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 Pata De Juana
Georges Brassens Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ha muerto vive Dios
Sòlo por haber puesto
Un huevo o dos
La pata de Juana
Apagó su candil, al menos se supone
De puro debil
Se muriò al poner
Y en su capa frailuna
De plumas, ayer
La pata de Juana palmando sin casarnos
Legó con las plumas
La cuna oval.
Ha muerto es cierto.
Mas nos acordaremos
Siempre de la pata
De Juana, y olé.
The song "La Pata De Juana" by Georges Brassens is a playful yet melancholic tribute to the life of a duck who has just passed away. The lyrics tell us that Juana the duck has died, "vive Dios" - by God, only for having laid one or two eggs. The lines "La pata de Juana apagó su candil, al menos se supone / de puro debil" refer to the fact that Juana's "light", aka her life force, was extinguished, supposedly due to her weakness.
The song then continues to describe the physicality of Juana, her feathery coat and oval-shaped womb, which was left behind along with her legacy. The final lines of the song state that even though Juana has indeed died, she will never be forgotten. The chorus repeats the phrase "La pata de Juana ha muerto" - Juana has died - as if to remind us that even in death, Juana the duck was a being worth remembering.
Overall, the song is nostalgic and respectful of the life of a creature that may seem insignificant to some, but whose presence in the world made an impact. It is a reminder that even small things can have great value.
Line by Line Meaning
La pata de Juana
The duck of Juana
Ha muerto vive Dios
She's dead, I swear to God
Sòlo por haber puesto
Just because she laid
Un huevo o dos
An egg or two
La pata de Juana
The duck of Juana
Apagó su candil, al menos se supone
She turned off her light, or so they say
De puro debil
From pure weakness
La pata de Juana
The duck of Juana
Se muriò al poner
She died while laying
Y en su capa frailuna
And in her feathered cloak
De plumas, ayer
Of feathers, yesterday
La pata de Juana palmando sin casarnos
Juana's duck kicking the bucket before we could marry
Legó con las plumas
She left us with her feathers
La cuna oval.
The oval-shaped cradle
Ha muerto es cierto.
She's truly dead.
Mas nos acordaremos
But we will remember
Siempre de la pata
Always of the duck
De Juana, y olé.
Of Juana, and olé.
Writer(s): Georges Charles Brassens, Pierre Noel Henri Pascal
Contributed by Violet J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.