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 chanson tendre
Georges Brassens Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Par ce clair matin de printemps
J'ai voulu revoir tout là-bas
L'auberge au milieu des lilas
On entendait sous les branches
Les oiseaux chanter dimanche
Et ta chaste robe blanche
Paraissait guider mes pas
Tout avait l'air à sa place
Même ton nom dans la glace
Juste à la place où s'efface
Quoi qu'on fasse
Toute trace
Et je croyais presque entendre
Ta voix tendre murmurer
"Viens plus près"
J'étais ému comme autrefois
Dans cette auberge au fond des bois
J'avais des larmes dans les yeux
Et je trouvais ça merveilleux
Durant toute la journée
Après tant et tant d'années
Dans ta chambre abandonnée
Je nous suis revus tous deux
Mais rien n'était à sa place
Je suis resté, tête basse,
À me faire dans la glace
Face à face
La grimace
Enfin, j'ai poussé la porte
Que m'importe
N i ni
C'est fini!
Pourtant, quand descendit le soir
Je suis allé tout seul m'asseoir
Sur le banc de bois vermoulu
Où tu ne revins jamais plus
Tu me paraissais plus belle
Plus charmante, plus cruelle
Qu'aucune de toutes celles
Pour qui mon cœur a battu
Et je rentrai, l'âme lasse,
Chercher ton nom dans la glace
Juste à la place où s'efface
Quoi qu'on fasse
Toute trace
Mais avec un pauvre rire
J'ai cru lire:
Après tout,
On s'en fout!
In La chanson tendre, Georges Brassens reminisces about his youth and a special place he visited with a loved one. The opening lines express how he wanted to revisit the inn surrounded by lilacs on a beautiful spring morning, with the birds singing and his loved one's innocent white dress guiding him. He then describes how everything seemed familiar, including seeing her name written in the mirror. He believed he could almost hear her tender voice murmuring, "Come closer." Upon seeing their abandoned room, he was overwhelmed with emotion and shed tears, feeling it was wonderful to see them together again. However, as he looked in the mirror, he realized nothing was in place and he was left making faces in front of the reflection. Ultimately, the song concludes with him sitting alone, imagining the moment they were once again in love, but with a bitter, cynical realization that it's all in the past now.
Line by Line Meaning
Comme aux beaux jours de nos vingt ans
Just like in the good old days of our youth
Par ce clair matin de printemps
On this clear spring morning
J'ai voulu revoir tout là-bas
I wanted to see everything again
L'auberge au milieu des lilas
The inn amidst the lilacs
On entendait sous les branches
One could hear beneath the branches
Les oiseaux chanter dimanche
The birds singing on Sunday
Et ta chaste robe blanche
And your pure white dress
Paraissait guider mes pas
Seemed to guide my footsteps
Tout avait l'air à sa place
Everything seemed to be in its place
Même ton nom dans la glace
Even your name in the mirror
Juste à la place où s'efface
Exactly where it fades away
Quoi qu'on fasse
No matter what we do
Toute trace
All traces
Et je croyais presque entendre
And I almost thought I heard
Ta voix tendre murmurer
Your tender voice whispering
"Viens plus près"
"Come closer"
J'étais ému comme autrefois
I was moved, just like before
Dans cette auberge au fond des bois
In this inn deep in the woods
J'avais des larmes dans les yeux
I had tears in my eyes
Et je trouvais ça merveilleux
And I found it marvelous
Durant toute la journée
Throughout the whole day
Après tant et tant d'années
After so many years
Dans ta chambre abandonnée
In your abandoned room
Je nous suis revus tous deux
I saw the both of us again
Mais rien n'était à sa place
But nothing was in its place
Je suis resté, tête basse,
I remained, head low
À me faire dans la glace
Looking at myself in the mirror
Face à face
Face to face
La grimace
Making a face
Enfin, j'ai poussé la porte
Finally, I pushed the door
Que m'importe
What does it matter to me
Ni ni
Neither here nor there
C'est fini!
It's over!
Pourtant, quand descendit le soir
And yet, as the evening fell
Je suis allé tout seul m'asseoir
I went alone to sit down
Sur le banc de bois vermoulu
On the old wooden bench
Où tu ne revins jamais plus
Where you never returned
Tu me paraissais plus belle
You seemed more beautiful to me
Plus charmante, plus cruelle
More charming, more cruel
Qu'aucune de toutes celles
Than any of the others
Pour qui mon cœur a battu
For whom my heart has beaten
Et je rentrai, l'âme lasse,
And I went back, my soul weary
Chercher ton nom dans la glace
To seek your name in the mirror
Juste à la place où s'efface
Exactly where it fades away
Quoi qu'on fasse
No matter what we do
Toute trace
All traces
Mais avec un pauvre rire
But with a sad laugh
J'ai cru lire:
I thought I read:
Après tout,
After all,
On s'en fout!
Who cares!
Writer(s): Francis Carco, Jacques Larmanjat
Contributed by Bailey J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.