Georges Brassens was a French singer and songwriter known for accompanying … Read Full Bio ↴Georges Brassens was a French singer and songwriter known for accompanying himself with his acoustic guitar. He wrote some extremely controversial, yet poetic songs. In doing so, he managed to change attitudes across France.

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 Grand Pan
Georges Brassens Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Du temps que régnait le Grand Pan,
Les dieux protégaient les ivrognes
Des tas de génies titubants
Au nez rouge, à la rouge trogne.
Dès qu'un homme vidait les cruchons,
Qu'un sac à vin faisait carousse
Ils venaient en bande à ses trousses
Compter les bouchons.

La plus humble piquette était alors bénie,
Distillée par Noé, Silène, et compagnie.
Le vin donnait un lustre au pire des minus,
Et le moindre pochard avait tout de Bacchus.

{Refrain:}
Mais en se touchant le crâne, en criant " J'ai trouvé "
La bande au professeur Nimbus est arrivée
Qui s'est mise à frapper les cieux d'alignement,
Chasser les Dieux du Firmament.

Aujourd'hui ça et là, les gens boivent encore,
Et le feu du nectar fait toujours luire les trognes.
Mais les dieux ne répondent plus pour les ivrognes.
Bacchus est alcoolique, et le grand Pan est mort.

Quand deux imbéciles heureux
S'amusaient à des bagatelles,
Un tas de génies amoureux

Venaient leur tenir la chandelle.
Du fin fond du champs élysées
Dès qu'ils entendaient un " Je t'aime ",
Ils accouraient à l'instant même
Compter les baisers.
La plus humble amourette
Etait alors bénie
Sacrée par Aphrodite, Eros, et compagnie.
L'amour donnait un lustre au pire des minus,
Et la moindre amoureuse avait tout de Vénus.

{Refrain}

Aujourd'hui ça et là, les c?urs battent encore,
Et la règle du jeu de l'amour est la même.
Mais les dieux ne répondent plus de ceux qui s'aiment.
Vénus s'est faite femme, et le grand Pan est mort.

Et quand fatale sonnait l'heure
De prendre un linceul pour costume
Un tas de génies l'?il en pleurs
Vous offraient des honneurs posthumes.
Et pour aller au céleste empire,
Dans leur barque ils venaient vous prendre.
C'était presque un plaisir de rendre
Le dernier soupir.
La plus humble dépouille était alors bénie,
Embarquée par Caron, Pluton et compagnie.
Au pire des minus, l'âme était accordée,
Et le moindre mortel avait l'éternité.

{Refrain}

Aujourd'hui ça et là, les gens passent encore,
Mais la tombe est hélas la dernière demeure
Les dieux ne répondent plus de ceux qui meurent.
La mort est naturelle, et le grand Pan est mort.

Et l'un des dernier dieux, l'un des derniers suprêmes,
Ne doit plus se sentir tellement bien lui-même
Un beau jour on va voir le Christ
Descendre du calvaire en disant dans sa lippe

" Merde je ne joue plus pour tous ces pauvres types.
J'ai bien peur que la fin du monde soit bien triste. "

Overall Meaning

The song "Le Grand Pan" by Georges Brassens is about the decline of the power and influence of the ancient Greek gods in modern society. In the past, the gods, particularly Pan, looked after the drunks and would come in groups to count the bottle caps when someone had emptied the jugs. Even the poorest drunk was blessed by the wine, and everyone who drank had the glitter of Bacchus, the Roman god of wine. The song highlights that modern society still drinks like they did in the past, but the gods no longer watch over them. Bacchus is now an alcoholic, and the Grand Pan is dead.

In the second verse, Brassens sings about lovers and how they were blessed by Aphrodite and Eros. Anyone in love looked like Venus, and even the slightest love affair was blessed by the gods. However, nowadays, the rules of love remain the same, but the gods no longer hear people's pleas. Venus is now a mortal, and the Grand Pan is dead.

Lastly, the song talks about the afterlife, where in the past, the souls of the faithful would be taken to the celestial empire by Caron and Pluto, two of the Greek gods of the underworld. Every soul was blessed by the gods, and everyone, no matter how insignificant, had eternity. Today, however, the gods no longer respond, and the tomb is the final resting place. Death is natural, and even the last of the great gods, who may be Jesus Christ, may no longer feel good about what has become of the world.

Line by Line Meaning

Du temps que régnait le Grand Pan,
In the past when the Great Pan ruled,

Les dieux protégaient les ivrognes
The gods protected drunks

Des tas de génies titubants
Lots of stumbling genies

Au nez rouge, à la rouge trogne.
With red noses and faces

Dès qu'un homme vidait les cruchons,
As soon as a man emptied his jugs,

Qu'un sac à vin faisait carousse
When a bag of wine made them revel

Ils venaient en bande à ses trousses
They came in a group after him

Compter les bouchons.
To count the corks.

La plus humble piquette était alors bénie,
Even the humblest wine was blessed

Distillée par Noé, Silène, et compagnie.
Distilled by Noah, Silenus, and companions.

Le vin donnait un lustre au pire des minus,
Wine gave a luster to the worst of the underdogs,

Et le moindre pochard avait tout de Bacchus.
And the least drunkard looked like Bacchus.

{Refrain:}

Mais en se touchant le crâne, en criant " J'ai trouvé "
But by touching their heads and shouting "I have found it"

La bande au professeur Nimbus est arrivée
The Professor Nimbus's gang arrived

Qui s'est mise à frapper les cieux d'alignement,
Who began to strike the aligned skies,

Chasser les Dieux du Firmament.
To chase away the Gods of the Firmament.

Aujourd'hui ça et là, les gens boivent encore,
Today people still drink here and there,

Et le feu du nectar fait toujours luire les trognes.
And the fire of nectar still makes faces shine.

Mais les dieux ne répondent plus pour les ivrognes.
But the gods no longer answer the drunks.

Bacchus est alcoolique, et le grand Pan est mort.
Bacchus is an alcoholic, and the great Pan is dead.

Quand deux imbéciles heureux
When two happy fools

S'amusaient à des bagatelles,
Were amusing themselves with trivialities,

Un tas de génies amoureux
A bunch of amorous genies

Venaient leur tenir la chandelle.
Were holding a torch for them.

Du fin fond du champs élysées
From the depths of Elysian fields

Dès qu'ils entendaient un " Je t'aime ",
As soon as they heard an "I love you",

Ils accouraient à l'instant même
They would come instantly

Compter les baisers.
To count the kisses.

La plus humble amourette
The most humble love affair

Etait alors bénie
Was then blessed

Sacrée par Aphrodite, Eros, et compagnie.
Sacred by Aphrodite, Eros, and company.

L'amour donnait un lustre au pire des minus,
Love gave a luster to the worst of the underdogs,

Et la moindre amoureuse avait tout de Vénus.
And the least lover looked like Venus.

{Refrain}

Aujourd'hui ça et là, les cœurs battent encore,
Today, hearts still beat here and there,

Et la règle du jeu de l'amour est la même.
And the rules of the game of love are the same.

Mais les dieux ne répondent plus de ceux qui s'aiment.
But the gods no longer answer those who love each other.

Vénus s'est faite femme, et le grand Pan est mort.
Venus became a woman, and the great Pan is dead.

Et quand fatale sonnait l'heure
And when the fatal hour struck

De prendre un linceul pour costume
To take a shroud for a costume

Un tas de génies l'?il en pleurs
A bunch of genies with teary eyes

Vous offraient des honneurs posthumes.
Offered you posthumous honors.

Et pour aller au céleste empire,
And to go to the celestial empire,

Dans leur barque ils venaient vous prendre.
In their boat, they came to get you.

C'était presque un plaisir de rendre
It was almost a pleasure to give

Le dernier soupir.
The final breath.

La plus humble dépouille était alors bénie,
Even the humblest remains were blessed

Embarquée par Caron, Pluton et compagnie.
Embarked by Charon, Pluto, and company.

Au pire des minus, l'âme était accordée,
To the worst of the underdogs, the soul was granted,

Et le moindre mortel avait l'éternité.
And the least mortal had eternity.

{Refrain}

Aujourd'hui ça et là, les gens passent encore,
Today, people still pass by here and there,

Mais la tombe est hélas la dernière demeure
But the tomb is unfortunately the last abode

Les dieux ne répondent plus de ceux qui meurent.
The gods no longer answer those who die.

La mort est naturelle, et le grand Pan est mort.
Death is natural, and the great Pan is dead.

Et l'un des dernier dieux, l'un des derniers suprêmes,
And one of the last gods, one of the last supremes,

Ne doit plus se sentir tellement bien lui-même
Must not feel very comfortable anymore

Un beau jour on va voir le Christ
One fine day we will see Christ

Descendre du calvaire en disant dans sa lippe
Descend from the Calvary saying in his mouth

" Merde je ne joue plus pour tous ces pauvres types.
"Shit, I don't play for all these poor guys anymore.

J'ai bien peur que la fin du monde soit bien triste. "
I'm afraid the end of the world will be very sad."

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GEORGES CHARLES BRASSENS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

maguet camille

4y↑2

"Et l'un des dernier dieux, l'un des derniers suprêmes,

Ne doit plus se sentir tellement bien lui-même

Un beau jour on va voir le Christ

Descendre du calvaire en disant dans sa lippe

" Merde je ne joue plus pour tous ces pauvres types.

J'ai bien peur que la fin du monde soit bien triste. "

une métaphore comme tonton GEORGES a le secret !