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.
Tu N'As Plus L'Air D'Une Enfant
Georges Moustaki Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tu n'as plus l′air d'une enfant
Tu as grandi; Ce n'est plus moi aujourd′hui
Qui t′emmène au ciné le mercredi
Je me surprends à regarder autrement
Ton joli corps de quinze ans
Tu as embelli et quand je te le dis
Et pourtant, il n′y a pas si longtemps
Tu venais me voir très souvent
Si je t'embrassais, si je te caressais
C′était sans arrière-pensée
Mais maintenant, rien n'est plus comme avant
Tu n′as plus l'air d'une enfant
Tu as embelli et quand je te le dis
D′un air embarrassé, tu rougis
Et pourtant, il n′y a pas si longtemps
Du temps de nos jeux innocents
Si tu m'embrassais, moi, je te laissais
Faire sans arrière-pensée
Mais maintenant, rien n′est plus comme avant
Tu n'as plus l′air d'une enfant
Et je te dédie ma nouvelle mélodie
Que je chante avec mélancolie
Mais si, un soir, tu revenais me voir
Pour apprendre la guitare
J′aurais envie de te garder toute la nuit
Et t'enseigner " les jeux interdits "
Et t'enseigner " les jeux interdits "
Et t′enseigner " les jeux interdits "
The lyrics to Georges Moustaki's song Tu N'As Plus L'Air D'Une Enfant (You No Longer Look Like a Child) describe the changes that the singer has noticed in the person he is addressing. The person has grown up and is no longer the child he used to take to the cinema on Wednesdays. The singer finds himself looking at her differently now that she is fifteen and her body has matured. However, he tries to express his admiration in a way that doesn't betray his discomfort with the situation. The lyrics suggest that their relationship used to be innocent and free of any hidden motives.
The song explores the uncomfortable intersection between adulthood and innocence. The singer is aware that the person he is addressing is no longer a child, and yet he seems conflicted in his admiration for her new-found beauty. His desire to teach her the guitar and "forbidden games" is suggestive of a more complicated relationship than the lyrics let on. The melancholic melody of the song underscores the sense of loss and nostalgia for a time when their relationship was simpler and innocent.
Line by Line Meaning
Et maintenant, rien n′est plus comme avant
Life has changed and nothing is the same.
Tu n’as plus l′air d’une enfant
You no longer have the innocence of a child.
Tu as grandi; Ce n’est plus moi aujourd′hui
You have grown up and I am no longer the person you rely on.
Qui t′emmène au ciné le mercredi
Who takes you to the cinema on Wednesdays.
Je me surprends à regarder autrement
I now look at you in a different way.
Ton joli corps de quinze ans
Your beautiful fifteen-year-old body.
Tu as embelli et quand je te le dis
You have become more beautiful and when I say this to you.
D’un air embarrassé, tu rougis
You blush with embarrassment.
Et pourtant, il n′y a pas si longtemps
Despite this, it wasn't so long ago.
Tu venais me voir très souvent
You used to come to me quite often.
Si je t’embrassais, si je te caressais
If I kissed you, if I touched you.
C′était sans arrière-pensée
It was without intentions.
Mais maintenant, rien n′est plus comme avant
But now, everything has changed.
Tu n′as plus l’air d’une enfant
You are not a child anymore.
Et je te dédie ma nouvelle mélodie
And I dedicate my new melody to you.
Que je chante avec mélancolie
Which I sing with melancholy.
Mais si, un soir, tu revenais me voir
But if you were to come back to me one evening.
Pour apprendre la guitare
To learn how to play guitar.
J′aurais envie de te garder toute la nuit
I would want to keep you with me all night.
Et t’enseigner “les jeux interdits”
And teach you “forbidden games”.
Et t’enseigner “les jeux interdits”
And teach you “forbidden games”.
Et t’enseigner “les jeux interdits”
And teach you “forbidden games”.
Writer(s): Georges Moustaki
Contributed by Elena A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.