A famous description of Juliette Gréco is that her voice "encompasses millions of poems". She was the muse of many of the writers and artists working in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, such as Jean-Paul Sartre and Boris Vian. Some of these artists would write songs for her to sing. She fell in love with and almost married Miles Davis when he visited Paris in 1949.
Juliette Gréco died in September 2020.
Complainte
Juliette Gréco Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Je suis bien trop con
Tout me fait souffrir et tout est misère
Pour moi pauvre con
Tout ce qui commence va trop mal finir
Toujours pour les cons
Tout plaisir s'efface - Après c'est bien pire
Du moins pour les cons
L'angoisse m'étreint, m'étrangle et j'empire
De plus en plus con
Je ne sais que faire ou pleurer ou rire
Comme font les cons
Quelquefois c'est bleu, puis c'est noir de suie
La couleur des cons
On voudrait chanter mais voilà la pluie
Qui arrose les cons
On voudrait danser — le sol est de boue
Pataugent les cons
Nous sommes idiots bouffant la gadoue
Nous sommes des cons
L'amour se balade en un autogyre
Au-dessus des cons
Qui lèvent le nez 'vec un doux sourire
Sourire de cons
Attendant encore la belle aventure
Illusion de cons
Car ils sont réduits à leur seule nature
Nature de cons
Les roses, les fleurs et les clairs de lune
C'est pas pour les cons
Les cons ils y croient mais c'est pour des prunes
Aliment de cons
The song "Complainte" by Juliette Gréco is a lamentation of the singer about her inability to find happiness on earth. The lyrics are full of self-deprecation and depict the singer as a fool (a "con"), who suffers from everything around her. She believes that everything that starts well ends badly, and all the pleasures of life eventually only lead to worse situations. She is constantly plagued by anxiety and feels it tightening around her, making her even more of a fool. Throughout the song, the singer appears to be stuck in a cycle of either crying or laughing, much like a fool would, but she can't seem to decide which one to do. She notes that sometimes everything seems blue, and other times it is black - the colours of a fool.
The singer seems to believe that those who are not fools are out there enjoying life - love is in the air, people are dancing, and flowers are blooming. However, for the fools like her, life is nothing but misery and suffering. She sees herself as being reduced to her nature, which is that of a fool. She concludes that everything that seems good in life is only for the non-fools, and the fools like her are left with nothing but illusions and false hopes. The song portrays a strong sense of hopelessness and a feeling of being trapped in one's own foolishness.
Line by Line Meaning
J' connaîtrai jamais le bonheur sur terre
I will never know happiness on this earth
Je suis bien trop con
I am too foolish
Tout me fait souffrir et tout est misère
Everything causes me pain and everything is misery
Pour moi pauvre con
For me, poor fool
Tout ce qui commence va trop mal finir
Everything that begins will end in disaster
Toujours pour les cons
Always for the fools
Tout plaisir s'efface - Après c'est bien pire
All pleasure fades - Afterwards it's even worse
Du moins pour les cons
At least for the fools
L'angoisse m'étreint, m'étrangle et j'empire
Anxiety grips me, strangles me, and I worsen
De plus en plus con
More and more foolish
Je ne sais que faire ou pleurer ou rire
I don't know what to do but cry or laugh
Comme font les cons
Like the fools do
Quelquefois c'est bleu, puis c'est noir de suie
Sometimes it's blue, then it's soot black
La couleur des cons
The color of fools
On voudrait chanter mais voilà la pluie
We would like to sing but here comes the rain
Qui arrose les cons
Which showers the fools
On voudrait danser — le sol est de boue
We would like to dance - the ground is muddy
Pataugent les cons
The fools are wallowing
Nous sommes idiots bouffant la gadoue
We are foolishly eating the mud
Nous sommes des cons
We are fools
L'amour se balade en un autogyre
Love wanders around in an autogyro
Au-dessus des cons
Above the fools
Qui lèvent le nez 'vec un doux sourire
Who raise their nose with a sweet smile
Sourire de cons
Foolish smile
Attendant encore la belle aventure
Still waiting for the great adventure
Illusion de cons
Fool's illusion
Car ils sont réduits à leur seule nature
Because they are reduced to their nature
Nature de cons
Nature of fools
Les roses, les fleurs et les clairs de lune
The roses, the flowers, and the moonlight
C'est pas pour les cons
It's not for the fools
Les cons ils y croient mais c'est pour des prunes
The fools believe in it, but it's for nothing
Aliment de cons
Food of fools
Contributed by Lila V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Théo Goldberg
Irrésistiblement drôle et tellement juste.