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
Ce n'est pas tout d'être mon père
Georges Brassens Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Minables a pris le café
Du pauvre, on naît et nous voilà
Contraints d'estimer ces gens-là.
Parc' qu'un minus de cinq à sept
Chevauche une pauvre mazette
Qui resta froide, sortit du
Néant un qui n'aurait pas dû.
{Refrain:}
Ce n'est pas tout d'être mon père,
Il faut aussi me plaire.
Êtr' mon fils ce n'est pas tout,
Il faut me plaire itou.
Trouver son père sympathique,
C'est pas automatique.
Avoir un fils qui nous agrée,
Ce n'est pas assuré.
Quand on s'avise de venir
Sur terre, il faut se prémunir
Contre la tentation facile
D'être un rejeton d'imbécile.
Ne pas mettre au monde un connard,
C'est malcommode et c'est un art
Que ne pratique pas souvent
La majorité des vivants.
{Refrain}
L'enfant naturel, l'orphelin
Est malheureux et je le plains,
Mais, du moins, il n'est pas tenu
Au respect d'un père inconnu.
Jésus, lui, fut plus avisé,
Et plutôt que de s'exposer
A prendre un crétin pour papa,
Il aima mieux n'en avoir pas.
{Refrain}
C'est pas un compte personnel
Que je règle ; mon paternel,
Brave vieux, me plaisait beaucoup,
Etait tout à fait à mon goût.
Quant à moi qui, malgré des tas
De galipettes de fada,
N'ai point engendré de petits,
J' n'ai pas pu faire d'abrutis.
{Refrain}
The song Ce n'est pas tout d'être mon père by Georges Brassens discusses the idea that simply being someone's father or son does not automatically mean that they will be liked or respected. The lyrics describe how people can be born into unfortunate circumstances, forced to interact with individuals that they would not normally choose to associate with. The first verse mentions the concept of being born into poverty due to the actions of undesirable individuals, and how this can lead to some level of obligation to respect them. The refrain emphasizes the idea that being related does not guarantee a positive relationship, and that it takes more than blood ties to form a bond.
The second verse discusses the responsibility that comes with having a child, and the importance of making an effort to raise that child well. Brassens suggests that it is difficult to ensure that one's child will not become a "connard" (idiot), and that it is a task that many people fail at. The final verse uses a religious example to illustrate the idea that it is sometimes better to not have a father at all than to have a bad one. The overall message of the song is that family relationships are complex and cannot be taken for granted; they require effort and mutual respect.
Line by Line Meaning
Du fait qu'un couple de fieffés Minables a pris le café
Due to the fact that a couple of despicable nobodies had coffee, we are born and are therefore obliged to respect those people.
Du pauvre, on naît et nous voilà Contraints d'estimer ces gens-là.
We are born from humble beginnings and therefore obligated to respect such people.
Parc' qu'un minus de cinq à sept Chevauche une pauvre mazette Qui resta froide, sortit du Néant un qui n'aurait pas dû.
Just because some nobody has sex with a woman who lets him, an undeserving person is brought into the world.
{Refrain:} Ce n'est pas tout d'être mon père, Il faut aussi me plaire. Êtr' mon fils ce n'est pas tout, Il faut me plaire itou. Trouver son père sympathique, C'est pas automatique. Avoir un fils qui nous agrée, Ce n'est pas assuré.
It's not just enough to be someone's father or son, you also have to be likable to them. It's not guaranteed that someone will like their own father or son.
Quand on s'avise de venir Sur terre, il faut se prémunir Contre la tentation facile D'être un rejeton d'imbécile.
When someone comes into this world, they must protect themselves from the easy temptation of being the offspring of an idiot.
Ne pas mettre au monde un connard, C'est malcommode et c'est un art Que ne pratique pas souvent La majorité des vivants.
It's difficult- and an art- to not bring into this world a jerk, an art that the majority of people fail to practice.
{Refrain}
Refrain
L'enfant naturel, l'orphelin Est malheureux et je le plains, Mais, du moins, il n'est pas tenu Au respect d'un père inconnu.
A natural child and an orphan are unfortunate, and I feel sorry for them. At least, they're not obligated to respect an unknown father.
Jésus, lui, fut plus avisé, Et plutôt que de s'exposer A prendre un crétin pour papa, Il aima mieux n'en avoir pas.
Jesus was smarter and instead of risking having a jerk for a father, he preferred to not have one at all.
{Refrain}
Refrain
C'est pas un compte personnel Que je règle ; mon paternel, Brave vieux, me plaisait beaucoup, Etait tout à fait à mon goût. Quant à moi qui, malgré des tas De galipettes de fada, N'ai point engendré de petits, J' n'ai pas pu faire d'abrutis.
This isn't a personal settling of accounts; my father, a good old man, was very likable to me. As for myself, despite the many crazy sexual encounters, I haven't fathered any kids, so I couldn't have created any idiots.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GEORGES CHARLES BRASSENS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jean-francoismanu2986
Brassens à toujours fait du trenet musicalement... et du Rimbaud-ravachol en paroles...
@Manesson
Brassens faisait aussi du Trenet !
@sylviejaunin9402
Certes mais c'est le père Georges qui les a écrites! Du grand art. tu nous manques Georges.
@pierreblanchard4286
+Sylvie Jaunin - Je suis bien d'accord avec vous Sylvie. Dommage qu'il ne les ait pas enregistrées lui-même, toutes les chansons posthumes enregistrées par Bertola.
@j9dz2sf
Je suis en train de l'apprendre, avec la partition. C'est dommage, je trouve que Bertola ne respecte pas bien le rythme (à 4 temps) de la partition. "Du fait qu'un couple de fieffés minables..." : entre "fieffés" et "minable", il y a 4 temps, Bertola n'en fait qu'un seul. Il y a d'autres exemples dans la chanson. Son rythme n'est pas bon. La musique est de lui ou de Brassens ?