Gérald De Palmas (born Gérald Gardrinier) is a French singer.

At the… Read Full Bio ↴Gérald De Palmas (born Gérald Gardrinier) is a French singer.

At the age of 10, De Palmas' family left Réunion, to live in Aix-en-Provence, France. At the age of 13, he discovered ska music, and became a fan of the UK band The Specials. Then he met Étienne Daho and formed a group called Les Max Valentins. But De Palmas was uncomfortable with this group, and went solo. After 7 years of writing and singing solo, Da Palmas won a talent contest on the French M6 TV network. In 1994, he released his first album La dernière Année (The Last Year), which contains the hit song Sur la Route (On the Road). He won a Victoires de la Musique award in 1996.

De Palmas released his second album Les Lois de la Nature (Laws of Nature) in 1997; during the same year his first child, Victor, was born. The album was less successful than his debut album, probably due to the dramatic change in his style. He was in the slumps for 2 and a half years, until 2000. That's when Jean-Jacques Goldman restored his confidence and wrote a song for him titled J'en rêve encore (I still dream about it).

De Palmas composed and wrote 10 of the 12 songs in his third album Marcher dans le sable (Walking in the sand). 2002 was the year he was reborn as a star, as he won the Victoires de la Musique and the NRJ Music Awards, while touring over 180 concerts. His songs even crossed the Atlantic, when Céline Dion sung his hit song Tomber (falling) in English, titled Ten Days. At the end of that year, Live 2002 was released on DVD and on CD, to commemorate his great tour of 2002.

Two years later, De Palmas returned with his fourth album Un homme sans racines (A man without roots), a more intimate album with less music, but still in the same melancholic style.

Si tu veux
Gérald de Palmas Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Si tu veux rester, parfait
Si tu veux partir je te suivrai
Si tu veux parler j'écouterai
Et si tu veux dormir je me tairai
Si tu veux de l'or prends le mien
Si tu es d'accord moi je ne veux rien

Si tu veux ma peau pas de problème

Je t'aime

Si tu veux danser avec un autre
Si tu veux coucher
Dans la chambre d'un autre
J'attendrai dehors sous la lune
En comptant les étoiles une par une
Si tu veux me voir à terre
Tomber à genoux
Mordre la poussière

Si tu veux ma peau pas de problème
Je t'aime

Si tu te demandes pourquoi
Je ne pleure pas
Quand tu te fous de moi
C'est que tu n'as jamais connu
L'amour qui se donne à corps perdu
Non ne sois pas triste pour moi
La plus à plaindre dans l'histoire
C'est toi

Ma vie n'est plus, plus un problème
Je t'aime

Overall Meaning

In "Si tu veux," Gérald de Palmas sings about the lengths he would go to for someone he loves, expressing a total willingness to sacrifice his own desires and needs for their happiness. The chorus repeats the phrase "Si tu veux ma peau pas de problème, je t'aime" (If you want my skin, no problem, I love you), which is a striking expression of devotion, indicating that he would willingly give up his life for this person.

The first verse sets the tone for the song, describing the singer's willingness to accommodate his beloved's needs, whether it be listening to them, letting them sleep, or giving them his possessions. The second verse, however, introduces the idea of the singer's beloved potentially cheating on him, either by dancing with someone else or sleeping in another room. Nevertheless, the singer states that he would still love this person - even waiting outside for them - no matter what they do.

The bridge of the song shifts to an explanation of the singer's lack of resentment toward his beloved's actions. He reveals that he isn't sad because he's experienced the kind of all-encompassing love where he's given himself completely to the other person. He argues that the one who should feel sorry is not him, but his beloved. The final line "Ma vie n'est plus, plus un problème, je t'aime" (My life is no longer a problem, I love you) encapsulates the singer's willingness to give everything he has for love.

Overall, the lyrics of "Si tu veux" express a deep, almost obsessive love, and a willingness to give up everything for the other person's happiness.

Line by Line Meaning

Si tu veux rester, parfait
I will be okay if you choose to stay

Si tu veux partir je te suivrai
I am willing to follow you if you decide to leave

Si tu veux parler j'écouterai
I promise to listen if you want to talk

Et si tu veux dormir je me tairai
I will keep quiet if you want to sleep

Si tu veux de l'or prends le mien
You can have all my gold if you want it

Si tu es d'accord moi je ne veux rien
If you are okay with it, I don't want anything

Si tu veux ma peau pas de problème
I am willing to do anything for you, even if it means sacrificing myself

Je t'aime
I love you

Si tu veux danser avec un autre
If you want to dance with someone else

Si tu veux coucher
If you want to sleep with