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
L'Antéchrist
Georges Brassens Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
j'ai même pour jésus et pour son sacrifice
un brin d'admiration, soit dit sans ironie,
car ce n'est sûrement pas une sinécure,
non, que de se laisser cracher à la figure
par la canaille et la racaille réunies.
bien sûr, il est normal que la foule révère
ce héros qui jadis partit pour aller faire
en portant sur l'épaule une croix accablante,
en méprisant l'insulte et le remonte-pente,
et sans aucun bravo qui le réconfortât !
bien sûr, autour du front, la couronne d'épines,
l'éponge trempée dans dieu sait quelle bibine,
et les clous enfoncés dans les pieds et les mains,
c'est très inconfortable et ça vous tarabuste,
même si l'on est brave et si l'on est robuste,
et si le paradis est au bout du chemin.
bien sûr, mais il devait défendre son prestige,
car il était le fils du ciel, l'enfant prodige,
il était le messie et ne l'ignorait pas.
entre son père et lui, c'était l'accord tacite :
tu montes sur la croix et je te ressuscite !
on meurt de confiance avec un tel papa.
il a donné sa vie sans doute mais son zèle
avait une portée quasi universelle
qui rendait le supplice un peu moins douloureux.
il savait que, dans chaque église, il serait tête
d'affiche et qu'il aurait son portrait en vedette,
entouré des élus, des saints, des bienheureux.
en se sacrifiant, il sauvait tous les hommes.
du moins le croyait-il ! au point où nous en sommes,
on peut considérer qu'il s'est fichu dedans.
le jeu, si j'ose dire, en valait la chandelle.
bon nombre de chrétiens et même d'infidèles,
pour un but aussi noble, en feraient tout autant.
cela dit je ne suis pas l'antéchrist de service.
In the song "L'Antéchrist," Georges Brassens cleverly presents his perspective on the concept of Christ's sacrifice and its significance. He begins by stating that he is not the typical Antichrist figure who opposes Jesus. In fact, he expresses admiration for Jesus and his sacrifice, emphasizing that his admiration is genuine and devoid of irony. Brassens acknowledges that enduring the slander and insults from both lowlifes and scoundrels must have been an enormous challenge for Jesus.
However, he believes it is understandable that the masses hold Jesus in high regard. Brassens sees Jesus as a hero who embarked on an unprecedented alpinist adventure to Golgotha, carrying the burden of a heavy cross on his shoulders. Despite the insults and lack of encouragement, Jesus climbed, displaying contempt for those who insulted him and the temptation to take an easier route up the mountain. The crown of thorns around his forehead, the sponge soaked in dubious concoctions, and the nails driven into his feet and hands were all extremely uncomfortable and distressing experiences, even for someone as brave and strong as him. Brassens acknowledges that enduring such torment could lead one to expect paradise at the end of the journey.
Brassens suggests there was an unspoken agreement between Jesus and God the Father, emphasizing that Jesus, being the Messiah and aware of his divine lineage, had to defend his prestige. He implies that they had a tacit understanding that if Jesus went through with crucifixion, his father would resurrect him. This unwavering trust in his father brought him ease and made his agony somewhat bearable. Additionally, Jesus knew that he would become the leading figure in every church, surrounded by saints, the chosen ones, and the blessed, with his portrait prominently displayed. Brassens implies that Jesus, by sacrificing himself, believed he was saving all mankind, but, as things stand, he suggests that Jesus might have miscalculated the outcome.
Brassens concludes by reiterating that he is not the typical Antichrist, offering a slight twist to his previous statement. By distancing himself from the role of the Antichrist, he emphasizes that, like many Christians and even nonbelievers, he acknowledges the noble intentions behind Jesus' sacrifice. Brassens implies that if given the opportunity, many people would be willing to make similar sacrifices for such a lofty purpose.
Line by Line Meaning
Je ne suis pas du tout l'antéchrist de service,
I am not at all the typical antichrist,
j'ai même pour jésus et pour son sacrifice
I even have some admiration for Jesus and his sacrifice
un brin d'admiration, soit dit sans ironie,
a hint of admiration, without any irony
car ce n'est sûrement pas une sinécure,
because it surely isn't an easy task
non, que de se laisser cracher à la figure
no, to let people spit in your face
par la canaille et la racaille réunies.
by the scum and the riffraff united
bien sûr, il est normal que la foule révère
of course, it is normal for the crowd to revere
ce héros qui jadis partit pour aller faire
this hero who once set out to
l'alpiniste avant l'heure en haut du golgotha,
be the mountaineer before his time at Golgotha
en portant sur l'épaule une croix accablante,
with an overwhelming cross on his shoulder
en méprisant l'insulte et le remonte-pente,
disregarding insults and the uphill climb
et sans aucun bravo qui le réconfortât !
without any praise to comfort him!
bien sûr, autour du front, la couronne d'épines,
of course, the crown of thorns around his forehead
l'éponge trempée dans dieu sait quelle bibine,
the sponge dipped in God knows what drink
et les clous enfoncés dans les pieds et les mains,
and the nails pierced into his feet and hands
c'est très inconfortable et ça vous tarabuste,
it's very uncomfortable and distressing
même si l'on est brave et si l'on est robuste,
even if one is brave and resilient
et si le paradis est au bout du chemin.
and if paradise awaits at the end of the road.
bien sûr, mais il devait défendre son prestige,
of course, but he had to defend his prestige
car il était le fils du ciel, l'enfant prodige,
because he was the son of heaven, the prodigious child
il était le messie et ne l'ignorait pas.
he was the Messiah and was well aware of it.
entre son père et lui, c'était l'accord tacite :
between him and his father, it was an unspoken agreement:
tu montes sur la croix et je te ressuscite !
you climb the cross and I'll resurrect you!
on meurt de confiance avec un tel papa.
we die with confidence with such a father.
il a donné sa vie sans doute mais son zèle
he certainly gave his life, but his zeal
avait une portée quasi universelle
had an almost universal reach
qui rendait le supplice un peu moins douloureux.
which made the torment slightly less painful.
il savait que, dans chaque église, il serait tête
he knew that in every church, he would be the head
d'affiche et qu'il aurait son portrait en vedette,
lineranking and his portrait would be the star,
entouré des élus, des saints, des bienheureux.
surrounded by the chosen, the saints, the blessed.
en se sacrifiant, il sauvait tous les hommes.
by sacrificing himself, he saved all men.
du moins le croyait-il ! au point où nous en sommes,
or at least he believed so! considering where we are,
on peut considérer qu'il s'est fichu dedans.
we can consider that he messed things up.
le jeu, si j'ose dire, en valait la chandelle.
the game, if I may say so, was worth the candle.
bon nombre de chrétiens et même d'infidèles,
many Christians and even non-believers,
pour un but aussi noble, en feraient tout autant.
would do just as much for such a noble purpose.
cela dit je ne suis pas l'antéchrist de service.
that being said, I am not the typical antichrist.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JEAN BERTOLA, GEORGES CHARLES BRASSENS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
jehan helluin
Très forte cette chanson même pour un non croyant
Elise Habette
Je l'écouterais toute la journée si j'en avis le temps. Super.
Olikris
L’écouter une fois bien attentivement est déjà beau Master Shoot ❤️
🎶 Olikris
Thierry Riou
Comme d'hab, Maxime Le Forestier fait briller Brassens !
sebastien krier
donc pour toi brassens est un imposteur???
Richard Daumas
IL ÉTAIT FAIT POUR INTERPRÉTER LES CHANSONS DE BRASSENS.
Sam Vergez
Chanter pour benir les idiots. Merci Georges, merci Maxime. Merci à mon père. Et bénis soient les imbéciles, car Dieu leur donnera peut-être une lueur d intelligence.🤣😇😇😇Car ......🎼Je ne suis pas du tout l Antéchrist de service , j'n'ai pas son portefeuille et surtout pas ses vices🎶🎶🎶🎶 .....
MICHEL MOUACI
bien
Yehoshua [Jésus-Christ de Nazareth] Roi des Rois
🏴☠️
Alain Hoffbourg
leclem que veut tu dire