A poet deeply rooted in his native Quebec, Vigneault has become an icon at home and Quebec ambassador abroad. He was one of the principal figures of the generation of chansonniers who helped the Quebec chanson find its own identity, even while helping it find a universal dimension.
Born in Natashquan, on the far north shore of the St. Lawrence River in Quebec, he was educated in Rimouski and Quebec City.
Vigneault started writing poetry during his studies at the Seminary in Rimouski, and by the 1950s was publishing poems and writing songs. In 1959 he founded a publishing house, Les Éditions de l'Arc to distribute his publications. His first collection, Étraves was published in 1959.
In August 1960, at the request of the audience at the boîte à chansons L'Arlequin in Quebec City, he agreed to sing his earliest song: Jos Monferrand, written in 1957, which had been recorded by Jacques Labrecque in 1959. This was the beginning of his singing career which culminated in 1962, when he received the Grand prix du disque from Montreal radio station CKAC. His reputation grew in Quebec and elsewhere with the success of his song Mon Pays, from the sound track of the NFB film La neige a fondu sur la Manicouagan (1965).
In the last half of the 1960s, Vigneault started to perform outside of Quebec, notably in France, but also elsewhere in Canada, including appearances at the Mariposa Folk Festival and at Massey Hall, in Toronto.
The mid-1970s saw Vigneault's participation in several major events. On August 13, 1974 130,000 spectators came together on the Plains of Abraham for the Superfrancofête, where Vigneault participated in an historic concert alongside Félix Leclerc, a representative, in a way, of the older generation, and Robert Charlebois, of the younger generation. A highpoint of the concert was the threesome's rendition of Raymond Lévesque's powerful Quand les hommes vivront d'amour.
On June 24, 1975, during a Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day concert on Montreal's Mount Royal, Vigneault sang for the first time Gens du pays, a song which has since become a sort of anthem in Quebec.
In 1976, the Ensemble Claude Gervaise recorded an album of Vigneault's music entitled Tout l'monde est malheureux: "Claude Gervaise" Joue Vigneault.
An ardent Quebec nationalist, Vigneault was disappointed by the results of the 1980 Quebec referendum. During the 1980s he lived in France for a short time.
Il me reste un pays
Gilles Vigneault Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Il me reste un pays à nommer
Il est au tréfonds de toi
N’a ni président ni roi
Il ressemble au pays même
Que je cherche au coeur de moi
Voilà le pays que j’aime
Il me reste un pays à prédire
Il me reste un pays à semer
Vaste et beau comme la mer
Avant d’être découvert
Puis ne tient pas plus de place
Qu’un brin d’herbe sous l’hiver
Voilà mon jeu et ma chasse
Il te reste un pays à connaître
Il te reste un pays à donner
C’est un pont que je construis
De ma nuit jusqu’à ta nuit
Pour traverser la rivière
Froide, obscure, de l’ennui
Voilà le pays à faire
Il me reste un nuage à poursuivre
Il me reste une vague à dompter
Homme, un jour tu sonneras
Cloches de ce pays-là
Sonnez, femmes, joies et cuivres
C’est notre premier repas
Voilà le pays à vivre
Il nous reste un pays à surprendre
Il nous reste un pays à manger
Tous ces pays rassemblés
Feront l’homme champ de blé
Chacun sème sa seconde
Sous l’amour qu’il faut peler
Voilà le pays du monde
Il nous reste un pays à comprendre
Il nous reste un pays à changer
The opening lines of Gilles Vigneault's song "Il me reste un pays" serves as a declaration that the singer has one more country to talk about, one he's ready to name. This country is deep within him and doesn't have a president or a king. The country is reminiscent of the singer's own heart, which he's been trying to understand better. The subsequent lines emphasize that this is the country he loves, one he has yet to predict, but one he wishes to plant the seed for. It is vast and beautiful like the sea, but until it is discovered, it has no space, just like a blade of grass under the winter.
The song's lyrics express the desire to share this country with everyone to cross the river of sadness, a bridge that the singer builds between his and someone else's night. This country is for everyone, and its bells will ring one day. It's a place where people will come together and celebrate, where they can pursue a cloud and conquer a wave, where they can come and satisfy their hunger. These countries join together, creating a breeding field for love, where each of us plants our passion.
"Il me reste un pays" can be interpreted in multiple ways, and it can relate to everyone's experience differently. The song's universal theme of finding one's 'own country' and sharing it with the world has a powerful feature that resonates with the listeners.
Line by Line Meaning
Il me reste un pays à te dire
I have a land to tell you about
Il me reste un pays à nommer
I have a land to name
Il est au tréfonds de toi
It lies deep within you
N’a ni président ni roi
It has neither a president nor a king
Il ressemble au pays même
It resembles the very country
Que je cherche au cœur de moi
That I seek within my heart
Voilà le pays que j’aime
This is the country I love
Il me reste un pays à prédire
I have a land to predict
Il me reste un pays à semer
I have a land to sow
Vaste et beau comme la mer
Vast and beautiful like the sea
Avant d’être découvert
Before it was discovered
Puis ne tient pas plus de place
And then it does not occupy more space
Qu’un brin d’herbe sous l’hiver
Than a blade of grass under the winter
Voilà mon jeu et ma chasse
This is my pursuit and my game
Il te reste un pays à connaître
You have a land to discover
Il te reste un pays à donner
You have a land to give
C’est un pont que je construis
I am building a bridge
De ma nuit jusqu’à ta nuit
From my night to yours
Pour traverser la rivière
To cross the cold and dark river
Froide, obscure, de l’ennui
Of boredom, cold and darkness
Voilà le pays à faire
This is the land to make
Il me reste un nuage à poursuivre
I have a cloud to chase
Il me reste une vague à dompter
I have a wave to tame
Homme, un jour tu sonneras
Man, one day you will ring
Cloches de ce pays-là
The bells of that country
Sonnez, femmes, joies et cuivres
Ring, women, joys and brasses
C’est notre premier repas
This is our first feast
Voilà le pays à vivre
This is the land to live
Il nous reste un pays à surprendre
We have a land to surprise
Il nous reste un pays à manger
We have a land to eat
Tous ces pays rassemblés
All these lands brought together
Feront l’homme champ de blé
Will make man a field of wheat
Chacun sème sa seconde
Each one sows his own second
Sous l’amour qu’il faut peler
Under the love that needs to be peeled
Voilà le pays du monde
This is the land of the world
Il nous reste un pays à comprendre
We have a land to understand
Il nous reste un pays à changer
We have a land to change
Lyrics © Évangeline/APEM
Written by: Gaston Rochon, Gilles Vigneault
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind