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
Tempête Dans Un Bénitier
Georges Brassens Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Le souverain pontife avecque
Les évêques, les archevêques
Nous font un satané chantier
Ils ne savent pas ce qu'ils perdent
Tous ces fichus calotins
Sans le latin, sans le latin
A la fête liturgique
Plus de grand's pompes, soudain
Sans le latin, sans le latin
Plus de mystère magique
Le rite qui nous envoûte
S'avère alors anodin
Sans le latin, sans le latin
Et les fidèl's s'en foutent
O très Sainte Marie mèr' de
Dieu, dites à ces putains
De moines qu'ils nous emmerdent
Sans le latin
Je ne suis pas le seul, morbleu
Depuis que ces règles sévissent
A ne plus me rendre à l'office
Dominical que quand il pleut
Il ne savent pas ce qu'ils perdent
Tous ces fichus calotins
Sans le latin, sans le latin
La messe nous emmerde
En renonçant à l'occulte
Faudra qu'ils fassent tintin
Sans le latin, sans le latin
Pour le denier du culte
A la saison printanière
Suisse, bedeau, sacristain
Sans le latin, sans le latin
F'ront l'églis' buissonnière
O très Sainte Marie mèr' de
Dieu, dites à ces putains
De moines qu'ils nous emmerdent
Sans le latin.
Ces oiseaux sont des enragés
Ces corbeaux qui scient, rognent, tranchent
La saine et bonne vieille branche
De la croix où ils sont perchés
Ils ne savent pas ce qu'ils perdent
Tous ces fichus calotins
Sans le latin, sans le latin
La messe nous emmerde
Le vin du sacré calice
Se change en eau de boudin
Sans le latin, sans le latin
Et ses vertus faiblissent
A Lourdes, Sète ou bien Parme
Comme à Quimper Corentin
Le presbytère sans le latin
A perdu de son charme
O très Sainte Marie mèr' de
Dieu, dites à ces putains
De moines qu'ils nous emmerdent
Sans le latin
Tempête Dans Un Bénitier is a satirical song by Georges Brassens that criticizes the changes in the Catholic Church brought by the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s. The song's title, which translates to "tempest in a holy water font," refers to the turmoil caused by these changes. In the first stanza, Brassens talks about how the Pope and the bishops are turning the Church into a construction site. They don't know what they are doing by getting rid of Latin in the mass, which Brassens believes makes the service boring and without mystery. He expresses his belief that the Church is losing its enchanting and desirable features by omitting Latin.
In the second stanza, Brassens talks about how he is not the only one who dislikes the new rules. Since these new changes, he only goes to church on rainy Sundays. He emphasizes how the Church is losing its occult charm by renouncing Latin, which is essential to the liturgy. He concludes with a reference to how the Church has lost its enchantment, and the wine from the sacred chalice no longer has its magical qualities.
Overall, the song is a critique of the Catholic Church's modernization that caused many changes amongst its followers. The song's satire reflects Brassens's view on the abandonment of the traditional ways of the Catholic Church and highlights the importance of Latin.
Line by Line Meaning
Tempête dans un bénitier
There's chaos in the church
Le souverain pontife avecque
The Pope, along with
Les évêques, les archevêques
The bishops and archbishops
Nous font un satané chantier
Are causing a damn mess.
Ils ne savent pas ce qu'ils perdent
They don't know what they're losing
Tous ces fichus calotins
All these damn priests
Sans le latin, sans le latin
Without Latin, without Latin
La messe nous emmerde
Mass bores us
A la fête liturgique
At the liturgical feast
Plus de grand's pompes, soudain
Suddenly, no more grandeur
Plus de mystère magique
No more magical mystery
Le rite qui nous envoûte
The rite that enchants us
S'avère alors anodin
Seems insignificant
Et les fidèl's s'en foutent
And the faithful don't care
O très Sainte Marie mèr' de
Oh, most Holy Mother Mary
Dieu, dites à ces putains
Tell those damn monks
De moines qu'ils nous emmerdent
That they're bothering us.
Je ne suis pas le seul, morbleu
I'm not the only one, damn it,
Depuis que ces règles sévissent
Since these rules have been enforced
A ne plus me rendre à l'office
I don't go to Sunday Mass anymore
Dominical que quand il pleut
Except when it rains.
En renonçant à l'occulte
By giving up the mystical
Faudra qu'ils fassent tintin
They'll be out of luck
Pour le denier du culte
For the offering
A la saison printanière
In the springtime
Suisse, bedeau, sacristain
Swiss guards, sextons, and sacristans
F'ront l'églis' buissonnière
Will play hooky from the church
Ces oiseaux sont des enragés
These birds are fuming
Ces corbeaux qui scient, rognent, tranchent
These crows who cut, clip, and hack away
La saine et bonne vieille branche
The healthy and good old branch
De la croix où ils sont perchés
Of the cross on which they're perched.
Le vin du sacré calice
The wine of the sacred chalice
Se change en eau de boudin
Turns into dirty water
Et ses vertus faiblissent
And its virtues diminish.
A Lourdes, Sète ou bien Parme
In Lourdes, Sète, or Parme
Comme à Quimper Corentin
Just like in Quimper-Corentin
Le presbytère sans le latin
The rectory without Latin
A perdu de son charme
Has lost its charm
O très Sainte Marie mèr' de
Oh, most Holy Mother Mary
Dieu, dites à ces putains
Tell those damn monks
De moines qu'ils nous emmerdent
That they're bothering us.
Sans le latin, sans le latin
Without Latin, without Latin
La messe nous emmerde
Mass bores us
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GEORGES CHARLES BRASSENS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
fanfan Legrand
J'adore cette chanson.... Mais bon, je me retrouve dans toutes les chansons de tonton Georges car j'ai toujours eu les mêmes opinions que lui. Tendre pensée maître😘😘😘🌷🌷🌷
Anne Isette
Anniversaire Brassens : "Tempête dans un bénitier"
La tempête en question est le deuxième Concile du Vatican (1962-65) réuni à l'initiative du Pape Jean XXIII, qui chamboula pas mal d'habitudes dans l'Église Catholique, dont celle de dire la messe latine et grégorienne. En prenant parti pour celle-ci, Brassens tourne toute cette affaire en dérision.
En 2021, le sujet est à nouveau actuel; le pape François n'aime pas cette liturgie traditionnelle multiséculaire qui fait partie du patrimoine de notre civilisation chrétienne. Nous voici revenus des décennies en arrière ! Brassens, Au secours !
Aérion Le Brave
Il me semble que vous avez mal compris la chanson : Brassens est ici anticlérical, et se moque de l'Église avant et après le concile
Yohan Moignet
Un classique
KER JI
bravo !!!
Bards In Exile / Bardes En Exil
Une des rares chansons des albums de Brassens, voire même la seule, où apparaissent d'autres chanteurs (sur le dernier refrain) !
wallersayn 79
Oui Fred mella
robert berdah
il atout compris mon grand frére repose en paix mon frére
Gontrand Trand
L' Église, Dieu, Le Saint Esprit, Joseph, Marie et Jésus, autrefois.
L' Économie, l'Argent, le PIB, La Bourse, la Croissance et Les Finances aujourd'hui.
Prions de ne pas avoir à les prier.
vincent fouques
anti-clérical jusqu'au bout