Allwright traveled to France in the early 1950's and married Catherine Dasté. His son Christophe Allwright, is a French comedian.
In the early '60s, Allwright sang at a number of clubs in Paris, folk music that was very big in the 60s. He wrote his own music, and created the French language versions of many songs by US and Canadian artists like Tom Paxton ("Sacrée Bouteille" "Qu'as tu appris à l'école?"), Leonard Cohen ("Suzanne") and Pete Seeger ("Jusqu' à la ceinture").
His earlier music focused more on social protest songs. As he matured as an artist, his songs became more personal, and his choice in material included more funny songs, songs with a mystical bent ("Garder le Souvenir", "Lumière"), and songs about the complexities of relationships ("No Man's Land"). Some of his songs are in English, but the vast majority are in French.
He has travelled extensively, to the Himalayas, Réunion Island, and Madascar, among other places. He was strongly influenced by the Indian master and teacher Sri Aurobino, which is reflected in the mystical qualities of some of his songs.
In 2005, he wrote new lyrics for the French National Anthem, "La Marseillaise".
A Sinner Repents
Graeme Allwright Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(Le Mauvais Sujet Repenti) (Andrew Kelly)
Her tiny waist was just a treat,
Her bottom neat,
She picked up clients at the corner
Of her street;
But her: Sweety, how about it
Removed all doubt, she was an
Absolute beginner.
She had the inborn gift, you know,
'Twas not mere show.
Without technique no gift has very
Far to go.
Being on call is different from
A nun's vocation,
As you can learn from any bishop's
Dissertation.
My heart was moved, I helped this maid
Abashed, afraid,
I taught her all the little secrets
Of her trade
I showed her how she'd strike it richer
Very soon,
And how to use that shapely part
Round as the moon.
Of all the tricks in her delayed
Apprenticeship,
The fundamental one was mastery
Of the hips;
The little wiggle is not uniformly
Fervent,
To pick up ironmongers, vicars, civil
Servants.
Those subtle lessons she learned fast,
The clever lass.
Her profits grew and half of them
To me she'd pass
We racked it in just like a Tax
Collector's hoard;
She did the work, I was the Chairman
Of the Board.
When it befell her (on reflection
It is vexing)
To be the victim of an intimate
Infection,
Honest, scrupulous and caring,
Philanthropic,
She passed me on my share of germs so
Microscopic.
At the clinic it was killing...
Penicillin,
So I gave up the rotten job, just
Wasn't willing.
She sobbed, she cried, she wept, she bawled, but
All in vain
I quit the devil's wage of sin for
My good name.
Without protector, without roots, and
Sore of foot,
She took to working in a house of
Ill-repute.
Her clients are policeman now. What
Infidelity!
She's forgotten all she learned about
Morality.
"A Sinner Repents" is a song by Graeme Allwright, translated from the original French version "Le Mauvais Sujet Repenti" by Andrew Kelly. The song tells the story of a young woman who worked as a prostitute and was taken under the wing of the singer. He taught her the tricks of the trade, and her profits grew, with half of them going to him. However, when she contracted an intimate infection and passed it on to him, he gave up the job and left her behind. She continued to work as a prostitute but without his guidance, and her clients now include police officers. The song suggests that she has forgotten all she learned about morality, and the singer reflects on his past life with regret.
The lyrics of the song are full of imagery and metaphors. The singer describes the young woman's "tiny waist" and "bottom neat" as "a treat," but this is quickly followed by the revelation that she is an "absolute beginner," implying her innocence and inexperience. He also speaks of her "shapely part / Round as the moon," a clear reference to her buttocks. The lyrics use these sensual images to create a vivid picture of the woman and her trade.
At the same time, the song is also a commentary on the morality of prostitution. The singer recognizes that being a prostitute is not a nun's vocation and is different from other types of work. He acknowledges the woman's gift and technique but also acknowledges that it is a profession that requires a certain level of skill and cunning. The song also suggests that prostitution is a corrupting influence, with the young woman forgetting what she had learned about morality once the singer leaves her.
Line by Line Meaning
Her tiny waist was just a treat,
Her appearance was pleasing to the eye, particularly her thin waist.
Her bottom neat,
Her posterior was shapely and well-kept.
She picked up clients at the corner Of her street;
She worked as a prostitute on the street corner.
But her: Sweety, how about it Before dinner,
She would proposition potential clients before they had dinner.
Removed all doubt, she was an Absolute beginner.
She was new to the business and inexperienced.
She had the inborn gift, you know, 'Twas not mere show.
She had a natural talent for the profession, not just a façade.
Without technique no gift has very Far to go.
Without knowledge or training, natural ability has a limited impact.
Being on call is different from A nun's vocation,
Being a prostitute is different than being a nun and serving the church.
As you can learn from any bishop's Dissertation.
This is a statement of irony, highlighting that a bishop would have no firsthand knowledge of prostitution.
My heart was moved, I helped this maid Abashed, afraid,
The artist came to the aid of the young, frightened prostitute.
I taught her all the little secrets Of her trade
The singer educated the prostitute on the tricks of the trade.
I showed her how she'd strike it richer Very soon,
He educated her on how to increase her earnings in the profession, quickly.
And how to use that shapely part Round as the moon.
He educated her on how to use her posterior to appeal to clients.
Of all the tricks in her delayed Apprenticeship,
She had a lot to learn due to her lack of experience.
The fundamental one was mastery Of the hips;
The secret to success in prostitution was the ability to wiggle her hips effectively.
The little wiggle is not uniformly Fervent,
The technique was nuanced, not uniform.
To pick up ironmongers, vicars, civil Servants.
The technique was used to attract men of all professions.
Those subtle lessons she learned fast, The clever lass.
She was a quick learner and absorbed the lessons well.
Her profits grew and half of them To me she'd pass
Her earnings increased, and she cut the singer in on the profits as his cut.
We racked it in just like a Tax Collector's hoard;
They earned a lot of money like a tax collector.
She did the work, I was the Chairman Of the Board.
He was more of a manager or advisor in the business.
When it befell her (on reflection It is vexing)
When she contracted an STI.
To be the victim of an intimate Infection,
She contracted an STI from one of her clients.
Honest, scrupulous and caring, Philanthropic,
He passed the infection to others despite knowing the risks.
She passed me on my share of germs so Microscopic.
He got infected with the STI from her.
At the clinic it was killing...Penicillin,
The STI was treatable with penicillin, but it was a painful experience.
So I gave up the rotten job, just Wasn't willing.
He decided to leave the business as it was no longer worth it.
She sobbed, she cried, she wept, she bawled, but All in vain
She was upset by his decision but was unable to persuade him to stay.
I quit the devil's wage of sin for My good name.
He left the business to protect his reputation.
Without protector, without roots, and Sore of foot,
Without anyone to protect or support her, and with pain in her feet.
She took to working in a house of Ill-repute.
She moved to a brothel or other establishment for continued work.
Her clients are policeman now. What Infidelity!
She now attracts clients, specifically the police, who are supposed to uphold morality and the law.
She's forgotten all she learned about Morality.
She no longer cares about ethical behavior.
Writer(s): GEORGES CHARLES BRASSENS, EUGENE-LOUIS-HENRI. METEHEN, ANDREW KELLY
Contributed by Caleb A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.