Georges Brassens was a French singer and songwriter known for accompanying … Read Full Bio ↴Georges Brassens was a French singer and songwriter known for accompanying himself with his acoustic guitar. He wrote some extremely controversial, yet poetic songs. In doing so, he managed to change attitudes across France.

He was uncompromising when composing his songs. His tactical method of addressing issues was profound and often humorous, making him a unique and effective figure in the French community.

Brassens, born in 1921 in the small Mediterrenean port of Sete, wanted to be a poet. He realized very early however that poetry in the 20th century could hardly put bread on the table and instead set himself to become a singer.

He is much less famous internationally than contemporaries like Charles Aznavour, Edith Piaf and Yves Montand, as much of the impact of his songs came from the lyrics, which proved difficult to translate into other languages. He loved the Middle Ages and used a great deal of Old French vocabulary, as well as many classical - ie., Latin and Greek - references. Few people, even in France, possess the background to fully understand his songs.

Yet he was at the same time a hugely popular singer and many of his songs still carry a lot of appeal and relevance. In this sense, he can be compared to Boris Vian, to Jacques Brel, and to a lesser extent to Serge Gainsbourg.

He was very sophisticated, yet at the same time used profanity liberally. While he wasn't politically engaged, he was nevertheless unambiguously a leftist, many of his songs carrying blatant and buoyant anarchist overtones.

While his music was initially quite primitive, the 1950's St-Germain-des-Pres influence quickly made itself felt and while subdued and - in his mind - always secondary to the lyrics, it became increasingly sophisticated - to the point that many of his songs have been covered and reinterpretated by jazzmen (see for instance this UK site: www.projetbrassens.eclipse.co.uk)

He died in 1981, but up to this date (2006) there are few French people - including most of those born since - who can't sing along to his most famous song, Les Copains d'abord ("Friends foremost") or his "Bancs public" ("Public Benches").

For those interested, this site carries a number of (quite good) English tranlations of his songs: www.brassens.org

Ballade des dames du temps jadis
Georges Brassens Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Dites-moi où, n'en quel pays
Est Flora, la belle Romaine
Archipiades, né Thaïs
Qui fut sa cousine germaine
Écho parlant quand bruit on mène
Dessus rivière ou sur étang
Qui beauté eu trop plus qu'humaine
Mais où sont les neiges d'antan

Qui beauté eu trop plus qu'humaine
Mais où sont les neiges d'antan

Où est la très sage Hélloïs
Pour qui châtré fut et puis moine
Pierre Esbaillart à Saint-Denis
Pour son amour eu cette essoine
Semblablement, où est la reine
Qui commanda que Buridan
Fut jeté en un sac en Seine
Mais où sont les neiges d'antan
Fut jeté en un sac en Seine
Mais où sont les neiges d'antan

La reine blanche comme lis
Qui chantait à voix de sirène
Berte au grand pied, Bietris, Alis
Harembourgis qui tint le Maine
Et Jeanne la bonne Lorraine
Qu'Anglais brûlèrent à Rouen
Où sont-ils Vierge souveraine
Mais où sont les neiges d'antan
Où sont-ils Vierge souveraine
Mais où sont les neiges d'antan

Prince, n'enquérez de semaine
Où elles sont, né de cet an
Que ce refrain ne vous remaine
Mais où sont les neiges d'antan

Que ce refrain ne vous remaine
Mais où sont les neiges d'antan

Overall Meaning

The song Ballade des dames du temps jadis by Georges Brassens is a melancholic tribute to the women of the past. The singer is asking where the women of the past are located, and where their beauty and wisdom have gone. The singer starts off by asking about Flora, a beautiful Roman woman, and Archipiades, who was Flora's cousin. The singer mentions Echo, a river nymph famous for repeating everything she hears. The singer wonders where these women have gone and why their beauty was too much for humanity to handle.

In the second verse, the singer mourns the loss of the wise woman Héloïse, who was castrated for her love by her lover Peter Abelard. The singer also wonders about the Queen who ordered Jean Buridan, a philosopher to be thrown into a sack and thrown into the Seine. The singer asks where these women have gone, and why their wisdom has disappeared.

The third verse is a tribute to the various women in history, including the White Queen who has the voice of a siren and the women of Harem who held a lot of power in their time. The singer also mentions Jeanne, the good Lorraine, who was burned by the English in Rouen. The singer wonders where these women have gone and what happened to their legacy.

In the last verse, the singer advises the listener not to inquire about the current state of these women. The refrain "Mais où sont les neiges d'antan?" asks where the snows of yesteryear have gone, symbolizing the loss and transience of beauty and wisdom.

Line by Line Meaning

Dites-moi où, n'en quel pays
Please tell me where, in which country

Est Flora, la belle Romaine
Is Flora, the beautiful Roman woman

Archipiades, né Thaïs
Archipiades, born Thaïs

Qui fut sa cousine germaine
Who was her first cousin

Écho parlant quand bruit on mène
Echo speaking when noise is made

Dessus rivière ou sur étang
Over river or on pond

Qui beauté eu trop plus qu'humaine
Who had beauty too much more than human

Mais où sont les neiges d'antan
But where are the snows of yesteryear

Où est la très sage Hélloïs
Where is the very wise Hélloïs

Pour qui châtré fut et puis moine
For whom was castrated and then became a monk

Pierre Esbaillart à Saint-Denis
Pierre Esbaillart at Saint-Denis