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.
Why
Georges Moustaki Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Le smoking de travers
Je te suis pas dans cette galère
Ta vie tu peux pas la refaire
Tu cherches des morceaux d'hier pépères
Dans des gravats d'avant guerre
Le Casino c'est qu'un tas de pierres
Ta vie tu peux pas la refaire
Branche un peu tes écouteurs par ici
La mer est déjà repartie
Le vieux casino démoli, c'est fini
Pépère t'aurais pas comme un' vieille nostalgie
De gui li gui li Bugatti
Des oh! la la la des soirées de gala Riviera
Y a de la rumba dans l'air
Le smoking de travers
Je te suis pas dans cette galère
Ta vie tu peux pas la refaire
Tu cherches des morceaux d'hier pépères
Dans des gravats d'avant guerre
Le Casino c'est qu'un tas de pierres
Ta vie tu peux pas la refaire
Fermés les yeux des grandes filles bleu marines
Toutes alanguies pour nuits de Chine
Sur banquette de moleskine des Limousines
Écoutez l'histoire entre Trouville et Dinard
D'un long baiser fini, c'est trop tard
Les mains sur le satin caresse du petit matin {Chagrin}
Y a de la rumba dans l'air
Le smoking de travers
Je te suis pas dans cette galère
Ta vie tu peux pas la refaire
Tu cherches des morceaux d'hier pépères
Dans des gravats d'avant guerre
Le Casino c'est qu'un tas de pierres
Ta vie tu peux pas la refaire
In "Why," Georges Moustaki expresses a sense of detachment from the past and the futility of trying to relive it. The song opens with a description of a party where people are dancing to rumba music, but the singer doesn't feel part of it. He criticizes those who are searching for bits of the past that they can hold onto, symbolized by the demolished casino that he says is just a pile of stones. He emphasizes that one can't redo their life and encourages the listener to open their ears to the present moment. He wonders if perhaps there's a sense of nostalgia that's pulling people back to the past, citing luxurious cars, gala evenings, and romantic stories.
The second stanza has a more melancholic tone, describing how some women are still hopeful for love even though their youth is fading away. The singer shares a story about a couple who had a long kiss in Trouville, but it's now too late; the moment is gone, and all that remains is a feeling of regret. Throughout "Why," Moustaki's lyrics evoke a sense of being lost in time, of holding onto memories that are slipping away.
Line by Line Meaning
Y a de la rumba dans l'air
There's a lively, upbeat mood in the atmosphere
Le smoking de travers
Your tuxedo is askew, indicating that things are not going smoothly
Je te suis pas dans cette galère
I can't follow you into this mess, it's too chaotic and unpredictable
Ta vie tu peux pas la refaire
You can't redo your life, you have to accept the choices you've made
Tu cherches des morceaux d'hier pépères
You're seeking comfort in pieces of the past, hoping for a tranquil escape
Dans des gravats d'avant guerre
Among the rubble of pre-war ruins
Le Casino c'est qu'un tas de pierres
The casino is just a pile of stones, a symbol of a fleeting past
Branche un peu tes écouteurs par ici
Plug in your headphones and listen closely to this
La mer est déjà repartie
The sea has already departed, as time never stops moving forward
Le vieux casino démoli, c'est fini
The old casino has been demolished, it's over now
Pépère t'aurais pas comme un' vieille nostalgie
Don't you have a feeling of old nostalgia, perhaps missing the good old days?
De gui li gui li Bugatti
A reference to the Bugatti car, a symbol of luxury and sophistication
Des oh! la la la des soirées de gala Riviera
Oh! la la la, the extravagant gala evenings of the French Riviera
Fermés les yeux des grandes filles bleu marines
The navy blue eyes of the elegant young ladies are closed, perhaps to forget the present and escape to the past
Toutes alanguies pour nuits de Chine
Lying there, languid, dreaming of exotic nights in faraway China
Sur banquette de moleskine des Limousines
Sitting on the moleskin benches of luxurious Limousines
Écoutez l'histoire entre Trouville et Dinard
Listen to the story that took place between the towns of Trouville and Dinard
D'un long baiser fini, c'est trop tard
Of a long, finished kiss, it's too late to relive the passion
Les mains sur le satin caresse du petit matin {Chagrin}
Feeling the caress of satin in the early morning, but experiencing sadness instead of joy
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ALAIN SOUCHON, LAURENT VOULZY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@djayemdeemusic3998
Cruelle actualite!!!
@dannyjuriens2193
Danny
@salaibalam8601
why you dont put the lyrics!!!
O___O i need it xD