Henri Dès (born in 1940 in Renens, Vaud, Switzerland as Henri Destraz) is a… Read Full Bio ↴Henri Dès (born in 1940 in Renens, Vaud, Switzerland as Henri Destraz) is a French language children's singer and songwriter immensely popular in European Francophone countries.

In 1970, he released his first album, Retour. Dès also founded his own record label, Disques Mary-Josée, which he named after his wife.

In 1969 he won the Sopot International Song Festival.

He represented Switzerland in the 1970 Eurovision Song Contest with the song 'Retour'. It was placed fourth. Henri achieved another fourth place, this time in the Swiss national final for Eurovision 1976, with the song 'C'est pour la vie'.

L'escargot
Henri Dès Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

C'est l'escargot qui fait des bulles
Tout au fond de son vestibule
Qui nous laisse sa longue trace grasse

C'est lui qui mange mes salades
Moi qui les trouvais plutôt fades
A sa place j'aurais fait la grimace

C'est l'escargot qui fait les cornes
Celui qu'on appelle Biborne
Qui les rentre vite quand on les touche

Les cornes biborne
Quand on les touche

C'est celui qui porte son building
Un long couloir sans cuisine
Puisqu'il préfère manger dans mon jardin

J'avais des fraises et des framboises
D'immenses salades niçoises
Je les ai partagées en bon chrétien

C'est l'escargot qui fait les cornes
Celui qu'on appelle Biborne
Qui les rentre vite quand on les touche

Les cornes biborne
Quand on les touche

Overall Meaning

These lyrics are from Henri Dès's song "L'escargot," which tells a story about a snail and its impact on the singer's garden and life. The first verse describes how the snail creates bubbles deep inside its shell and leaves behind a slimy trail. This emphasizes the physical characteristics and behavior of the snail.

The second verse reveals that the snail consumes the singer's salads, which were initially bland. The singer contemplates how they would react if they were in the snail's place, expressing a sense of surprise or disappointment. This highlights the irony of the situation, where the snail prefers the singer's food over its natural habitat.

The chorus mentions the snail's horns, referred to as "cornes" in French. The snail is playfully named "Biborne" in the lyrics. It is described as retracting its horns quickly when touched. This conveys a defensive mechanism and suggests the snail's sensitivity to external stimuli.

The third verse portrays the snail as carrying its "building" or shell, which resembles a long corridor without a kitchen. This peculiar description showcases the snail's unique anatomy and its preference for finding food in the singer's garden rather than within its shell. The singer mentions having strawberries, raspberries, and large salads, which they generously share like a good Christian would.

The chorus is repeated in the fourth verse, emphasizing the snail's horns and their quick retraction when touched. This reiteration serves as a reminder or a playful reinforcement of the snail's peculiar behavior.

Overall, the lyrics of "L'escargot" offer a whimsical and light-hearted narrative of a snail's habits and its influence on the singer's daily life, reflecting on the interesting and unexpected interactions we can have with nature.

Line by Line Meaning

C'est l'escargot qui fait des bulles
It is the snail that makes bubbles

Tout au fond de son vestibule
Deep in its vestibule

Qui nous laisse sa longue trace grasse
Leaving us its long slimy trail

C'est lui qui mange mes salades
It is he who eats my salads

Moi qui les trouvais plutôt fades
I who found them rather tasteless

A sa place j'aurais fait la grimace
In his place, I would have made a face

C'est l'escargot qui fait les cornes
It is the snail that makes the horns

Celui qu'on appelle Biborne
The one called Biborne

Qui les rentre vite quand on les touche
Who quickly pulls them in when they are touched

Les cornes biborne
The Biborne horns

Quand on les touche
When they are touched