Jean Sablon (Nogent-sur-Marne 25 March 1906 – 24 February 1994 at Cannes) w… Read Full Bio ↴Jean Sablon (Nogent-sur-Marne 25 March 1906 – 24 February 1994 at Cannes) was a popular French singer and actor.

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.

Les Pieds Dans L'Eau
Jean Sablon Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

"Elle est bonne ?
-Ah, ah oui oui oui oui, oui !
-C'est froid.
-Qu'on est bien avec les pieds dans l'eau."

Près du petit bois s’étend un étang
Un petit étang et des plus tentant
Le soleil étant éclatant

Nous avons dit : "Baignons nous un instant"

Un deux, qu'on est heureux
Quand on trempe ses pieds dans l'eau bleue
Tous les soucis s'évanouissent
Lorsqu'on est dans l'eau jusqu'à mi-cuisse
Un deux, qu'on est heureux
On se sent le coeur sous la peau
On oublie tout avec délice
Qu'on est bien avec les pieds dans l'eau

Il existe sur la terre
Des gens aigres et jaloux
Avec un sale caractère
Pourquoi n'font-ils pas comme nous ?

Un deux qu'on est bien mieux
Tout vous sourit, tout parait beau
Tous les soucis s'évanouissent
Qu'on est bien avec les pieds dans l'eau !

Venez, Mademoiselle, approchez-vous donc
Je ne sais pas nager. Prenez une leçon
Je vais vous montrer comme c'est bon
Et vous allez nager comme des poissons !

Un-deux, marchez un peu
Un-deux-trois, mon Dieu, que c'est froid !
Ne craignez rien, Mademoiselle
Je vous tiens par-dessous les aisselles
Un-deux, plongez un peu !
Mais c'est affreux, j'ai d'l'eau plein les yeux
Je ne veux pas mourir encore
Cramponnez-vous bien fort à mon corps !
Monsieur, entre deux brassées
Vous venez de m'embrasser
Et puis je me sens glacée
Je vous en supplie, cessez, assez !

Un-deux, j'aime bien mieux
Regagner le bord de l'eau bleue
Pour parler, ne vous en déplaise
Nous y serons beaucoup plus à l’aise !

Si vous n'aimez pas la nage
Je ne veux pas vous fâcher
Retournons sur le rivage
Le soleil va nous sécher !
Un deux, qu'on est bien mieux
Tout vous sourit, tout paraît beau
Tous les soucis s'évanouissent
Qu'on est bien avec les pieds dans l'eau !

Les pieds dans l'eau...

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Jean Sablon's "Les Pieds Dans L'Eau" describe the pleasure of taking a dip in a small but tempting pond near a little wood. The singer and their companion are depicted enjoying the water while commenting on its temperature, with the latter exclaiming how good it is. The act of dipping their feet in the water is described as a way to forget their worries and feel happy, with their heart beating under their skin. They highlight how sour and jealous some people can be and compare them to themselves, advocates of the simple and pure pleasure of immersing themselves in nature. The song also features a comical exchange between the singer and their hesitant companion, who he tries to teach how to swim.

On the surface, the song's lyrics solely focus on the pleasure of bathing in a pond on a sunny day. However, Jean Sablon uses this simple concept as a means to criticize and denounce the selfishness and bitterness of some individuals, who cannot appreciate life's simple pleasures. The song's lighthearted tone and playful exchange between the two characters provide a contrast to this message, making the overall composition fun and positive.

Line by Line Meaning

Près du petit bois s’étend un étang
There is a small and tempting pond near the woods

Un petit étang et des plus tentant
It is a small pond that looks very inviting

Le soleil étant éclatant
With the sun shining so bright

Nous avons dit : "Baignons nous un instant"
We said, 'Let's take a dip in it for a while'

Un deux, qu'on est heureux
One two, how happy we are

Quand on trempe ses pieds dans l'eau bleue
When we dip our feet in the blue water

Tous les soucis s'évanouissent
All worries disappear

Lorsqu'on est dans l'eau jusqu'à mi-cuisse
When we are immersed in the water up to our knees

On se sent le cœur sous la peau
We feel our heart beating wildly

On oublie tout avec délice
We forget everything with delight

Qu'on est bien avec les pieds dans l'eau
How wonderful it is to have our feet in the water