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

Bonhomme
Georges Brassens Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Malgré la bise qui mord
La pauvre vieille de somme
Va ramasser du bois mort
Pour chauffer Bonhomme
Bonhomme qui va mourir
De mort naturelle

Mélancolique, elle va

À travers la forêt blême
Où jadis elle rêva
De celui qu'elle aime
Qu'elle aime et qui va mourir
De mort naturelle

Rien n'arrêtera le cours
De la vieille qui moissonne
Le bois mort de ses doigts gourds
Ni rien ni personne
Car Bonhomme va mourir
De mort naturelle

Non, rien ne l'arrêtera
Ni cette voix de malheur
Qui dit "quand tu rentreras
Chez toi, tout à l'heure
Bonhomme sera déjà mort
De mort naturelle"

Ni cette autre et sombre voix
Montant du plus profond d'elle
Lui rappeler que, parfois
Il fut infidèle

Car Bonhomme, il va mourir
De mort naturelle

Overall Meaning

The song "Bonhomme" by Georges Brassens tells the story of an old woman who is out in the cold wind gathering dead wood to keep her man, Bonhomme, warm. Bonhomme is in his final days and will soon die from natural causes. The old woman, despite her own frailty, continues her labor, determined to provide her beloved with some comfort in his final hours.

As the woman moves through the bleak forest, she recalls how she once dreamed of the man she loved, the same man who is now dying. She reflects on the changing nature of their relationship, remembering how he had been unfaithful to her. However, despite the pain and sorrow of their past, the woman remains devoted to her partner, tending to him as he approaches the end of his life.

The lyrics are deeply emotional, communicating the weight of the woman's love and the sadness of loss. The repetition of the phrase "de mort naturelle" (from natural causes) underscores the inevitability of death and the fragility of human life.

Line by Line Meaning

Malgré la bise qui mord
Despite the biting wind

La pauvre vieille de somme
The poor old woman from Somme

Va ramasser du bois mort
Goes to gather dead wood

Pour chauffer Bonhomme
To heat up Bonhomme

Bonhomme qui va mourir
Bonhomme who is going to die

De mort naturelle
Of natural death

Mélancolique, elle va
Melancholic, she goes

À travers la forêt blême
Through the bleak forest

Où jadis elle rêva
Where she once dreamed

De celui qu'elle aime
Of the one she loves

Qu'elle aime et qui va mourir
That she loves and who is going to die