s'étourdir,
The bear in its cage spinning and spinning to get dizzy,
L'enfant puni pousse des soupirs
The punished child sighs
Fuir ! Fuir ! Fuir !
To escape! To flee! To run!
Faut monter la falaise,
We must climb the cliff,
Toute couronne pèse,
Every crown weighs,
Écrasés sur nos chaises
Crushed on our chairs
À quand fin des malaises ?
When will the illnesses finish?
J'ai vu le loup courir la brebis Toute la nuit...
I saw the wolf chase the sheep all night...
Encore un peu de neige,
A little more snow,
Un nid dans le bouleau,
A nest in the birch,
Que la ville se taise
May the city be silent
Ou renfonce sous l'eau,
Or sink under water,
Devenir homme, c'est tomber de haut Ho ! Ho ! Ho !...
To become a man, is to fall from a high place Ho! Ho! Ho!...
Le feu dans la forêt,
The fire in the forest,
À neuf heures le toscin,
At nine o'clock the bell tolls,
Un mort dans le marais
A dead person in the marsh
Une bouteille de vin,
A bottle of wine,
La roue du cirque tourne sans arrêt,
The circus wheel keeps turning without stopping,
Rouge, jaune, vert...
Red, yellow, green...
Recule, avance, cours,
Back up, move forward, run,
Lève, tombe, au secours!
Rise, fall, help!
L'oiseau léger est si lourd...
The light bird is so heavy...
À chaque jour, je fais pleurer l'amour,
Every day, I make love cry,
Boo, boo, boo...
Boo, boo, boo...
Mes jouets sont brisés
My toys are broken
La rivière est gelée,
The river is frozen,
Portes de ma Vallée
Doors to my valley
On nous a verrouillées...
We have been locked up...
Marthe, Fidor
Martha, Fidor
Vivez-vous encore,
Are you still alive,
Please, please, please ?...
Please, please, please?...
Signes du paradis,
Signs from heaven,
La nuit je vous épie,
At night I spy on you,
Y a mon amie qui rit
My friend is laughing
Et mon frère qui prie...
And my brother who is praying...
Moi, j'ai les deux yeux rivés au port,
Me, I have both eyes fixed on the port,
J'attends le vaisseau d'or...
I'm waiting for the golden ship...
Contributed by Alyssa P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Linda Delage
Mon cher monsieur Gauthier,vous me faites redecouvrir Felix ,une grande idole de jeunesse.Je cherche depuis un bout la chanson l'ancetre avec orchestrations si jamais vous mettez la main dessus................Merci pour ce beau partage.
Luc Gauthier
D’abord, une version purement orchestrale de la chanson L’Ancêtre, je n’en connais qu’une, la mienne : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fMR5o0oRIQ&list=PLV_NJi3_hfdoRDBDNNlABynRoBldpZ3Ur&index=73&t=0s
Mais il y a aussi la version originale orchestrée par François Dompierre, publiée en 1975 sur l’album Le tour de l’île.