Georges Moustaki (1934-2013) was a singer-songwriter of Greek Jewish origin… Read Full Bio ↴Georges Moustaki (1934-2013) was a singer-songwriter of Greek Jewish origin.

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.

L'ombre
Georges Moustaki Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Il n'a plus que son ombre
Sous le ciel brûlant
Pas d'ami, pas d'amour, rien au monde
Personne à qui parler
Personne à qui répondre
Seule une ombre est à ses côtés

Et devant lui, la route est longue

Qui se déroule à l'infini
Pour le temps d'un mensonge
Une de vingt ans lui fit croire
À l'amour en ce monde

Mais l'amour s'est enfui
Il n'en reste qu'une ombre
Qui toujours et partout le suit

Et devant lui, la route est longue
Qui se déroule à l'infini
Dans sa vie vagabonde il chercha longtemps
Des amis, des amours par le monde

Il n'est plus maintenant

Que l'ombre de son ombre
Et la mort, au lointain, l'attend

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Georges Moustaki's song "L'ombre" speak of a person who has lost everything, except for their shadow. They find themselves alone, without friends or love, in a world devoid of meaning. The shadow becomes their only companion, the only presence by their side. This shadow symbolizes their loneliness and despair.

As the person walks ahead, they face a long road that stretches into infinity. This road represents their journey through life, which seems never-ending. They have been deceived by a twenty-year-long lie, believing in love in this world. But now love has escaped them, leaving behind only a shadow that relentlessly follows them everywhere.

In their wandering and searching for meaning, they have tried to find friends and love throughout the world. However, they have reached a point where they have become nothing more than the shadow of their own shadow. The lyrics suggest that death awaits them in the distance, highlighting the hopelessness and resignation they feel.

Overall, the song portrays the loneliness, loss, and disillusionment of a person who has been left with nothing but their shadow as their constant companion. It speaks to the universal human experience of longing for connection and meaning in a world that can sometimes feel empty and cruel.

Line by Line Meaning

Il n'a plus que son ombre
He only has his shadow left

Sous le ciel brûlant
Under the scorching sky

Pas d'ami, pas d'amour, rien au monde
No friend, no love, nothing in the world

Personne à qui parler
No one to talk to

Personne à qui répondre
No one to answer

Seule une ombre est à ses côtés
Only a shadow is by his side

Et devant lui, la route est longue
And in front of him, the road is long

Qui se déroule à l'infini
Unfolding into infinity

Pour le temps d'un mensonge
For the time of a lie

Une de vingt ans lui fit croire
One of twenty years made him believe

À l'amour en ce monde
In love in this world