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
Montélimar
Georges Brassens Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mignons mignards,
Leur beau matou,
Leur gros toutou,
Les pharisiens,
Les béotiens,
Les aoûtiens,
Dans leur auto,
Tombeau ouvert,
Descendant vers
La grande mare,
En passant par
Montélimar.
{Refrain:}
Dites d'urgence
A ces engeances
De malheur
Et à leurs
Gniards
Que chiens, chats
N'aiment
Pas l' nougat
Même
Même celui
D'Montélimar.
Hélas bientôt
Le mal d'auto
Va déranger
Les passagers.
Le beau matou,
Le gros toutou,
Pas fiers du tout
- Ça fait frémir -
S'en vont vomir
Et même pis
Sur les tapis
Et les coussins
A beaux dessins,
C'est très malsain.
C'est très fâcheux,
C'est plus du jeu,
Et coetera.
Et alors à
Montélimar,
On en a marre
Du cauchemar.
Boutant presto
Hors de l'auto
Le beau matou,
Le gros toutou,
Ces handicaps
Sur Digne, Gap,
On met le cap.
Alors tous ces
Petits poucets,
Ces beaux matous,
Ces gros toutous,
En ribambelle
Ont sans appel
Droit au scalpel.
Les aoûtiens
Les béotiens
Qui font ça n'ont
Pas d'âme, non,
Que leur auto
Bute presto
Contre un poteau!s
The song "Montélimar" by Georges Brassens tells the story of a family or group of people traveling in their car with their beloved pets, children and various possessions. They are described using a variety of adjectives, from "mignons mignards" to "pharisiens". They are heading towards a destination, "la grande mare", passing through the town of Montélimar.
The refrain of the song is a message to these people to urgently inform them that their animals, whether dogs or cats, do not like nougat, even the one from Montélimar. As the journey progresses, the passengers begin to feel ill, and both the cat and dog end up vomiting on the car's carpets and cushions. This causes great discomfort to the travelers, leading them to decide to dispose of their pets and continue their journey without them.
Brassens' song is likely a critique of the hedonistic and materialistic lifestyle of the French bourgeoisie, who he views as hypocrites and phonies. The use of the word "pharisiens" reinforces this idea, referring to the Pharisees, a sect that was notorious for their outward displays of piety while living sinful lives in private. Through the song, Brassens reminds listeners that the things we value and invest in, whether material possessions or pets, should not be more important than the people in our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Avec leurs gniards Mignons mignards, Leur beau matou, Leur gros toutou, Les pharisiens, Les béotiens, Les aoûtiens, Dans leur auto, Roulent presto, Tombeau ouvert, Descendant vers La grande mare, En passant par Montélimar.
A group of people with their children, pets, and vehicles are driving towards the sea, passing by Montélimar.
{Refrain:} Dites d'urgence A ces engeances De malheur Et à leurs Gniards Que chiens, chats N'aiment Pas l' nougat Même Même celui D'Montélimar.
The singer urges to tell these people and their children that dogs and cats don't like nougat, even the one from Montélimar.
Hélas bientôt Le mal d'auto Va déranger Les passagers. Le beau matou, Le gros toutou, Pas fiers du tout - Ça fait frémir - S'en vont vomir Et même pis Sur les tapis Et les coussins A beaux dessins, C'est très malsain.
Unfortunately, the motion sickness caused by the car starts to affect the passengers and their pets, who end up vomiting on the decorative carpets and cushions. It's quite unsanitary and unpleasant to witness.
C'est très fâcheux, C'est plus du jeu, Et coetera. Et alors à Montélimar, On en a marre Du cauchemar. Boutant presto Hors de l'auto Le beau matou, Le gros toutou, Ces handicaps Sur Digne, Gap, On met le cap.
The situation becomes more serious and frustrating, and the group decides to quickly get rid of their pets in Montélimar because they can't handle the situation anymore. They then change their destination to Digne or Gap, presumably without the pets.
Alors tous ces Petits poucets, Ces beaux matous, Ces gros toutous, En ribambelle Ont sans appel Droit au scalpel. Les aoûtiens Les béotiens Qui font ça n'ont Pas d'âme, non, Que leur auto Bute presto Contre un poteau!
The singer sarcastically adds that all these cute children, cats, and dogs will be inevitably sent to the vet's scalpel, implying they will be abandoned or euthanized. He blames the careless and heartless August vacationers and ignorant people who do such actions and wishes their car to crash against a poll as a form of karma.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GEORGES CHARLES BRASSENS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Arthur LEMAIRE
Par les temps qui courrent, on est pas près de retrouver un artiste de l'envergure et de l'a culture de notre ami Brassens! Un vrai génie!
Sylvie Jaunin
éternel Brassens. Merci pour ce partage surtout avant l'été au vu qu'hélas cette chanson est toujours d'actualité.
Le Corbeau
Magnifique ! J'aimerai savoir où avez vous trouvez le dessin ?
modestie
superbe j'adore
Jean Pierre Zutter
Une chanson d'une grande fraîcheur et d'un grand humour !!
françois hermieux
Ca rafraîchit mine de rien et c'est plus actuel que n'importe qui !
Nada 13006
Un hymne à la connerie humaine....bien joué tonton.
Florent Duriez
Brassens, cet amoureux des animaux...
Yanno Splif
👍
Yoann Des Molunes
Que leur auto
Bute presto
Dans un poteau
Brassens ne fait pas dans la nuance !