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Georges Brassens was a French singer-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. Read Full BioGeorges Brassens was a French singer-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
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. Read Full BioGeorges Brassens was a French singer-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
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Les Quatre Bacheliers
by Georges Brassens
Nous étions quatre bacheliers
Sans vergogne
La vraie crème des écoliers
Des ecoliers
Pour offrir aux filles des fleurs
Sans vergogne
Nous nous fîmes un peu voleurs
Un peu voleurs
Les sycophantes du pays
Sans vergogne
Aux gendarmes nous ont trahis
Nous ont trahis
Et l'on vit quatre bacheliers
Sans vergogne
Qu'on emmène, les mains liées
Les mains liées
On fit venir à la prison
Sans vergogne
Les parents des mauvais garçons
Mauvais garçons
Les trois premiers pères, les trois
Sans vergogne
En perdirent tout leur sang-froid
Tout leur sang-froid
Comme un seul ils ont déclaré
Sans vergogne
Qu'on les avait déshonorée
Déshonorés
Comme un seul ont dit " C'est fini
Sans vergogne
Fils indigne, je te renie
Je te renie
Le quatrième des parents
Sans vergogne
C'était le plus gros, le plus grand
Le plus grand
Quand il vint chercher son voleur
Sans vergogne
On s'attendait à un malheur
A un malheur
Mais il n'a pas déclaré, non
Sans vergogne
Que l'on avait sali son nom
Sali son nom
Dans le silence on l'entendit
Sans vergogne
Qui lui disait : Bonjour, petit
Bonjour petit
On le vit, on le croirait pas
Sans vergogne
Lui tendre sa blague à tabac
Blague à tabac
Je ne sais pas s'il eut raison
Sans vergogne
D'agir d'une telle façon
Telle façon
Mais je sais qu'un enfant perdu
Sans vergogne
A de la corde de pendu
De pendu
A de la chance quand il a
Sans vergogne
Un père de ce tonneau-là
Ce tonneau-là
Et si les chrétiens du pays
Sans vergogne
Jugent que cet homme a failli
Homme a failli
Ça laisse à penser que, pour eux
Sans vergogne
L'Evangile, c'est de l'hébreu
C'est de l'hébreu
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GEORGES CHARLES BRASSENS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
by Georges Brassens
Nous étions quatre bacheliers
Sans vergogne
La vraie crème des écoliers
Des ecoliers
Pour offrir aux filles des fleurs
Sans vergogne
Nous nous fîmes un peu voleurs
Un peu voleurs
Les sycophantes du pays
Sans vergogne
Aux gendarmes nous ont trahis
Nous ont trahis
Et l'on vit quatre bacheliers
Sans vergogne
Qu'on emmène, les mains liées
Les mains liées
On fit venir à la prison
Sans vergogne
Les parents des mauvais garçons
Mauvais garçons
Les trois premiers pères, les trois
Sans vergogne
En perdirent tout leur sang-froid
Tout leur sang-froid
Comme un seul ils ont déclaré
Sans vergogne
Qu'on les avait déshonorée
Déshonorés
Comme un seul ont dit " C'est fini
Sans vergogne
Fils indigne, je te renie
Je te renie
Le quatrième des parents
Sans vergogne
C'était le plus gros, le plus grand
Le plus grand
Quand il vint chercher son voleur
Sans vergogne
On s'attendait à un malheur
A un malheur
Mais il n'a pas déclaré, non
Sans vergogne
Que l'on avait sali son nom
Sali son nom
Dans le silence on l'entendit
Sans vergogne
Qui lui disait : Bonjour, petit
Bonjour petit
On le vit, on le croirait pas
Sans vergogne
Lui tendre sa blague à tabac
Blague à tabac
Je ne sais pas s'il eut raison
Sans vergogne
D'agir d'une telle façon
Telle façon
Mais je sais qu'un enfant perdu
Sans vergogne
A de la corde de pendu
De pendu
A de la chance quand il a
Sans vergogne
Un père de ce tonneau-là
Ce tonneau-là
Et si les chrétiens du pays
Sans vergogne
Jugent que cet homme a failli
Homme a failli
Ça laisse à penser que, pour eux
Sans vergogne
L'Evangile, c'est de l'hébreu
C'est de l'hébreu
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GEORGES CHARLES BRASSENS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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