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
Lèche-cocu
Georges Brassens Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Qu'il les couvrait de flatteries,
Quand il en pinçait pour leurs femmes,
Qu'il avait des cornes au cul,
On l'appelait lèche-cocu.
Oyez tous son histoire infâme.
Si l'mari faisait du bateau,
De voiles, de mâts de misaine,
De yacht, de brick et de steamer,
Lui, qui souffrait du mal de mer
En passant les ponts de la Seine.
Si l'homme était un peu bigot,
Lui qui sentait fort le fagot,
Criblait le ciel de patenôtres,
Communiait à grand fracas,
Retirant même en certains cas
L'pain bénit d'la bouche d'un autre.
Si l'homme était sergent de ville,
En sautoir - mon Dieu, que c'est vil -
Il portait un flic en peluche,
Lui qui, sans ménager sa voix,
Criait : "Mort aux vaches" autrefois,
Même atteint de la coqueluche.
Si l'homme était un militant,
Il prenait sa carte à l'instant
Pour bien se mettre dans sa manche,
Biffant ses propres graffiti
Du vendredi, le samedi
Ceux du samedi, le dimanche.
Et si l'homme était dans l'armée,
Il entonnait pour le charmer :
"Sambre-et-Meuse" et tout le folklore,
Lui, le pacifiste bêlant
Qui fabriquait des cerfs-volants
Avec le drapeau tricolore.
Georges Brassens's song Lèche-cocu is about a man who is known as a lèche-cocu, a flatterer of husbands who also pursues their wives. The lyrics describe how he would go out of his way to gain the favor of the husbands, showing interest in their hobbies and even taking part in activities he despises, all in the hopes of getting closer to their wives. Despite the lèche-cocu's apparent efforts, the husbands are aware of his true intentions and ridicule him for them.
Throughout the song, Brassens uses irony to highlight the absurdity of the lèche-cocu's behavior. For example, he describes how the lèche-cocu would pretend to be interested in sailing and the sea despite suffering from seasickness, or how he would pretend to be a pious man while secretly being gay. Brassens also mocks the lèche-cocu's attempts to win over the husbands by playing on their egos and insecurities.
Line by Line Meaning
Comme il chouchoutait les maris,
He pampered the husbands,
Qu'il les couvrait de flatteries,
He covered them with flattery,
Quand il en pinçait pour leurs femmes,
When he had a crush on their wives,
Qu'il avait des cornes au cul,
He had horns on his ass,
On l'appelait lèche-cocu.
He was called a cuckold's licker.
Oyez tous son histoire infâme.
Hear all about his infamous story.
Si l'mari faisait du bateau,
If the husband went boating,
Il lui parlait de tirant d'eau,
He talked to him about draft,
De voiles, de mâts de misaine,
About sails, mizzen masts,
De yacht, de brick et de steamer,
About yachts, brigs and steamers,
Lui, qui souffrait du mal de mer
He, who suffered from seasickness,
En passant les ponts de la Seine.
While crossing the bridges of the Seine.
Si l'homme était un peu bigot,
If the man was a bit bigoted,
Lui qui sentait fort le fagot,
He, who smelled strongly of the faggot (slur for homosexual),
Criblait le ciel de patenôtres,
He riddled the sky with our fathers (prayers),
Communiait à grand fracas,
Communed with great fuss,
Retirant même en certains cas
Even taking, in some cases,
L'pain bénit d'la bouche d'un autre.
The blessed bread from another's mouth.
Si l'homme était sergent de ville,
If the man was a police sergeant,
En sautoir - mon Dieu, que c'est vil -
Wearing his badge - My God, how vile -
Il portait un flic en peluche,
He carried a plush cop,
Lui qui, sans ménager sa voix,
He, who without sparing his voice,
Criait : "Mort aux vaches" autrefois,
Used to shout: "Death to the cows",
Même atteint de la coqueluche.
Even with whooping cough.
Si l'homme était un militant,
If the man was an activist,
Il prenait sa carte à l'instant
He took membership immediately,
Pour bien se mettre dans sa manche,
To put in his pocket well,
Biffant ses propres graffiti
Erasing his own graffiti
Du vendredi, le samedi
From Friday, Saturday
Ceux du samedi, le dimanche.
And from Saturday, Sunday.
Et si l'homme était dans l'armée,
And if the man was in the army,
Il entonnait pour le charmer :
He sang, to charm him,
"Sambre-et-Meuse" et tout le folklore,
"Sambre-et-Meuse" and all the folklore,
Lui, le pacifiste bêlant
He, the bleating pacifist
Qui fabriquait des cerfs-volants
Who made kites
Avec le drapeau tricolore.
With the tricolor flag.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GEORGES CHARLES BRASSENS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind