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
Le Boulevard Du Temps Qui Passe
Georges Brassens Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nous sommes allés faire un saut
Au boulevard du temps qui passe,
En scandant notre " Ça ira "
Contre les vieux, les mous, les gras,
Confinés dans leurs idées basses.
On nous a vus, c'était hier,
Dans une folle sarabande,
En allumant des feux de joie,
En alarmant les gros bourgeois,
En piétinant leurs plates-bandes.
Jurant de tout remettre à neuf,
De refaire quatre-vingt-neuf,
De reprendre un peu la Bastille,
Nous avons embrassé, goulus,
Leurs femmes qu'ils ne touchaient plus,
Nous avons fécondé leurs filles.
Dans la mare de leurs canards
Nous avons lancé, goguenards,
Force pavés, quelle tempête!
Nous n'avons rien laissé debout,
Flanquant leurs credos, leurs tabous
Et leurs dieux, cul par-dessus tête.
Quand sonna le " cessez-le-feu "
L'un de nous perdait ses cheveux
Et l'autre avait les tempes grises.
Nous avons constaté soudain
Que l'été de la Saint-Martin
N'est pas loin du temps des cerises.
Alors, ralentissant le pas,
On fit la route à la papa,
Car, braillant contre les ancêtres,
La troupe fraîche des cadets
Au carrefour nous attendait
Pour nous envoyer à Bicêtre.
Tous ces gâteux, ces avachis,
Ces pauvres sépulcres blanchis
Chancelant dans leur carapace,
On les a vus, c'était hier,
Qui descendaient jeunes et fiers,
Le boulevard du temps qui passe.
The lyrics of Georges Brassens's song Le Boulevard Du Temps Qui Passe depict a group of young people who are rebelling against the old ways of their parents and grandparents. As soon as they are out of the cradle, they head to the boulevard of time, where they shout "Ça ira" against the old, lazy, and fat people who are confined to their outdated ideas. The young people are portrayed as being full of energy, dancing in a wild sarabande, lighting bonfires, and even impregnating the daughters of the bourgeois.
The rebel group threatens to overthrow the old order, to remake the revolution of 1789, and to retake the Bastille. To achieve their goal, they break everything that symbolizes the old order- their creeds, their taboos, and their gods. However, as they walk down the boulevard of time, they feel time catching up to them. One of them is already losing his hair, while the other has graying temples. They begin to realize that they are not so young anymore, and that the time of cherries is not far from the time of St. Martin.
Line by Line Meaning
A peine sortis du berceau,
Just barely out of the cradle,
Nous sommes allés faire un saut
We went for a jump,
Au boulevard du temps qui passe,
On the boulevard of time passing by,
En scandant notre " Ça ira "
Chanting our "Ça ira"
Contre les vieux, les mous, les gras,
Against the old, the weak, the fat,
Confinés dans leurs idées basses.
Confined in their lowly ideas.
On nous a vus, c'était hier,
We were seen, it was yesterday,
Qui descendions, jeunes et fiers,
Descending, young and proud,
Dans une folle sarabande,
In a wild sarabande,
En allumant des feux de joie,
Lighting fires of joy,
En alarmant les gros bourgeois,
Alarming the rich bourgeois,
En piétinant leurs plates-bandes.
Trampling their flowerbeds.
Jurant de tout remettre à neuf,
Swearing to renew everything,
De refaire quatre-vingt-neuf,
To redo 1789,
De reprendre un peu la Bastille,
To take back the Bastille a bit,
Nous avons embrassé, goulus,
We eagerly kissed,
Leurs femmes qu'ils ne touchaient plus,
Their wives whom they no longer touched,
Nous avons fécondé leurs filles.
We impregnated their daughters.
Dans la mare de leurs canards
In their duck pond,
Nous avons lancé, goguenards,
We sarcastically threw,
Force pavés, quelle tempête!
Lots of paving stones, what a storm!
Nous n'avons rien laissé debout,
We left nothing standing,
Flanquant leurs credos, leurs tabous
Throwing their creeds, their taboos,
Et leurs dieux, cul par-dessus tête.
And their gods upside down.
Quand sonna le " cessez-le-feu "
When the "cease-fire" sounded,
L'un de nous perdait ses cheveux
One of us was losing his hair,
Et l'autre avait les tempes grises.
And the other had gray temples.
Nous avons constaté soudain
We suddenly noticed,
Que l'été de la Saint-Martin
That the summer of Saint-Martin,
N'est pas loin du temps des cerises.
Is not far from the time of cherries.
Alors, ralentissant le pas,
So, slowing down,
On fit la route à la papa,
We took an easy-going road,
Car, braillant contre les ancêtres,
Because, shouting against the ancestors,
La troupe fraîche des cadets
The fresh troop of cadets
Au carrefour nous attendait
Was waiting for us at the crossroads
Pour nous envoyer à Bicêtre.
To send us to Bicêtre.
Tous ces gâteux, ces avachis,
All these old people, these slackers,
Ces pauvres sépulcres blanchis
These poor whitened tombs,
Chancelant dans leur carapace,
Staggering in their shell,
On les a vus, c'était hier,
We saw them, it was yesterday,
Qui descendaient jeunes et fiers,
Descending, young and proud,
Le boulevard du temps qui passe.
The boulevard of time passing by.
Contributed by Elliot P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.