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

Ceux Qui Ne Pensent Pas Comme Nous
Georges Brassens Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Quand on n'est pas d'accord avec le fort en thème
Qui, chez les sorbonnards, fit ses humanités,
On murmure in petto : "C'est un vrai Nicodème,
Un balourd, un bélître, un bel âne bâté."
Moi qui pris mes leçons chez l'engeance argotique,
Je dis en l'occurrence, excusez le jargon,
Si la forme a changé le fond reste identique :
"Ceux qui ne pensent pas comme nous sont des cons."

{Refrain:}
Entre nous soit dit, bonnes gens,
Pour reconnaître
Que l'on n'est pas intelligent,
Il faudrait l'être.
Entre nous soit dit, bonnes gens,
Pour reconnaître
Que l'on n'est pas intelligent,
Il faudrait l'être.

Jouant les ingénus, le père de Candide,
Le génial Voltaire, en substance écrivit
Qu'il souffrait volontiers - complaisance splendide -
Que l'on ne se conformât point à son avis.
"Vous proférez, Monsieur, des sottises énormes,
Mais jusques à la mort, je me battrais pour qu'on
Vous les laissât tenir. Attendez-moi sous l'orme !"
"Ceux qui ne pensent pas comme nous sont des cons."

{Refrain}

Si ça n'entraîne pas une guerre civile
Quand un fâcheux me contrarie, c'est - soyons francs -
Un peu par sympathie, par courtoisie servile,
Un peu par vanité d'avoir l'air tolérant,
Un peu par crainte aussi que cette grosse bête
Prise à rebrousse-poil ne sorte de ses gonds
Pour mettre à coups de poing son credo dans ma tête.
"Ceux qui ne pensent pas comme nous sont des cons."

{Refrain}

La morale de ma petite ritournelle,
Il semble superflu de vous l'expliciter.
Elle coule de source, elle est incluse en elle :
Faut choisir entre deux éventualités.
En fait d'alternative, on fait pas plus facile.
Ceux qui l'aiment, parbleu, sont des esprits féconds,
Ceux qui ne l'aiment pas, de pauvres imbéciles.
"Ceux qui ne pensent pas comme nous sont des cons."

{Refrain}

Overall Meaning

In Georges Brassens’s song Ceux Qui Ne Pensent Pas Comme Nous, the singer addresses the common human folly of believing that those who do not share their opinions are “idiots.” The first verse points out the prevailing sentiment among academics: that those who did not study the same curriculum were foolish and ignorant. However, the singer insists that the mindset of belittling the opinions of others remains intact even if the style of dismissal has evolved. The refrain emphasizes the theme of the song, that it would require intelligence for one to realize that they are not intelligent. The singer further postulates that Voltaire would have defended the right of an individual to hold an opposing opinion, despite being deemed ridiculous by others.

The second verse focuses on how many people give deference to those who hold a contrary opinion, due to a sense of flattery, courtesy, or as a show of tolerance. This attitude is also rooted in a feeling of trepidation that an opponent may become violent or unbearable upon confrontation. The final verse presents the ultimate choice we face: to recognize a view opposed to our own as valuable or dismiss it as foolishness. The singer comes down on the side that the former group are distinguished people of rare insight while the latter group are pitifully ill-informed.

Overall, the song is a critique of the natural inclination of most individuals to regard their opinions as superior to others' views. The title of the song, which can be translated to "Those Who Do Not Think Like Us", is a parody of how we tend to generalize and simplify others while dismissing their opposing views. The song encourages listeners to remain open-minded and to recognize their own limitations rather than arrogantly assuming their correctness.

Ceux Qui Ne Pensent Pas Comme NousGeorges Brassens Lyrics

Ceux Qui Ne Pensent Pas Comme Nous
Georges Brassens Lyrics