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.
Nous Sommes Deux
Georges Moustaki Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nous sommes deux
Huit heures vont bientôt sonner
Teins la lampe, le gardien frappe
Ce soir ils reviendront nous voir
L'un va devant, l'un va devant
Et les autres suivent derrière
Puis le silence et puis voici
Il frappe deux
Il frappe trois
Il frappe mille vingt et trois
Tu as mal, toi
Et j'ai mal, moi
Qui de nous deux a le plus mal
C'est l'avenir qui le dira
Nous sommes deux
Nous sommes trois
Nous sommes mille vingt et trois
Avec le temps, avec la pluie
Avec le sang qui la sèche
Et la douleur qui vit en nous
Qui nous transperse et qui nous cloue
Notre douleur nous guidera
Georges Moustaki's song Nous sommes deux, which translates to "We are two," is an emotional piece that speaks to the shared pain experienced within relationships. The song begins with the impending arrival of others, and as they approach, the two protagonists seem to be gripped by a sense of discomfort. The following lines, "One goes ahead, the others follow behind / Then silence, and here it comes / The same song that keeps coming back," suggest the inevitability of the return of pain and turmoil, a never-ending cycle that they cannot seem to escape.
The song then moves to a conversation between the two characters, as the guard outside knocks on the door at various intervals. With each knock, they both express their physical and emotional anguish - "He knocks two / He knocks three / He knocks a thousand twenty-three / You're hurting, and I'm hurting, too / Who between us hurts more / The future will have to tell." This line speaks to the idea that there can never be a winner in a relationship built on pain and uncertainty, and that the only way forward is to learn to share the load.
In the final verse, Moustaki reminds us that pain is a guide that we must all follow in life. He cleverly uses the metaphor of blood to represent the pain that resides within us, and how it can both dry up and cling to us, never allowing us to escape its grasp. The final line reminds us that the pain we experience can be our compass, guiding us towards a place of healing and hope, but only if we are brave enough to follow it. In essence, the song is a powerful reminder that relationships can be challenging, but by acknowledging and sharing the pain, we can collectively heal and find a way to move forward.
Line by Line Meaning
Nous sommes deux
We are two people, facing the same reality together
Nous sommes deux
We are still just two people, going through our own experiences
Huit heures vont bientôt sonner
It's almost eight o'clock, time for the night shift to begin
Teins la lampe, le gardien frappe
Turn on the lamp, the guard is knocking
Ce soir ils reviendront nous voir
Tonight, they will come back to check on us
L'un va devant, l'un va devant
One leads the way, one leads the way
Et les autres suivent derrière
And the others follow behind
Puis le silence et puis voici
Then comes the silence, and here it comes
La même chanson qui revient
The same old song that keeps coming back
Il frappe deux
He knocks twice
Il frappe trois
He knocks three times
Il frappe mille vingt et trois
He knocks one thousand twenty-three times
Tu as mal, toi
You're hurting, aren't you?
Et j'ai mal, moi
And I'm hurting, too
Qui de nous deux a le plus mal
Who between us is hurting the most?
C'est l'avenir qui le dira
Only the future will reveal the answer
Nous sommes deux
We are two people, both feeling pain
Nous sommes trois
Sometimes we feel like there's a third entity hurting us
Nous sommes mille vingt et trois
Other times, it feels like we're one of many experiencing this same pain
Avec le temps, avec la pluie
As time passes, as the rain falls
Avec le sang qui la sèche
With the blood that stains and dries
Et la douleur qui vit en nous
And the pain that lives within us
Qui nous transperse et qui nous cloue
That pierces and nails us down
Notre douleur nous guidera
Our pain will guide us through this experience
Writer(s): Mikis Theodorakis
Contributed by Max O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@reshadnazroo4829
Je l'ai écouté à l'Olympia à Paris dans les années 1970, en compagnie de Mikis Theodorakis. Exceptionnel et inoubliable. Vive la Grécité.
@francesca1574
Unique quel beau chant qui prend aux tripes , toujours plus près au centre de mon coeur monsieur Moustaki
@erato-alexandrasavorianaki4429
Imaste dio!!! Mikis Theodorakis ❤️❤️
@ritatomei6238
Un incantevole dei miei anni, ti amerò per sempre George
@rosaolivares951
Somos muchos mas
@zeneidanogueirapapaleo5294
Voz linda inconfundível.
@arndheinicke5175
Immer vorwärts BSG!