The son of a composer, with brothers and sisters who had successful careers of their own in musical entertainment, Jean Sablon studied piano at the Lyceé Charlemagne in Paris. He left before graduating to enroll at the Paris Conservatoire in order to concentrate on a vocal career. He started in the cabarets of Paris at the age of 17, and was subsequently accompanied on his first album by the pianist/composer Mireille, whose song Couchés dans le foin became a great success. Later, he partnered the wildly popular Mistinguett at the Casino de Paris and boosted his career considerably. He was the first cabaret singer to use a microphone in his stage act. In the 1920s he spent time in Brazil where his recordings remain extremely popular today.
In 1937 he won the Grand Prix du Disque for the song "Vous qui passez sans me voir," written for him by Charles Trenet and Johnny Hess. That same year, he went to the United States, where he sang on live radio broadcasts for CBS and made several records in the English language. On Broadway, he worked with luminaries such as Cole Porter and George Gershwin. He returned to Paris but with the German occupation of France in World War II, he went back to America for the duration.
Jean Sablon became one of the most widely acclaimed male French singers, considered second only in overall lifetime popularity to Maurice Chevalier. His records sold in the millions around the world and he is frequently referred to as the French equivalent of America's Bing Crosby. During his career, he recorded with some of the world's top musicians, including Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli. Sablon is credited with arranging Reinhardt's debut in a fashionable cabaret in 1933. He is also recognized for his talents as a lyricist and a composer. Sablon appeared in a number of motion pictures and television films performing as a vocalist or pianist, his last coming in 1984 when he sang "April in Paris" in Mistral's Daughter, the popular American TV miniseries filmed in France.
Jean Sablon died in 1994 and was interred in the Cimetière du Montparnasse in Paris.
Et Mimi
Jean Sablon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Le trente et un du mois d'août
Nous vîmes venir sous l'vent vers nous,
Le trente et un du mois d'août
Nous vîmes venir sous l'vent vers nous,
Une frégate d'Angleterre
Qui fendait l'air et puis les eaux,
Voguant pour aller à Bordeaux
Fait appeler son lieutenant
Le capitaine, un grand forban,
Fait appeler son lieutenant :
"Lieutenant, te sens-tu capable,
Dis-moi, te sens-tu z'assez fort
Pour prendre l'Anglais à son bord ?
{au Refrain}
Le lieutenant fier z'et hardi
Lui répond : Capitaine, z'oui
Le lieutenant fier z'et hardi
Lui répond : Capitaine, z'oui
Faites branl'bas à l'équipage
Je vas z'hisser not'pavillon
Qui rest'ra haut, nous le jurons.
{au Refrain}
Le maître donne un coup d'sifflet
Pour faire monter les deux bordées
Le maître donne un coup d'sifflet
Pour faire monter les deux bordées
Tout est paré pour l'abordage
Hardis gabiers, fiers matelots
Braves canonniers, mousses, petiots.
{au Refrain}
Vire lof pour lof en bourlinguant,
Je l'abordions par son avant
Vire lof pour lof en bourlinguant,
Je l'abordions par son avant
A coup de haches d'abordage
De pique, de sabre, de mousquetons,
En trois cinq sec, je l'arrimions
{au Refrain}
Que dira-t-on du grand rafiot,
En Angleterre et à Bordeaux,
Que dira-t-on du grand rafiot,
En Angleterre et à Bordeaux,
Qu'a laissé prendre son équipage
Par un corsaire de six canons
Lui qu'en avait trente et si bons ?
{au Refrain}
Buvons un coup, buvons-en deux
A la santé des amoureux,
Buvons un coup, buvons-en deux
A la santé des amoureux,
A la santé du Roi de France
Et... pour le Roi d'Angleterre,
Qui nous a déclaré la guerre !
These lyrics are from the song "Et Mimi" by Jean Sablon. The song tells the story of a French ship encountering an English frigate on August 31st, and the French captain deciding to capture the English ship. The refrain repeats throughout the song, describing the day and the arrival of the English frigate. The captain calls on his lieutenant to take the English ship, and the lieutenant responds proudly that he is ready for the task. The crew prepares for the attack, with the master blowing his whistle to call the two teams to duty. They succeed in boarding the enemy ship and taking it over, leaving the English to ponder how their armed ship could be captured by a corsair with only six canons. The song ends with a toast to the health of lovers and the kings of France and England, who are at war with each other.
Line by Line Meaning
Le trente et un du mois d'août
On August 31st
Nous vîmes venir sous l'vent vers nous,
We saw coming downwind towards us
Une frégate d'Angleterre
An English frigate
Qui fendait l'air et puis les eaux,
Which sliced through the air and then the waters
Voguant pour aller à Bordeaux
Sailing to Bordeaux
Le capitaine, un grand forban,
The captain, a big pirate,
Fait appeler son lieutenant
Called his lieutenant
"Lieutenant, te sens-tu capable,
"Lieutenant, do you feel capable,
Dis-moi, te sens-tu z'assez fort
Tell me, do you feel strong enough
Pour prendre l'Anglais à son bord ?
To take the English on board?
Le lieutenant fier z'et hardi
The proud and brave lieutenant
Lui répond : Capitaine, z'oui
Answers: "Captain, yes I am"
Faites branl'bas à l'équipage
Call the crew to stations
Je vas z'hisser not'pavillon
I'll hoist our flag
Qui rest'ra haut, nous le jurons.
It will remain high, we swear it.
Le maître donne un coup d'sifflet
The master (of arms) sounds a whistle
Pour faire monter les deux bordées
To make both sides board the ship
Tout est paré pour l'abordage
Everything is ready for the attack
Hardis gabiers, fiers matelots
Brave sailors, fearless deckhands
Braves canonniers, mousses, petiots.
Brave gunners, cabin boys, little ones.
Vire lof pour lof en bourlinguant,
Tack for tack, heaving-to
Je l'abordions par son avant
We boarded her from the front
A coup de haches d'abordage
With blows from boarding axes
De pique, de sabre, de mousquetons,
With pikes, sabers, and muskets
En trois cinq sec, je l'arrimions
In three to five seconds, we secured it
Que dira-t-on du grand rafiot,
What will people say of the great ship,
En Angleterre et à Bordeaux,
In England and Bordeaux
Qu'a laissé prendre son équipage
That let her crew be taken
Par un corsaire de six canons
By a privateer of six guns
Lui qu'en avait trente et si bons ?
When they had thirty of the best?
Buvons un coup, buvons-en deux
Let's drink a cup, let's drink two
A la santé des amoureux,
To the health of lovers
A la santé du Roi de France
To the health of the King of France
Et... pour le Roi d'Angleterre,
And... to the King of England
Qui nous a déclaré la guerre !
Who declared war on us!
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind