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".
Petites Boites "Little Boxes"
Graeme Allwright Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Petites boîtes faites en ticky-tacky
Petites boîtes, petites boîtes
Petites boîtes toutes pareilles
Y a des rouges, des violettes
Et des vertes très coquettes
Elles sont toutes faites en ticky-tacky
Elles sont toutes toutes pareilles
Et ces gens-là dans leurs boîtes
Vont tous à l'université
On les met tous dans des boîtes
Petites boîtes toutes pareilles
Y a des médecins, des dentistes
Des hommes d'affaires et des avocats
Ils sont tous tous faits de ticky-tacky
Ils sont tous tous tous pareils
Et ils boivent sec des martinis
Jouent au golf toute l'après-midi
Puis ils font des jolis enfants
Qui vont tous tous à l'école
Ces enfants partent en vacances
Puis s'en vont à l'université
On les met tous dans des boîtes
Et ils sortent tous pareils
Les garçons font du commerce
Et deviennent pères de famille
Ils bâtissent des nouvelles boîtes
Petites boîtes toutes pareilles
Puis ils règlent toutes leurs affaires
Et s'en vont dans des cimetières
Dans des boîtes faites en ticky-tacky
Qui sont toutes toutes pareilles.
In the song "Petites Boites," Graeme Allwright critiques the conformity and uniformity he sees in American society. The "petites boîtes" or "little boxes" he describes are small, identical, ticky-tacky houses that people live in. These boxes represent a sameness, lacking in any individuality. According to Allwright, even the people who live in these boxes are all the same - they are all doctors, dentists, businessmen, and lawyers who drink martinis, play golf and send their children to prestigious universities, further conditioning them to fit into societal norms.
Allwright points out that this sameness extends to the next generation, with the children of these conformists going to university and following the same professions as their parents. They too live in similar boxes and raise similar children. The song concludes with a bleak picture of the life cycle of these people. They build new boxes, settle all their affairs, and eventually die, ending up in identical graves, forever entombed in a life of sameness.
Allwright's lyrics have become a timeless symbol of the emptiness of conformist suburban life. The song has been covered numerous times by artists such as Pete Seeger and Malvina Reynolds. Interestingly, Reynolds wrote the original song in English and Allwright translated it to French, giving it new life and meaning.
Line by Line Meaning
Petites belles très étroites
Small and beautiful but very narrow boxes
Petites boîtes faites en ticky-tacky
Small boxes made of cheap and low-quality material
Petites boîtes, petites boîtes
Small boxes, small boxes
Petites boîtes toutes pareilles
All small boxes are the same
Y a des rouges, des violettes
There are red ones and purple ones
Et des vertes très coquettes
And some very charming green ones
Elles sont toutes faites en ticky-tacky
They are all made of cheap and low-quality material
Elles sont toutes toutes pareilles
They are all the same
Et ces gens-là dans leurs boîtes
And those people in their boxes
Vont tous à l'université
All go to university
On les met tous dans des boîtes
They are all put in boxes
Petites boîtes toutes pareilles
All small boxes are the same
Y a des médecins, des dentistes
There are doctors and dentists
Des hommes d'affaires et des avocats
Businessmen and lawyers
Ils sont tous tous faits de ticky-tacky
They are all made of cheap and low-quality material
Ils sont tous tous tous pareils
They are all the same
Et ils boivent sec des martinis
And they drink dry martinis
Jouent au golf toute l'après-midi
They play golf all afternoon
Puis ils font des jolis enfants
Then they have beautiful children
Qui vont tous tous à l'école
Who all go to school
Ces enfants partent en vacances
These children go on vacation
Puis s'en vont à l'université
Then they go to university
On les met tous dans des boîtes
They are all put in boxes
Et ils sortent tous pareils
And they all come out the same
Les garçons font du commerce
Boys go into business
Et deviennent pères de famille
And become fathers
Ils bâtissent des nouvelles boîtes
They build new boxes
Petites boîtes toutes pareilles
All small boxes are the same
Puis ils règlent toutes leurs affaires
Then they settle all their affairs
Et s'en vont dans des cimetières
And they go to cemeteries
Dans des boîtes faites en ticky-tacky
In boxes made of cheap and low-quality material
Qui sont toutes toutes pareilles.
Which are all the same.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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