Jean-Jacques Goldman is a French singer-songwriter who started his career singing as a back up singer before starting in a rock band Taï Phong before starting his solo career. A number of years later he founded the trio Fredericks - Goldman - Jones, with the British Michael Jones and American Carole Fredericks.
Extremely popular in French-speaking countries, he is a well-known songwriter, composing a number of albums for Céline Dion. He has also collaborated with Johnny Hallyday, Patricia Kaas, Garou, Marc Lavoine, Khaled (Aïcha), Lorie and Florent Pagny
He is also well known in France for getting involved in the homeless charity "Les Restos du Coeur" for which he wrote the main anthem.
La pluie
Jean-Jacques Goldman Lyrics
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La pluie
Entre les gouttes se glisser
Deux, trois nuages et l'on
Court à l'abri
On n'aime pas trop se mouiller
On se dit qu'ailleurs
Le soleil est brûlant
Même en plein hiver
On rêve d'Orient,
De cap au sud
De sable et de mer
Et l'on attend sous des portes
Cochères
Ou transi sous un parapluie
On met des chapeaux, des gants,
Des impers
On se cache, on se rétrécit
Faudrait pas s'éloigner,
Rester dans son coin
Une averse et l'on risque
D'être surpris
Pas de jolie vie,
De joli chemin
Si l'on craint la pluie
On prie le ciel
Et les grenouilles
Et l'hirondelle
Que le temps tourne
Comme tourne la chance
Dieu que tout baigne
Quand il y a du soleil
Mais voilà,
Le mauvais temps ça
Recommence
Mais
Dans les vies sèches
L'eau se venge aussi:
Y a des ouragans,
Des moussons,
Des déserts.
Autant apprendre
A marcher
Sous la pluie
Le visage
Offert
The lyrics of La pluie by Jean-Jacques Goldman talk about the rain which is often seen as an unwanted occurrence by people. People always strive to avoid it and find shelter as soon as possible. They do not like to get wet, and this inconvenience makes them dream of other places where the sun shines all year round, like the Orient or the south of France. People find themselves waiting under gateways or hiding under umbrellas when the rain starts, and they dress up with hats, gloves, and raincoats to avoid getting wet. However, the song suggests that if we always avoid the rain, we will never enjoy the beautiful things that it brings, as there can be no beautiful life or way if we always fear and avoid the rain.
The lyrics go on to say that while it is natural to pray for good weather and the absence of rain, sometimes we need to accept the bad weather that comes our way. Life is unpredictable, and sometimes the rain is necessary, as everything needs to balance out. In dry places, rain is an essential lifeline for the environment, a vengeful force, and a reminder of the beauty and necessity of balance in nature. Therefore, the song's message is to accept the rain as an essential part of our lives, and we should try to learn to embrace it, even as we keep our faces open to its natural force.
Line by Line Meaning
On voudrait savoir éviter
We wish to know how to avoid
La pluie
The rain
Entre les gouttes se glisser
To slip between the raindrops
Deux, trois nuages et l'on
Two, three clouds and we
Court à l'abri
Run for shelter
On n'aime pas trop se mouiller
We don't like getting too wet
On se dit qu'ailleurs
We tell ourselves that elsewhere
Sous d'autres latitudes
Under different latitudes
Le soleil est brûlant
The sun is scorching
Même en plein hiver
Even in the dead of winter
On rêve d'Orient,
We dream of the Orient
De cap au sud
Of heading South
De sable et de mer
Of sand and sea
Et l'on attend sous des portes
And we wait under doorways
Cochères
Or arches
Ou transi sous un parapluie
Or frozen under an umbrella
On met des chapeaux, des gants,
We put on hats, gloves,
Des impers
Raincoats
On se cache, on se rétrécit
We hide, we shrink
Faudrait pas s'éloigner,
We shouldn't stray,
Rester dans son coin
Stay in our corner
Une averse et l'on risque
A downpour and we risk
D'être surpris
Being caught off guard
Pas de jolie vie,
No pretty life,
De joli chemin
No beautiful path
Si l'on craint la pluie
If we fear the rain
On prie le ciel
We pray to the sky
Et les grenouilles
And the frogs
Et l'hirondelle
And the swallow
Que le temps tourne
For the weather to change
Comme tourne la chance
Like the luck turns
Dieu que tout baigne
God, everything's perfect
Quand il y a du soleil
When there's sunshine
Mais voilà,
But here's the thing,
Le mauvais temps ça
Bad weather
Recommence
Begins again
Mais
But
Dans les vies sèches
In the dry lives
L'eau se venge aussi:
Water takes revenge too:
Y a des ouragans,
There are hurricanes,
Des moussons,
Monsoons,
Des déserts.
Deserts.
Autant apprendre
Might as well learn
A marcher
To walk
Sous la pluie
In the rain
Le visage
With our faces
Offert
Offered.
Contributed by Zachary N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.