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.
La Seine La Cène Et La Scène
Georges Moustaki Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Elle et moi à travers Paris
Tout doucement sans fair’de vagues
Du Point-du-jour à l’île St-Louis
Il y a longtemps et davantage
Qu’elle écoute mes rêveries
Qu’elle me renvoie mon image
Quand je ne sais plus qui je suis
Je regarde passer la Seine
Sous le Pont-Marie
Je regarde passer la Seine
Il y a longtemps dans un autre âge
Ils étaient douze réunis
Autour d’un jeune homme très sage
Que l’on prenait pour Jésus-Christ
Parfois je trinque à sa mémoire
Quand je me retrouve entre ami
J’aimerais qu’il vienne s’asseoir
Avec nous comme il l’a promis
Partager avec nous la Cène
Et le pain de vie, partager avec nous la Cène
Il y a longtemps que je fréquente
Ces quatre planch’s de bois pourri
C’est là que l’on vit que l’on chante
Que l’on se donne la comédie
Il y a des ombres qui la hantent
Des cabotins et des génies
Gloires passées ou débutantes
Elles m’accueillent chaque nuit
Lorsque je viens sur la scène
Comme aujourd’hui lorsque je viens sur
La scène la scène la scène!
The lyrics of Georges Moustaki's song "La Seine La Cène Et La Scène" depict the artist's reflections on three significant elements in his life: the Seine River, the Last Supper (La Cène), and the stage (la scène). Moustaki begins by mentioning that he and his companion have been zigzagging through Paris for a long time, quietly and without causing any disturbances. They have been wandering from Point-du-jour to the St-Louis Island, with her listening to his musings and reflecting his own identity back to him when he loses sight of who he truly is.
When Moustaki looks at the Seine River passing beneath the Pont-Marie, it symbolizes a sense of time flowing by, a constant reminder of the transient nature of life. Moving on to the reference of the Last Supper, he reminisces about a time in the past where twelve individuals were gathered around a wise young man who was seen as Jesus Christ. Moustaki sometimes toasts to his memory when he is in the company of friends. He expresses his desire for him to come sit with them as he had promised, sharing the Last Supper and the metaphorical bread of life.
The final part of the song describes Moustaki's long association with the stage, where he both lives and performs. He refers to the four rotten wooden planks on which performers stand, sing, and offer a theater of illusions. The stage is haunted by shadows, filled with both mediocre actors and brilliant talents, representing past and upcoming fame. Every night, Moustaki is welcomed by these specters and embraces the stage as he performs, emphasizing the significance of the stage in his life.
Line by Line Meaning
Il y a longtemps que l’on zigzague
For a long time, we have been wandering aimlessly
Elle et moi à travers Paris
She and I, together, exploring Paris
Tout doucement sans fair’de vagues
In a gentle and quiet manner, without causing any disturbances
Du Point-du-jour à l’île St-Louis
From Point-du-jour to île St-Louis
Il y a longtemps et davantage
It has been a long time, even longer
Qu’elle écoute mes rêveries
That she listens to my daydreams
Qu’elle me renvoie mon image
That she reflects back my own image to me
Quand je ne sais plus qui je suis
When I no longer know who I am
Je regarde passer la Seine
I watch the Seine flow by
Sous le Pont-Marie
Under the Pont-Marie
Il y a longtemps dans un autre âge
Long ago, in another era
Ils étaient douze réunis
They were twelve gathered
Autour d’un jeune homme très sage
Around a very wise young man
Que l’on prenait pour Jésus-Christ
Who was mistaken for Jesus Christ
Parfois je trinque à sa mémoire
Sometimes I raise a glass to his memory
Quand je me retrouve entre ami
When I find myself among friends
J’aimerais qu’il vienne s’asseoir
I wish he would come and sit with us
Avec nous comme il l’a promis
Together with us, as he promised
Partager avec nous la Cène
To share the Last Supper with us
Et le pain de vie, partager avec nous la Cène
And the bread of life, to share the Last Supper with us
Il y a longtemps que je fréquente
I have been frequenting for a long time
Ces quatre planch’s de bois pourri
These four rotten wooden boards
C’est là que l’on vit que l’on chante
It is there that we live and sing
Que l’on se donne la comédie
Where we put on a show
Il y a des ombres qui la hantent
There are shadows that haunt it
Des cabotins et des génies
Some show-offs and geniuses
Gloires passées ou débutantes
Past or budding glories
Elles m’accueillent chaque nuit
They welcome me each night
Lorsque je viens sur la scène
When I step onto the stage
Comme aujourd’hui lorsque je viens sur
Just like today, when I come onto
La scène la scène la scène!
The stage, the stage, the stage!
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@danielasauerwein8622
Emouvant comme toutes ses chansons j adore meme aujourd hui ❤