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
La Légion d'Honneur
Georges Brassens Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
il les considérait avec dédain
faisant peu cas de l'élégance il s'habillait
toujours au décrochez-moi-ça.
au combat, pour s'en servir de liquette,
sous un déluge d'obus, de roquettes,
il conquit un oriflamme teuton.
cet acte lui valut le grand cordon.
s'aller vêtir à la six-quatre-deux,
car ça la fout mal saperlipopette
d'avoir des faux plis, des trous à ses bas,
de mettre un ruban sur la salopette.
la légion d'honneur ça pardonne pas.
l'âme du bon feu maistre jehan cotart
se réincarnait chez ce vieux fêtard.
tenter de l'empêcher de boire un pot
c'était ni plus ni moins risquer sa peau.
un soir d'intempérance, à son insu,
il éteignit en pissotant dessus
un simple commencement d'incendie.
on lui flanqua le mérite, pardi !
depuis que n'est plus vierge son revers,
il s'interdit de marcher de travers.
car ça la fout mal d' se rendre dans les vignes,
dites du seigneur, faire des faux pas
quand on est marqué du fatal insigne.
la légion d'honneur ça pardonne pas.
grand peloteur de fesses convaincu,
passé maître en l'art de la main au cul,
son dada c'était que la femme eût le
bas de son dos tout parsemé de bleus.
en vue de la palper d'un geste obscène,
il a plongé pour sauver de la seine
une donzelle en train de se noyer,
dame ! aussi sec on vous l'a médaillé.
ce petit hochet à la boutonnière
vous le condamne à de bonnes manières.
car ça la fout mal avec la rosette,
de tâter, flatter, des filles les appas
la louche au valseur ; pas de ça lisette !
la légion d'honneur ça pardonne pas.
un brave auteur de chansons malotru
avait une tendance à parler cru,
bordel de dieu, con, pute, et caetera
ornaient ses moindres tradéridéras.
sa muse un soir d'un derrière distrait
pondit, elle ne le fit pas exprès,
une rengaine sans gros mots dedans,
on vous le chamarra tambour battant.
et maintenant qu'il porte cette croix,
proférer merde il n'en a plus le droit.
car ça la fout mal de mettre à ses lèvres
de grand commandeur, des termes trop bas,
d' chanter l' grand vicaire et les trois orfèvres.
la légion d'honneur ça pardonne pas.
The song La Légion d'Honneur by Georges Brassens is about a man who is awarded the French Legion of Honour for various acts of bravery and heroism, but who finds that the honour comes with some unwelcome restrictions. The man is described as someone who is not impressed by fashion and always dresses casually. He gains the Legion of Honour for capturing a German flag during combat, but loses his freedom to dress as he pleases because of the expectations and standards associated with wearing the medal. He is also an alcoholic who is known for his lecherous behavior towards women. However, despite his questionable behavior, he saves a woman from drowning and is awarded again for his bravery. Still, even this act of heroism does not change the fact that his new status as a member of the Legion of Honour requires him to behave in a certain way, refraining from using vulgar language and avoiding any behavior that might be considered inappropriate for someone with such an honour.
Throughout the song, Brassens questions the true meaning of the Legion of Honour, and whether it is worth sacrificing one's individuality and behavior for. He suggests that perhaps this honor comes with too many strings attached and can be stifling to one's freedom and personality. The song can be seen as a commentary on the power of societal expectations and the difficulties that come with trying to maintain one's individualism and identity while still achieving success and recognition.
Line by Line Meaning
Tous les brummel, les dandys, les gandins,
He looked down on all the fancy dressers, the dandies, and the fops.
il les considérait avec dédain
He considered them with disdain.
faisant peu cas de l'élégance il s'habillait
He paid little attention to elegance when dressing.
toujours au décrochez-moi-ça.
He always dressed haphazardly.
au combat, pour s'en servir de liquette,
During the war, he used a Teutonic flag as a shirt.
sous un déluge d'obus, de roquettes,
Under a storm of shells and rockets,
il conquit un oriflamme teuton.
He captured a Teutonic banner.
cet acte lui valut le grand cordon.
This act earned him the Legion of Honour.
mais il perdit le privilège de
But he lost the privilege to
s'aller vêtir à la six-quatre-deux,
dress himself aimlessly.
car ça la fout mal saperlipopette
because it's not respectable, dammit.
d'avoir des faux plis, des trous à ses bas,
to have wrinkles and holes in his clothes,
de mettre un ruban sur la salopette.
or to wear a ribbon on his overalls.
la légion d'honneur ça pardonne pas.
The Legion of Honour doesn't forgive that.
l'âme du bon feu maistre jehan cotart
The spirit of the good late master Jehan Cotart
se réincarnait chez ce vieux fêtard.
was reincarnated in this old party animal.
tenter de l'empêcher de boire un pot
Trying to stop him from having a drink
c'était ni plus ni moins risquer sa peau.
was nothing short of risking one's own skin.
un soir d'intempérance, à son insu,
One night, in a drunken haze,
il éteignit en pissotant dessus
he put out a small fire by urinating on it
un simple commencement d'incendie.
a mere spark of a fire.
on lui flanqua le mérite, pardi !
And they gave him a medal for that, damn it!
depuis que n'est plus vierge son revers,
Since his medal is no longer new,
il s'interdit de marcher de travers.
he forbids himself from walking crookedly.
car ça la fout mal d' se rendre dans les vignes,
It's not respectable to walk in the vineyards,
dites du seigneur, faire des faux pas
of the Lord, and make missteps.
quand on est marqué du fatal insigne.
when you wear the fatal badge.
la légion d'honneur ça pardonne pas.
The Legion of Honour doesn't forgive that.
grand peloteur de fesses convaincu,
A self-proclaimed expert buttocks pincher,
passé maître en l'art de la main au cul,
who had mastered the art of the ass grab,
son dada c'était que la femme eût le
His hobby was to make women have
bas de son dos tout parsemé de bleus.
bruises all over their lower back.
en vue de la palper d'un geste obscène,
To feel them up with an obscene gesture,
il a plongé pour sauver de la seine
He dove to save a woman from the Seine
une donzelle en train de se noyer,
who was drowning.
dame ! aussi sec on vous l'a médaillé.
Well, he was immediately given a medal for that.
ce petit hochet à la boutonnière
This little trinket on his lapel
vous le condamne à de bonnes manières.
condemns him to good manners.
car ça la fout mal avec la rosette,
It's not respectable to have a medallion
de tâter, flatter, des filles les appas
and fondle girls' assets while dancing.
la louche au valseur ; pas de ça lisette !
No spooning while waltzing! Not that, Lisette!
la légion d'honneur ça pardonne pas.
The Legion of Honour doesn't forgive that.
un brave auteur de chansons malotru
A bold songwriter,
avait une tendance à parler cru,
had a tendency to speak rudely.
bordel de dieu, con, pute, et caetera
F-word this, C-word that, and so on.
ornaient ses moindres tradéridéras.
They adorned his every sentence.
sa muse un soir d'un derrière distrait
One night, his muse wrote a song
pondit, elle ne le fit pas exprès,
unintentionally leaving out vulgar words.
une rengaine sans gros mots dedans,
A tune without any swear words.
on vous le chamarra tambour battant.
And they'd beat the drums to tell you about it.
et maintenant qu'il porte cette croix,
But now that he wears the Legion of Honour medallion,
proférer merde il n'en a plus le droit.
he can no longer say 'shit'.
car ça la fout mal de mettre à ses lèvres
It's not respectable to put to your lips
de grand commandeur, des termes trop bas,
as a Grand Commander, any vulgar words.
d' chanter l' grand vicaire et les trois orfèvres.
or to sing about the High Vicar and the Three Goldsmiths.
la légion d'honneur ça pardonne pas.
The Legion of Honour doesn't forgive that.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JEAN BERTOLA, GEORGES CHARLES BRASSENS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind