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.
Mon ile de france
Georges Moustaki Lyrics
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On n'y va pas chercher de l'or
Il n'y a pas de plages blondes
Ce n'est pas une île au trésor
Mon Île-de-France
Elle n'est pas dans le Pacifique
Ni dans aucun autre océan
Ou bien couper à travers champs
Mon Île-de-France
Il n'y a pas de sortilège
Qui vous ensorcelle le coeur
L'hiver il tombe de la neige
Le printemps ramène les fleurs
Mon Île-de-France
Lorsque le vent pousse ma voile
Sur les vagues des champs de blé
Je m'arrête pour une escale
À l'ombre de ses marronniers
Mon Île-de-France
Là sur un rivage de mousse
L'aventure au bout du sentier
M'offre une fille à la peau douce
Et un coin d'herbe pour aimer
Mon Île-de-France
Adieu Tahiti Fort-de-France
Adieu doudous et vahinés
Qu'elle est douce ma douce France
Depuis que je l'ai rencontrée
Mon Île-de-France
Elle n'est même pas au bout du monde
On n'y va pas chercher de l'or
Il n'y a pas de plages blondes
Ce n'est pas une île au trésor
Mon Île-de-France
The song "Mon Ile de France" by Georges Moustaki is a tribute to the region of Île-de-France in France, where the singer spent a significant amount of time. The song highlights the beauty of the region and the sense of belonging that Moustaki feels towards it. The lyrics start with a declaration that Île-de-France is not at the end of the world and that nobody goes there to find gold or blonde beaches. It is not a treasure island. Despite that, the singer contends that Île-de-France is his island of France.
The second paragraph points out that Île-de-France is not in the Pacific or any other ocean; instead, it can be reached by barge or walking through fields. The third part notes that there are no spells that capture one's heart, and the region merely happens to offer snow in winter and flowers in spring.
Moustaki describes how the wind blows his sails on the waves of wheat fields, and he stops for a break under the shade of chestnut trees to enjoy the place. In the fifth paragraph, the singer discovers a young lady and a secluded spot for love-making while exploring the region. The last paragraph is a farewell to other popular tourist destinations in France, Tahiti, and Fort-de-France. Finally, the singer comments on how sweet his beloved France is since he discovered Île-de-France.
Line by Line Meaning
Elle n'est même pas au bout du monde
My Ile-de-France is not at the end of the world, it's easily accessible
On n'y va pas chercher de l'or
People don't go there to seek treasure or riches
Il n'y a pas de plages blondes
There are no golden beaches on this island
Ce n'est pas une île au trésor
It's not a treasure island
Elle n'est pas dans le Pacifique
It's not in the Pacific Ocean
Ni dans aucun autre océan
Nor in any other ocean
On peut y aller en péniche
It's accessible by boat or by foot
Ou bien couper à travers champs
Or by cutting through the fields
Il n'y a pas de sortilège
There is no enchantment that bewitches your heart
Qui vous ensorcelle le coeur
There's nothing there that captures your heart
L'hiver il tombe de la neige
It snows in the winter
Le printemps ramène les fleurs
And in the spring, flowers bloom
Lorsque le vent pousse ma voile
When the wind pushes my sail
Sur les vagues des champs de blé
Over the waves of the wheat fields
Je m'arrête pour une escale
I stop for a brief visit
À l'ombre de ses marronniers
Under the shade of its chestnut trees
Là sur un rivage de mousse
There on a mossy shore
L'aventure au bout du sentier
The adventure at the end of the path
M'offre une fille à la peau douce
Offers me a girl with soft skin
Et un coin d'herbe pour aimer
And a corner of grass to love
Adieu Tahiti Fort-de-France
Goodbye Tahiti and Fort-de-France
Adieu doudous et vahinés
Goodbye stuffed animals and dancing girls
Qu'elle est douce ma douce France
How sweet my sweet France is
Depuis que je l'ai rencontrée
Since I have met it
Mon Île-de-France
My Ile-de-France
Writer(s): Georges Moustaki
Contributed by Jordan H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.