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

Jean rentre au village
Georges Brassens Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Jean rentre au village
Son père chercher,
Le cherche trois heures,
Où s'est-il caché ?

Mais un brave cœur lui dit :
Ton papa, pauvre petit,
Il est en hospice,

Le bon Dieu n'est pas gentil.

Jean va-t-en hospice
Son père chercher.
Le cherche trois heures,
Où s'est-il caché ?

Mais un brave cœur lui dit
Ton papa pauvre petit
L'est déjà-t-en morgue,
Le bon Dieu n'est pas gentil.

Jean s'en va-t-en morgue
Son père chercher,
Le cherche trois heures,
Où s'est-il caché ?

Mais un brave cœur lui dit
Ton papa, pauvre petit,
L'est déjà-t-en bière,
Le bon Dieu n'est pas gentil.

Jean s'en va-t-en bière
Son père chercher,
Le cherche trois heures,
Où s'est-il caché ?

Mais un brave cœur lui dit
Ton papa, pauvre petit,
L'est déjà-t-en route,
Le bon Dieu n'est pas gentil.

Jean s'en va-t-en route
Son père chercher,
Le cherche trois heures,
Où s'est-il caché ?

Mais un brave cœur lui dit
Ton papa, pauvre petit,
L'est déjà-t-en terre,
Le bon Dieu n'est pas gentil.

Jean s'en va-t-en terre
Son père chercher,
Le cherche trois heures,
Où s'est-il caché ?

Mais un brave cœur lui dit
Ton papa, pauvre petit,

L'est déjà-t-en cendres,
Le bon Dieu n'est pas gentil.

Overall Meaning

The song "Jean rentre au village" by Georges Brassens is a tragic story of a son looking for his lost father, who ultimately learns of his father's death through the help of a stranger. The song begins with Jean returning to the village and searching for his father, who has gone missing. Despite his efforts, he cannot find him, and a kind-hearted individual informs him that his father is in an "hospice," which represents the ultimate defeat for Jean. As he goes to find his father at the hospice, he learns that his father has passed away and has been taken to the morgue.

The song progresses as Jean continues to search for his father, but at each turn, he learns that his father has moved further and further towards his inevitable passing. Eventually, he finds himself at the cemetery, where his father's ashes have been scattered. The song paints a sad picture of a son's search for a lost father and ultimately learning of his death. The lyrics truly convey the deep sense of loss that comes from losing a loved one.

Line by Line Meaning

Jean rentre au village
Jean has returned to the village

Son père chercher,
His father is missing

Le cherche trois heures,
He searches for three hours

Où s'est-il caché ?
Where could he be hiding?

Mais un brave cœur lui dit :
But a kind heart tells him:

Ton papa, pauvre petit,
Your poor dad

Il est en hospice,
He's in the hospice

Le bon Dieu n'est pas gentil.
God is not kind.

Jean va-t-en hospice
Jean goes to the hospice

L'est déjà-t-en morgue,
He's already in the morgue

Jean s'en va-t-en morgue
Jean goes to the morgue