La maîtresse d'école
Jean Bertola Lyrics
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La maîtresse avait des méthodes avancées
Comme il fut doux le temps, bien éphémère, hélas
Où cette bonne fée régna sur notre classe
Régna sur notre classe
Avant elle, nous étions tous des paresseux
Des lève-nez, des cancres, des crétins crasseux
Les marchands de bonnets d'âne étaient sur les genoux
Étaient sur les genoux
La maîtresse avait des méthodes avancées
Au premier de la classe elle promit un baiser
Un baiser pour de bon, un baiser libertin
Un baiser sur la bouche, enfin bref, un patin
Enfin bref, un patin
Aux pupitres alors, quelque chose changea
L'école buissonnière eut plus jamais un chat
Et les pauvres marchands de bonnets d'âne, crac
Connurent tout à coup la faillite, le krach
La faillite, le krach
Lorsque le proviseur, à la fin de l'année
Nous lut les résultats, il fut bien étonné
La maîtresse, elle, rougit comme un coquelicot
Car nous étions tous prix d'excellence ex-æquo
D'excellence ex-æquo
A la recréation, la bonne fée se mit
En devoir de tenir ce qu'elle avait promis
Et comme elle embrassa quarante lauréats
Jusqu'à une heure indue la séance dura
La séance dura
Ce système bien sûr ne fut jamais admis
Par l'imbécile alors recteur d'académie
De l'école, en dépit de son beau palmarès
On chassa pour toujours notre chère maîtresse
Notre chère maîtresse
La cancre fit alors sa réapparition
Le fort en thème est redevenu l'exception
A la fin de l'année suivante, quel fiasco
Nous étions tous derniers de la classe ex-æquo
De la classe ex-æquo
A l'école où nous avons appris l'A B C
La maîtresse avait des méthodes avancées
Comme il fut doux le temps bien éphémère, hélas
Où cette bonne fée régna sur notre classe
Régna sur notre classe
The lyrics of Jean Bertola's song "La maîtresse d'école" reflect on the influence and impact of a beloved teacher on the students. The song reminisces about a time when the teacher had advanced methods of teaching, creating a pleasant and fleeting period in the classroom. The lyrics suggest that under her guidance, the students' laziness and ignorance transformed into diligence and excellence.
Before the arrival of this teacher, the students were described as lazy, unmotivated, and unintelligent. They only worked for themselves, paying no attention to their studies. This changed drastically when the teacher introduced her advanced teaching methods. The mention of "marchands de bonnets d'âne" (merchants of dunce caps) on their knees indicates that they also suffered economically due to the decline in students' failure.
One of the impactful methods used by the teacher was promising a kiss to the top student in the class. This promise stirred up excitement and motivation among the students, having the potential to transform their academic performance. The mention of a passionate kiss, referred to as "un patin," adds a touch of playful humor to the lyrics.
The effects of the teacher's techniques reached beyond the students' academic performance. The school truancy drastically reduced, and the market for dunce caps collapsed suddenly. However, the song does not explicitly explain how these changes occurred, leaving the listener to imagine the influence the teacher had on her students' lives.
Towards the end of the school year, when the results were announced, both the principal and the teacher were surprised at the outstanding performance of all the students. The teacher blushed, indicating her own satisfaction and pride in her students' achievements. This suggests that all the students received the same level of excellence, with no one lagging behind.
In the moments of recess or break time, the teacher fulfilled her promise to kiss the top forty achievers. The session lasted longer than expected, and it suggests that the students were enjoying the rewards of their hard work in a joyful and memorable manner.
Unfortunately, despite the success and accomplishments of the students under this teacher's guidance, the ignorant academic authorities did not appreciate her methods. The recteur d'académie, who is called an "imbécile" (idiot), expelled the beloved teacher from the school forever, disregarding her impressive track record. This decision emphasizes the discrepancy between recognizing true teaching quality and adhering to conventional standards.
As a result, the lowest performing students returned to their previous state of nonchalant attitude towards education. The "cancre" (laziest student) made a comeback, and the bright students became the exception rather than the norm. The following school year turned out to be a massive failure for all the students, with everyone achieving the same low ranks.
In conclusion, "La maîtresse d'école" by Jean Bertola celebrates the positive influence of a teacher who employed advanced teaching methods. The lyrics evoke nostalgia for the fleeting time when the teacher's impact transformed lazy, unmotivated students into driven and successful individuals. The song emphasizes the importance of unconventional methods and the potential limitations and failures of rigid educational systems.
Line by Line Meaning
A l'école où nous avons appris l'A B C
In the school where we learned the ABCs
La maîtresse avait des méthodes avancées
The teacher had advanced methods
Comme il fut doux le temps, bien éphémère, hélas
How sweet and fleeting the time was, alas
Où cette bonne fée régna sur notre classe
Where this good fairy ruled over our class
Régna sur notre classe
Ruled over our class
Avant elle, nous étions tous des paresseux
Before her, we were all lazy
Des lève-nez, des cancres, des crétins crasseux
Nose-pickers, dunces, filthy idiots
En travaillant exclusivement que pour nous
Working exclusively for ourselves
Les marchands de bonnets d'âne étaient sur les genoux
The donkey cap sellers were at our feet
Étaient sur les genoux
Were at our feet
La maîtresse avait des méthodes avancées
The teacher had advanced methods
Au premier de la classe elle promit un baiser
She promised a kiss to the top student
Un baiser pour de bon, un baiser libertin
A real kiss, a passionate kiss
Un baiser sur la bouche, enfin bref, un patin
A kiss on the lips, in short, a French kiss
Enfin bref, un patin
In short, a French kiss
Aux pupitres alors, quelque chose changea
Something changed at the desks
L'école buissonnière eut plus jamais un chat
Playing hooky was never the same
Et les pauvres marchands de bonnets d'âne, crac
And the poor donkey cap sellers, crack
Connurent tout à coup la faillite, le krach
Suddenly experienced bankruptcy, the crash
La faillite, le krach
Bankruptcy, the crash
Lorsque le proviseur, à la fin de l'année
When the principal, at the end of the year
Nous lut les résultats, il fut bien étonné
Read us the results, he was quite surprised
La maîtresse, elle, rougit comme un coquelicot
The teacher blushed like a poppy
Car nous étions tous prix d'excellence ex-æquo
Because we all received the excellence award, tied
D'excellence ex-æquo
Tied for excellence
A la recréation, la bonne fée se mit
During recess, the good fairy started
En devoir de tenir ce qu'elle avait promis
To keep her promise
Et comme elle embrassa quarante lauréats
And she kissed forty laureates
Jusqu'à une heure indue la séance dura
Until a late hour, the session lasted
La séance dura
The session lasted
Ce système bien sûr ne fut jamais admis
This system was of course never accepted
Par l'imbécile alors recteur d'académie
By the imbecile who was the academy's rector at the time
De l'école, en dépit de son beau palmarès
From the school, despite its impressive track record
On chassa pour toujours notre chère maîtresse
Our dear teacher was forever expelled
Notre chère maîtresse
Our dear teacher
La cancre fit alors sa réapparition
The dunce then reappeared
Le fort en thème est redevenu l'exception
The smartest student became the exception again
A la fin de l'année suivante, quel fiasco
At the end of the following year, what a disaster
Nous étions tous derniers de la classe ex-æquo
We were all tied for last in the class
De la classe ex-æquo
Tied for last in the class
A l'école où nous avons appris l'A B C
In the school where we learned the ABCs
La maîtresse avait des méthodes avancées
The teacher had advanced methods
Comme il fut doux le temps bien éphémère, hélas
How sweet and fleeting the time was, alas
Où cette bonne fée régna sur notre classe
Where this good fairy ruled over our class
Régna sur notre classe
Ruled over our class
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GEORGES CHARLES BRASSENS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind