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.
Un jupon d'italie
Georges Moustaki Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Une fille jolie
Qui marche nonchalante
Qui sourie et qui chante
Un jupon qui s'envole
Qui tourne en farandole
Qui m'entraîne au passage
Qui m'emmène en voyage
Et je vois les collines
Les jardins les églises
De Rome et de Venise
Un jupon d'Italie
Aux couleurs de la vie
Qui glisse sur tes hanches
Comme une voile blanche
Un jupon qui se froisse
Lorsque mes bras l'enlacent
Une bouche hésitante
Mais déjà consentante
Nous allons nous étendre
Sur un lit d'herbe tendre
Et je lui dit je t'aime
Ti voglio tanto bene
Ce jupon d'Italie
N'est qu'une rêverie
Une dentelle fine
Que seul le vent anime
J'y ai vu des mirages
Une fille, un voyage
Un amour de vacances
Ça n'a pas d'importance
Un jupon d'Italie
Une fille jolie
The song "Un jupon d'Italie" by Georges Moustaki is a romantic portrayal of a youthful holiday romance in Italy. The lyrics depict an idyllic scene of a beautiful Italian girl wearing a skirt that flows and bounces as she walks. The singer is enraptured by the girl's beauty and carefree demeanor, as well as the romantic imagery of Italy that he visualizes as she dances and sings.
Throughout the song, the singer's focus is drawn toward the swirling skirt that captivates him and whisks him away in his imagination to the hills, gardens, and churches of Rome and Venice. The skirt, as a metaphor for the girl, is described as colorful, light, and floating, symbolizing the excitement and fleeting nature of the romance that is being portrayed.
The chorus of the song speaks to the singer's desire to be with the girl, to feel the skirt brushing against him, and to make love to her, promising to tell her that he loves her. The song is an ode to the beauty of Italy, the wonder of a summer romance, and the fleeting nature of love.
Line by Line Meaning
Un jupon d'Italie
A skirt from Italy
Une fille jolie
A pretty girl
Qui marche nonchalante
Walking casually
Qui sourie et qui chante
Smiling and singing
Un jupon qui s'envole
A skirt that flies
Qui tourne en farandole
Spinning in a dance
Qui m'entraîne au passage
Dragging me along
Qui m'emmène en voyage
Taking me on a journey
J'entends les mandolines
I hear the mandolins
Et je vois les collines
And I see the hills
Les jardins les églises
The gardens and churches
De Rome et de Venise
Of Rome and Venice
Un jupon d'Italie
A skirt from Italy
Aux couleurs de la vie
In vibrant colors of life
Qui glisse sur tes hanches
Sliding over your hips
Comme une voile blanche
Like a white sail
Un jupon qui se froisse
A skirt that crumples
Lorsque mes bras l'enlacent
When my arms surround it
Une bouche hésitante
A hesitant mouth
Mais déjà consentante
But already consenting
Nous allons nous étendre
We are going to lie down
Sur un lit d'herbe tendre
On a soft grass bed
Et je lui dit je t'aime
And I tell her I love her
Ti voglio tanto bene
I care about you a lot
Ce jupon d'Italie
This skirt from Italy
N'est qu'une rêverie
Is just a dream
Une dentelle fine
A delicate lace
Que seul le vent anime
That only the wind moves
J'y ai vu des mirages
I saw mirages there
Une fille, un voyage
A girl, a journey
Un amour de vacances
A holiday romance
Ça n'a pas d'importance
It does not matter
Writer(s): G. Moustaki
Contributed by William S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Maria Tereza Huber
Muito linda!!!!!!!
mzerrelly
Une de mes préférées !
musicadicuore
So... Italian this song, full of passion and melancholy mixed together. Thanks a lot for sharing it, Joe! Melania
PS109VanBurenHigh
"Coucou" Melania. Excuse me for not replying sooner. Thank you for this beautiful comment.
musicadicuore
PS109VanBurenHigh
No problem, Joe. It happens to me, too... Have a nice weekend! Melania
Dieter Hladik
Le plus joli rêve erotiqie- fantastique- non- réaliste Du français.
Wellenergie
no, never.
Bonjour Vietnam
he death today ;-(...