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
Les Ricochets
Georges Brassens Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tout juste et quittant
Ma ville natale
Un beau jour, o gue
Je vins debarquer
dans la capitale
J'entrai pas aux cris
D'"A nous deux Paris"
Que ton Rastignac
N'ait cure, Balzac !
De ma concurrence {2x}
Gens en place, dormez
Sans vous alarmer,
Rien ne vous menace
Ce n'est qu'un jeune sot
qui monte a l'assaut
du p'tit montparnasse
On n's'etonnera pas
Si mes premiers pas
tout droit me menerent
Au pont Mirabeau
pour un coup de chapeau
A l'Apolinaire {2x}
Bec enfarine
Pouvaisje deviner
Le remue-mnage
Que dans mon destin
Causerait soudain
Ce plerinage ?
Que circonvenu
Mon caeur ingenu
Allait faire des siennes
Tomber amoureux
De sa toute pre-
miere Parisienne.{2x}
N'anticipons pas,
Sur la berge en bas
Tout contre une pile,
La belle tchait
D' fair' des ricochets
D'un' main malhabile
Moi, dans ce temps-la
Je n' dis pas cela
En bombant le torse,
L'air avantageux
J'tais a ce jeu
De premire force. {2x}
Tu m' donn's un baiser,
Ai=je propose
A la demoiselle;
Et moi, sans retard
J' t'apprends de cet art
Toutes les ficelles.
Affaire conclue,
En une heure elle eut,
L'adresse requise.
En change, moi
J' cueillis plein d'moi
Ses lvres exquises. {2x}
Et durant un temps
Les journaux d'antan
D'ailleurs le relatent
Fallait se lever
Matin pour trouver
Une pierre plate.
On redessina
Du pont d'Iena
Au pont Alexandre
Jusqu' Saint-Michel,
Mais notre echelle,
La carte du tendre. {2x}
Mais c'tait trop beau:
Au pont Mirabeau
La belle volage
Un jour se perchait
Sur un ricochet
Et gagnait le large.
Ell' me fit faux-bond
Pour un vieux barbon,
La petite ingrate,
Un Crsus vivant
Detail aggravant
Sur la rive droite. {2x}
J'en pleurai pas mal,
Le flux lacrymal
Me fit la quinzaine.
Au viaduc d'Auteuil
Parait qu'a vue d'?il
Grossissait la Seine.
Et si, pont d' l'Alma,
J'ai pas noy ma
Detresse ineffable,
C'est qu' l'eau coulant sous
Les pieds du zouzou
etait imbuvable. {2x}
Et qu' j'avais acquis
Cett' conviction qui
Du reste me navre
Que mort ou vivant
Ce n'est pas souvent
Qu'on arrive au havre.
Nous attristons pas,
Allons de ce pas
Donner, debonnaires,
Au pont Mirabeau
Un coup de chapeau
A l'Apollinaire. {2x}
The lyrics to Georges Brassens's song Les Ricochets tell a story of a young man coming to Paris for the first time at 18 years old. The singer mentions his arrival in the capital and the first things he did upon arriving, including going to the Pont Mirabeau to pay his respects to Apollinaire. The singer also mentions falling in love with his first Parisian woman, who ultimately leaves him for another man. The song describes the sadness and heartbreak the singer experiences but ends with a call to honor the memory of Apollinaire at the Pont Mirabeau.
The song symbolizes the coming-of-age experience in Paris for many young people, as well as the heartbreak and disappointment that can come with trying to make a new life there. The references to Apollinaire and other French cultural touchstones also highlight the importance of French culture and history to the singer and to French society as a whole.
Line by Line Meaning
J'avais dix-huit ans
I was 18 years old
Tout juste et quittant
Just leaving
Ma ville natale
My hometown
Un beau jour, o gue
One beautiful day
Je vins debarquer
I arrived
dans la capitale
In the capital
J'entrai pas aux cris
I didn't enter shouting
D'A nous deux Paris
Come on Paris
En Ile-de-France
In Île-de-France
Que ton Rastignac
Your Rastignac
N'ait cure, Balzac !
Doesn't care, Balzac!
De ma concurrence {2x}
About my competition
Gens en place, dormez
People in the right place, sleep
Sans vous alarmer,
Without alarming you
Rien ne vous menace
Nothing threatens you
Ce n'est qu'un jeune sot
It's just a young fool
qui monte a l'assaut
Climbing up
du p'tit montparnasse
Of the little Montparnasse
On n's'etonnera pas
It's not surprising
Si mes premiers pas
If my first steps
tout droit me menerent
Led me straight
Au pont Mirabeau
To the Mirabeau bridge
pour un coup de chapeau
For a hat tip
A l'Apolinaire {2x}
To the Apollinaire
Bec enfarine
Flour-covered beak
Pouvaisje deviner
Could I have guessed
Le remue-mnage
The turmoil
Que dans mon destin
That in my destiny
Causerait soudain
Would suddenly cause
Ce plerinage ?
This pilgrimage?
Que circonvenu
That surrounded
Mon caeur ingenu
My naive heart
Allait faire des siennes
Would act up
Tomber amoureux
To fall in love
De sa toute pre-
Of its all pre-
miere Parisienne.{2x}
First Parisian.
N'anticipons pas,
Let's not anticipate
Sur la berge en bas
On the bank below
Tout contre une pile,
Right against a pillar
La belle tchait
The beautiful girl was trying
D' fair' des ricochets
To make skipping stones
D'un' main malhabile
With an awkward hand
Moi, dans ce temps-la
Me, at that time
Je n' dis pas cela
I didn't say that
En bombant le torse,
Puffing out my chest,
L'air avantageux
Looking important
J'tais a ce jeu
I was playing this game
De premire force. {2x}
With all my might.
Tu m' donn's un baiser,
You gave me a kiss
Ai=je propose
I proposed
A la demoiselle;
To the young lady;
Et moi, sans retard
And me, without delay
J' t'apprends de cet art
I'll teach you the tricks of this trade
Toutes les ficelles.
All the ropes.
Affaire conclue,
Deal done,
En une heure elle eut,
In an hour she had
L'adresse requise.
The required address.
En change, moi
In exchange, I
J' cueillis plein d'moi
I collected full of myself
Ses lvres exquises. {2x}
Her exquisite lips.
Et durant un temps
And for a time
Les journaux d'antan
The newspapers of yesteryear
D'ailleurs le relatent
Moreover relate it
Fallait se lever
Had to get up
Matin pour trouver
Early in the morning to find
Une pierre plate.
A flat stone.
On redessina
We drew again
Du pont d'Iena
From the Iena bridge
Au pont Alexandre
To the Alexander bridge
Jusqu' Saint-Michel,
Untill Saint-Michel,
Mais notre echelle,
But our ladder,
La carte du tendre. {2x}
The map of the Tender.
Mais c'tait trop beau:
But it was too good:
Au pont Mirabeau
At the Mirabeau bridge
La belle volage
The flighty beauty
Un jour se perchait
One day perched
Sur un ricochet
On a skipping stone
Et gagnait le large.
And set sail.
Ell' me fit faux-bond
She left me
Pour un vieux barbon,
For an old man,
La petite ingrate,
The ungrateful little girl,
Un Crsus vivant
A living Croesus
Detail aggravant
Aggravating detail
Sur la rive droite. {2x}
On the right bank.
J'en pleurai pas mal,
I cried a lot
Le flux lacrymal
The tearful flow
Me fit la quinzaine.
Lasted fifteen days.
Au viaduc d'Auteuil
At the Auteuil viaduct
Parait qu'a vue d'?il
Appeared to the naked eye
Grossissait la Seine.
The Seine was swelling.
Et si, pont d' l'Alma,
And if, on the Alma bridge,
J'ai pas noy ma
I didn't drown my
Detresse ineffable,
Unspeakable distress,
C'est qu' l'eau coulant sous
It's because the water flowing under
Les pieds du zouzou
The feet of the guy
etait imbuvable. {2x}
Was undrinkable.
Et qu' j'avais acquis
And that I had acquired
Cett' conviction qui
This conviction that
Du reste me navre
Still saddens me
Que mort ou vivant
That dead or alive
Ce n'est pas souvent
It's not often
Qu'on arrive au havre.
That one arrives at the port.
Nous attristons pas,
We don't get sad,
Allons de ce pas
Let's go right away
Donner, debonnaires,
To give, merrily,
Au pont Mirabeau
To the Mirabeau bridge
Un coup de chapeau
A hat tip
A l'Apollinaire. {2x}
To the Apollinaire.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GEORGES CHARLES BRASSENS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind