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
Jeanne Martin
Georges Brassens Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Où jadis, bien tranquille
Moi je suis né nati
Soit dit sans couillonnade
Avait le nom d'un ad
Jectif démonstratif
Moi, personnellement
Ça m'était bien égal
J'étais pas chatouillé
J'étais pas humilié
Dans mon honneur local
Mais voyant d' l'infamie
Dans cette homonymie
Des bougres s'en sont plaints
Tellement que bientôt
On a changé l'ortho
Graph' du nom du pat'lin
Et j'eus ma première tristesse d'Olympio
Déférence gardée envers le père Hugo
Si faire se peut
Attendez un peu
Messieurs les édiles
Que l'on soit passé
Pour débaptiser
Nos petites villes
La chère vieille rue
Où mon père avait cru
On ne peut plus propice
D'aller construire sa
Petite maison s'a
Ppelait rue de l'Hospice
Se mettre en quête d'un
Nom d' rue plus opportun
Ne se concevait pas
On n' pouvait trouver mieux
Vu qu'un asile de vieux
Florissait dans le bas
Les anciens combattants
Tous comme un seul, sortant
De leurs vieux trous d'obus
Firent tant qu'à la fin
La rue d' l'Hospic' devint
La rue Henri Barbusse
Et j'eus ma deuxième tristesse d'Olympio
Déférence gardée envers le père Hugo
Si faire se peut
Attendez un peu
Héros incongrus
Que l'on soit passé
Pour débaptiser
Nos petites rues
Moi, la première à qui
Mon cœur fut tout acquis
S'app'lait Jeanne Martin
Patronyme qui fait
Pas tellement d'effet
Dans le bottin mondain
Mais moi j'aimais comme un
Fou ce nom si commun
N'en déplaise aux minus
D'ailleurs, de parti pris
Celle que je chéris
S'appell' toujours Vénus
Hélas un béotien
A la place du sien
Lui proposa son blase
Fameux dans l'épicerie
Et cette renchérie
Refusa pas, hélas
Et j'eus ma troisième tristesse d'Olympio
Déférence gardée envers le père Hugo
Si faire se peut
Attendez un peu
Cinq minutes, non?
Gentes fiancées
Que l'on soit passé
Pour changer de nom
The song "Jeanne Martin" by Georges Brassens highlights the changes in the names of places and people in a small town. The first verse talks about the town where the singer was born and how it was originally named after a demonstrative adjective. The singer does not care about the name of the town until people start complaining about the homonymy and the town council decides to change the name. This event marks the singer's first sadness and he gives deference to the poet Victor Hugo.
The second verse talks about the street where the singer's father built their family home. The street was called "Rue de l'Hospice" because there was an old people's home located there. The veterans convince the town council to rename the street "Rue Henri Barbusse". This event marks the singer's second sadness and once again, he gives deference to Victor Hugo.
The third verse talks about a girl named Jeanne Martin who the singer was deeply in love with. Jeanne Martin is a common name that doesn't make an impression in high society, but the singer loved it nevertheless. Unfortunately, a "béotien" or someone with bad taste suggested a different name for her and she accepted it. This event marks the singer's third sadness and once again, he gives deference to Victor Hugo.
Overall, the song is a commentary on how names can be important and how changing them can have an impact on tradition and history.
Line by Line Meaning
La petite presqu'île
The small peninsula
Où jadis, bien tranquille
Where I was born and raised in peace
Moi je suis né nati
I was born a native of this place
Soit dit sans couillonnade
To be said without any foolishness
Avait le nom d'un ad
Had a name that was a demonstrative adjective
Moi, personnellement
As for me personally
Que je meur' si je mens
May I die if I am lying
Ça m'était bien égal
I didn't care
J'étais pas chatouillé
It didn't bother me
J'étais pas humilié
It didn't humiliate me
Dans mon honneur local
In my local honor
Mais voyant d' l'infamie
But seeing the shame
Dans cette homonymie
In this name coincidence
Des bougres s'en sont plaints
Some people were complaining
Tellement que bientôt
So much that soon
On a changé l'ortho
The spelling was changed
Graph' du nom du pat'lin
Of the name of the place
Et j'eus ma première tristesse d'Olympio
And I had my first sadness, like in the poem of Victor Hugo
Déférence gardée envers le père Hugo
With respect for the father Hugo
Si faire se peut
If it can be done
Attendez un peu
Wait a little
Messieurs les édiles
Gentlemen officials
Que l'on soit passé
That one has gone through
Pour débaptiser
To rename
Nos petites villes
Our small towns
La chère vieille rue
The dear old street
Où mon père avait cru
Where my father had believed
On ne peut plus propice
Was no longer so suitable
D'aller construire sa
To build his
Petite maison s'a
Small house
Ppelait rue de l'Hospice
Was called the street of the Hospice
Se mettre en quête d'un
To go in search of a
Nom d' rue plus opportun
More appropriate street name
Ne se concevait pas
Was not conceivable
On n' pouvait trouver mieux
We couldn't find a better one
Vu qu'un asile de vieux
Because an asylum for old people
Florissait dans le bas
Thrived at the bottom of the street
Les anciens combattants
The war veterans
Tous comme un seul, sortant
All of them, as one, coming out
De leurs vieux trous d'obus
From their old shell-holes
Firent tant qu'à la fin
Did so much that in the end
La rue d' l'Hospic' devint
The street of the Hospice became
La rue Henri Barbusse
The street of Henri Barbusse
Et j'eus ma deuxième tristesse d'Olympio
And I had my second sadness, like in the poem of Victor Hugo
Héros incongrus
Incongruous heroes
Moi, la première à qui
Me, the first to whom
Mon cœur fut tout acquis
My heart was completely devoted
S'app'lait Jeanne Martin
Was called Jeanne Martin
Patronyme qui fait
A surname that
Pas tellement d'effet
Doesn't have too much effect
Dans le bottin mondain
In the phone book
Mais moi j'aimais comme un
But I loved it like a
Fou ce nom si commun
Madman, this common name
N'en déplaise aux minus
Despite what the small-minded ones might say
D'ailleurs, de parti pris
Besides, with a biased opinion
Celle que je chéris
The one I cherish
S'appell' toujours Vénus
Still calls herself Venus
Hélas un béotien
Alas, an ignorant person
A la place du sien
Proposed his own name instead
Lui proposa son blase
Suggested his own name
Fameux dans l'épicerie
Famous in the grocery store
Et cette renchérie
And she accepted it, unfortunately
Refusa pas, hélas
Alas, didn't refuse
Et j'eus ma troisième tristesse d'Olympio
And I had my third sadness, like in the poem of Victor Hugo
Cinq minutes, non?
Just five more minutes, right?
Gentes fiancées
Gentle fiancées
Que l'on soit passé
That one has gone through
Pour changer de nom
To change their name
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Jean Bertola, Georges Charles Brassens
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
22katel
rien à dire ...juste à écouter ...merci
jean-marie Mathieu
de mémoire Brassensiste celle-ci m'était ignorée mais fidèle à lui même.Génération unique.
Kévin Pignol
En hommage à la très belle ville de Sète
émile Saintomer
Sur ces boulevards Foch , dans ces rues Clémenceau
Sous tant de plaques bleues pour des " minus habens "
Qui veux tu qu'on galoche ? . . . une question prévaut
Où sont les bancs pour deux des squares Georges Brassens ?
Christian ALLAIN
Pourquoi ont-ils détruit les paillottes sur la route de Sete ?