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.
Espérance Nos Enfants
Georges Moustaki Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
nous nous faisons la guerre
pour défendre un drapeau
ou sauver notre peau
mais parmi le vacarme
les ruines et les larmes
nos enfants vont faire
de la musique ensemble
À woodstock, en provence
aux quatre coins du monde
nos enfants vont faire
de la musique ensemble
et chanter sans dissonance
le même chant
on exalte les vertus
du travail qui nous tue
la famille est sacrée
le plaisir censuré
on étouffe la vie
dans la bureaucratie
mais nos enfants vont faire
l'amour ensemble
faire des choses tendres
que l'on fait sans apprendre
nos enfants vont faire
l'amour ensemble
et jouir en toute innocence
et sans tourment
quand ils vont nous quitter
poursuivre leurs idées
loin des cités-dortoirs
des villes de cauchemar
ils feront à leur tour
avec beaucoup d'amour
des enfants qui feront
de la musique ensemble
À woodstock, en provence
aux quatre coins du monde
des enfants qui feront
l'amour ensemble
feront des choses tendres
que l'ont fait sans apprendre
des enfants qui feront
ensemble des enfants
au pays de nulle part
qu'on appelle espérance
des enfants qui feront
l'amour ensemble
feront des choses tendres
que l'ont fait sans apprendre
des enfants qui feront
ensemble des enfants
au pays de nulle part
qu'on appelle espérance
Georges Moustaki's song Espérance Nos Enfants is a beautiful hymn to hope and the promise of a better, more harmonious future. In the first stanza, Moustaki points out the absurdity of the conflicts that tear us apart as a society. We draw borders and make war to defend a flag or our own lives while our children are witnessing the fallout in the form of ruins and tears. However, Moustaki insists that these children will unite and create music together, whether it be at Woodstock, in Provence or any corner of the world. They will sing without dissonance because they will have learned to rise above the discord of their parents' generation.
In the second stanza, Moustaki addresses the oppressive nature of society, where work is valued over personal pleasure, and bureaucracy stifles life. But Moustaki remains hopeful that our children will love one another without boundaries or repression. They will naturally experience tenderness and pleasure without having to learn them. And when they leave this world to pursue their own ideals, they will create their own children who will further the message of unity and peace. These children will make music and love together in the land of hope which is nowhere and everywhere at the same time.
Overall, Espérance Nos Enfants is a beautifully optimistic song that inspires us to remain hopeful in the face of the world's troubles. Moustaki shows that while adults may struggle to overcome their biases and differences, the love and creativity of the coming generation will ultimately prevail.
Line by Line Meaning
Nous traçons des frontières
We draw borders
nous nous faisons la guerre
we fight wars
pour défendre un drapeau
to defend a flag
ou sauver notre peau
or save our skin
mais parmi le vacarme
but amid the noise
les ruines et les larmes
the ruins and tears
nos enfants vont faire
our children will do
de la musique ensemble
make music together
À woodstock, en provence
at Woodstock, in Provence
aux quatre coins du monde
in every corner of the world
nos enfants vont faire
our children will do
de la musique ensemble
make music together
et chanter sans dissonance
and sing without discord
le même chant
the same song
on exalte les vertus
we extol the virtues
du travail qui nous tue
of work that kills us
la famille est sacrée
family is sacred
le plaisir censuré
pleasure is censored
on étouffe la vie
we suffocate life
dans la bureaucratie
in bureaucracy
mais nos enfants vont faire
but our children will do
l'amour ensemble
make love together
faire des choses tendres
do tender things
que l'on fait sans apprendre
that we do without learning
nos enfants vont faire
our children will do
l'amour ensemble
make love together
et jouir en toute innocence
and enjoy in complete innocence
et sans tourment
and without torment
quand ils vont nous quitter
when they will leave us
poursuivre leurs idées
pursue their ideas
loin des cités-dortoirs
far from the dormitory cities
des villes de cauchemar
from the nightmare cities
ils feront à leur tour
they will do in turn
avec beaucoup d'amour
with lots of love
des enfants qui feront
children who will do
de la musique ensemble
make music together
À woodstock, en provence
at Woodstock, in Provence
aux quatre coins du monde
in every corner of the world
des enfants qui feront
children who will do
l'amour ensemble
make love together
feront des choses tendres
do tender things
que l'ont fait sans apprendre
that we do without learning
des enfants qui feront
children who will do
ensemble des enfants
children together
au pays de nulle part
in the land of nowhere
qu'on appelle espérance
that we call hope
des enfants qui feront
children who will do
l'amour ensemble
make love together
feront des choses tendres
do tender things
que l'ont fait sans apprendre
that we do without learning
des enfants qui feront
children who will do
ensemble des enfants
children together
au pays de nulle part
in the land of nowhere
qu'on appelle espérance
that we call hope
Contributed by Ethan L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Ayse
Bravo Georges on adore tes chansons merci a toi 🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴
yvan beaulieu
J'adore ces années
yvan beaulieu
Un mot Fantastique
Ayse
🎶🎶🎶🎶🎼🎼🎼🎼🎼🎼🎼🎼🎼🎼🎼🎼🎼🎼
Anne marie Belliot
Chants chrétiens pour moi