Henri Salvador (born July 18, 1917, Cayenne, French Guiana, died February 1… Read Full Bio ↴Henri Salvador (born July 18, 1917, Cayenne, French Guiana, died February 13, 2008, Paris) was a French singer. His father, Clovis, and his mother, Antonine Paterne, daughter of an native Indian from the Caribbean, were both from Guadeloupe.

Salvador recorded several songs written with Boris Vian with Quincy Jones as arranger.

In the 60's Salvador was the television host of several popular TV variety shows on French TV.

Henri Salvador and his song "Dans mon île" (1957) is said to have unwittingly inspired bossa nova in Brazil, as Carlos Tom Jobim would have exclaimed on hearing the song "This is what you have to do! Slow down the tempo of samba, add a good melody and top it with beautiful chords!"
Caetano Veloso, a renowned brasilian composer and singer, made a direct reference at Salvador in his song "Reconvexo" : "quem não sentiu o swing de Heri Salvador ?" (who hasn't felt the swing of Henri Salvador ?)

In (1964) Henri Salvador scored a popular French hit with "Zorro est arrivé" (which was inspired by the English song "Along Came Jones"). His song "Mais non, mais non" (1969) inspired Jim Henson' song Mahna Mahna. These kind of comedy songs made him well known in France. He is also famous for his good nature and rich, catchy laugh, which is a standalone feature in many of his humoristic songs.

He has a brother, André, and a sister Alice. He became a musician and comedian. Later he uncovered new French talents Keren Ann and Art Mengo.

Vagabond
Henri Salvador Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Je suis neacute sous un ciel de traicirc ne
Entre Hambourg et Cuba
Depuis je me promegravene
Sur mon nuage agrave moi
La grave ougrave le vent me me grave ne
J'ai entendu tant de sire grave nes chanter ici et la grave
Que j'ai eu de la peine
A filer toujours droit

Que j'ai eu de la peine

Tous les vagabonds vagabondent
Et croisent un jour leur chance
La terre n'est pas si ronde
Tous les vagabonds vagabondent
Abondent dans mon sens
Sur la mecircme d'ondes

Je me suis mis en quarantaine
Deacute j'agrave au moins deux fois
Loin des soir eacutees mondaines
Qui filent agrave la coda
Pour jouer les mecircmes rengaines
Les chansons les plus boheacute miennes
Obeacuteissent agrave ma voix

Quand je caresse l'eacute begravene
De mon vieux piano droit
Qui veut quitter la scegravene
Tous les vagabonds vagabondent
Et croisent un jour leur chance
La terre n'est pas si ronde
Tous les vagabonds vagabondent
Abondent dans mon sens
Sur la mecircme d'ondes

Je suis neacute sous un ciel de traicircne
Le jour pointait pour moi
Et l'eacute t'eacute, quelle veine

M'a appris ce jour-lagrave
A filer agrave, l'indienne

Overall Meaning

The song "Vagabond" by Henri Salvador is about a person who feels like a wanderer or a vagabond. In the first verse, he says that he was born between Hamburg and Cuba and has been wandering around on his own cloud ever since. He has heard many sirens sing and felt the need to keep going straight, but it was difficult. In the chorus, he says that all vagabonds wander and eventually cross their paths, and they abound on the same wavelength.

In the second verse, the person has decided to put himself in quarantine from the worldly parties that play the same old songs. He can make his Bohemian songs obey his voice when he plays his old upright piano, and he feels like he's expressing himself in the truest way possible. In the chorus, he repeats that all vagabonds wander and eventually cross their paths, and they abound on the same wavelength.

The central theme of the song is wandering, both literally and metaphorically. Salvador uses the image of vagabonds to represent the idea of following one's own path and eventually finding their way. The song has a sense of hopefulness throughout, as though the person is looking forward to what the future holds for them.

Line by Line Meaning

Je suis neacute sous un ciel de traicirc ne
I was born under the sky of deceitful clouds

Entre Hambourg et Cuba
Between Hamburg and Cuba

Depuis je me promegravene
Since then, I wander

Sur mon nuage agrave moi
On my own cloud

La grave ougrave le vent me me grave ne
Where the wind takes me

J'ai entendu tant de sire grave nes chanter ici et la grave
I have heard so many mermaids singing here and there

Que j'ai eu de la peine
That I had a hard time

A filer toujours droit
To keep going straight

Tous les vagabonds vagabondent
All vagabonds wander

Et croisent un jour leur chance
And one day, they come across their chance

La terre n'est pas si ronde
The earth is not so round