Moustaki was born Yussef Mustacchi on the 3rd May 1934 in Alexandria, Egypt, of Sephardic Jewish parents who had moved there from Corfu, and who ran a bookshop in the city. The family spoke Italian at home, but Georges (then Yussef) spoke Arabic with his friends and attended a French school to which his Francophile parents sent him and his sisters. In 1951 he moved to Paris, where he was inspired by the young Georges Brassens, in honour of whom he changed his name to Georges Moustaki.
Moustaki wrote and sang in French, Italian, Greek, Spanish, English, Yiddish, and Arabic. Early influences included Edith Piaf, with whom Moustaki carried on a year-long romance. His pan-national approach to music made him a star in Europe in the late sixties and early seventies.
He died on the 23rd May 2013 in Nice, France.
Dans la maison trop grande et trop vide
Georges Moustaki Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dans la rue devenue déserte
Dans Paris qui n'est plus qu'un boulevard de cendres
Dans le soleil glacé, dans les nuages bas
Et dans l'eau immobile d'un océan inerte
Dans le regard éteint des vivants inconnus
Je crie ma solitude en lettres de noblesse
Je crie mon insomnie dans la nuit indifférente
La nostalgie étouffe un bâillement d'ennui
Mais la douleur est là sourde et muette
Comme il se doit
La peur désemparée par toutes mes faiblesses
Dans le silence épais comme un point d'orgue
Le langage est approximatif
The lyrics of "Dans la maison trop grande et trop vide" describe the feeling of loneliness and isolation that the singer is experiencing as he wanders around the empty and quiet streets of Paris. The song starts by describing the house as too big and too empty, emphasizing the lack of life and warmth that surrounds the singer. The once bustling city of Paris is now reduced to ashes and ruins, a reflection of the despair that has taken over the singer's life.
The imagery of the "glacé" sun and the "bas" clouds adds to the feeling of detachment and disconnection that the singer is experiencing. He is surrounded by people, but their faces are unknown, and their gazes are devoid of emotion. The singer laments his loneliness and his insomnia, feeling as if he is screaming into the void as his words go unheard. He tries to fill the emptiness around him by "maquillant" the dolls, perhaps a symbol of his attempt to make something out of nothing.
Line by Line Meaning
Dans la maison trop grande et trop vide
In the house that's too big and too empty
Dans la rue devenue déserte
In the street that's become deserted
Dans Paris qui n'est plus qu'un boulevard de cendres
In Paris that is now just a boulevard of ashes
Dans le soleil glacé, dans les nuages bas
In the frozen sun, in the low clouds
Et dans l'eau immobile d'un océan inerte
And in the stagnant water of an inert ocean
Dans le regard éteint des vivants inconnus
In the dead look of unknown living beings
Je crie ma solitude en lettres de noblesse
I cry out my loneliness in letters of nobility
Je crie mon insomnie dans la nuit indifférente
I cry out my insomnia in the indifferent night
Et je maquille les poupées qui en témoignent
And I dress up the dolls that bear witness to it
La nostalgie étouffe un bâillement d'ennui
Nostalgia stifles a yawn of boredom
Mais la douleur est là sourde et muette
But the pain is there, dull and silent
Comme il se doit
As it should be
La peur désemparée par toutes mes faiblesses
Fear helpless against all my weaknesses
Dans le silence épais comme un point d'orgue
In the thick silence like a musical pause
Le langage est approximatif
Language is approximate
Contributed by Benjamin I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
PS109VanBurenHigh
Thanks for taking notice of this upload and for your comment. I provided an English translation of the poem - just click on "Show more." Moustaki, who died this year, was much loved in France but hardly known in the U.S. If you haven't discovered "Bye,Bye Bahia, or "Joseph," two of his songs I recently uploaded, I think you might enjoy them. Also, "Sur La Vie De Notre Amour" by Enrico Macias.
Rebecca C
I don't know what he is saying but he is saying it beautifully.
Sonia Paquet
Beautiful! Amazing!
I was listening Antonio Marcos "Ella" and I found this treasure... Georges Moustaki
...
I cry my loneliness in letters of nobility
I cry my insomnia in the indifferent night
...
Thsnk you!
PS109VanBurenHigh
Sonia, my instant friend. I'm in awe of your taking the time to read my English translation of this Moustaki poem, AND offering those two lines of translation as an alternative to mine. Thank you. I'm so glad the poem 'spoke to you' in some way. Practically no one has ever heard it, even the most devoted fans of Georges Moustaki of whom they say in France: Il était l'un des plus grands.
PS109VanBurenHigh
SONIA (I shout your name). Thank you . You've warmed my heart.. First of all, you discovered my upload of "Ella." If you haven't yet you must also listen to the other Marcos song I uploaded,"El Encuentro." No one else has posted this incredibly beautiful song. You'll see two postings, listen to the one made 4 years ago (an improvement in sound and picture quality from the one I made 6 years ago). I'm writing now another reply to you about Moustaki's poem.
Mafia Perfect
Il y a trés longtemps ( une dizaine d'années ) j'avais écouté ce titre ... c'était une version bien plus longue avec une superbe musique et une voix bien roque : une merveille , un vrai bonheur que j'avais aussi réussi à enregistrer !
! Mais avec le temps la cassette reste introuvable et ............... j'ai beaucoup chercher mais en vain !!! Quelq'un pour m aider à le retrouver ? merci , un énorme merci !
PS109VanBurenHigh
Mafia Perfect Je l'ai mis en ligne à partir du disque vinyle Polydor originale sorti en 1974 mais j'ai trouvé que vous pouvez télécharger ce titre à partir d'un CD sur Amazon ou tout simplement acheter le CD entier pour la livraison par la poste. Il ne devrait pas être un problème.
Mafia Perfect
PS109VanBurenHigh ola la .... rien que de savoir que Vous pouvez m aider me rends heureuse , car si vous saviez toutes les démarches que j avais fait .. y compris auprès de diverses Radios !!! ok à demain et merci encore !!
PS109VanBurenHigh
Mafia Perfect Merci de partager ceci avec moi. Je viens de rentrer de vacances. Je peut trouver le disque vinyle contenant cette chanson et vous donnerai l'information demain.
Sonia Paquet
Thank you!