Born on the 24th August 1916 in Monaco, Ferré mixed lyricism with slang; love with anarchy. He took a central place in the world of French song. He was involved in anarchism, and worked with Radio Libertaire, an anarchist free-radio broadcasting in Paris and around France. He died on the 14th July 1993.
La Fortune
Léo Ferré Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
que l'on vend à Paris
écrivaient des chansons
comme Monsieur Lully
Et si toutes les plumes
avaient Verlaine au bec
et chacun sa chacun'
On n' vivrait plus qu'avecla fortune,
deux bouquets trois chansons et la lune,
Si tu rêves,
ta vie brève passera comme passent les rêves;
La fortune quelques thunes,
et de quoi s'en aller dans la lune,
Si tout passe
si tout casse
si tout lasse
passe
passe
Si tous les vauriens
qui n' val'nt rien à Paris
ne valaient qu'un refrainde Villon ou de qui ?
et si tout's les épines avaient la rose avec
et copain sa copine,
on n' vivrait plus qu'avec la fortune,quelques thunes,
deux saluts trois aur'voirs et la lune,
Si tu chantes,
ta vie lente
fil'ra comm' file une étoile filante;
la fortune,
quelques thunes,
et de quoi fair' briller cette lune
cette lune
où s'allume et consume l'infortune
The lyrics of Léo Ferré's La Fortune present a vision of a world in which writing and music are inextricably linked, where every pen is a potential composer and every quill a poet's tool. The song imagines a society in which anyone can create art, where everyone has their muse and no one is left behind in the pursuit of creativity. And yet, despite this imagined utopia, the chorus reminds us that we would still have only our fortune – a few coins, some flowers, a handful of songs, and the elusive moon – to sustain us.
The first verse describes the power of writing, comparing the humble pencil to the famous composer Jean-Baptiste Lully. The second lyric turns to poetry, imagining every quill as a potential channel for the spirit of Verlaine or some other great poet. Yet even if every person were capable of creating art, the ultimate result would be a society stripped down to its bare essentials - just enough funds to get by, and the same few tokens of affection and beauty to share.
The second verse turns to the masses, describing a world in which even the "scoundrels" of Paris are capable of creating something beautiful. The reference to Villon is significant - this 15th-century poet was himself an outcast and rogue, known for his vulgar and irreverent verses. The verse also suggests a society in which all individuals are paired with a soulmate, in the form of a "copain" or a "copine." Ultimately, the chorus reminds us that even with all this beauty and creativity, the only thing we can truly rely on is the moon - a circle that represents change, uncertainty, and the cyclical nature of fortune.
Overall, La Fortune paints a picture of an ideal but fleeting world, in which creativity is the only thing that sustains us. But despite the burst of light and beauty that this creativity brings, ultimately we are still at the mercy of fate and the fluctuations of the moon.
Line by Line Meaning
Si tous les crayons que l'on vend à Paris
If all the pencils that are sold in Paris
écrivaient des chansons comme Monsieur Lully
wrote songs like Monsieur Lully
Et si toutes les plumes avaient Verlaine au bec
And if all the quills had Verlaine on their tips
et chacun sa chacun'
and everyone had their own
On n' vivrait plus qu'avec la fortune, quelques thunes, deux bouquets trois chansons et la lune
We would only live with fortune, a few coins, two bouquets, three songs and the moon
Si tu rêves, ta vie brève passera comme passent les rêves
If you dream, your brief life will pass like dreams do
La fortune quelques thunes, et de quoi s'en aller dans la lune
Fortune, a few coins, and enough to go away to the moon
Si tout passe
If everything passes
si tout casse
if everything breaks
si tout lasse
if everything wearies
passe passe
passes, passes
Si tous les vauriens qui n' val'nt rien à Paris
If all the scoundrels who are worth nothing in Paris
ne valaient qu'un refrain de Villon ou de qui ?
were only worth a refrain from Villon or from who?
et si tout's les épines avaient la rose avec
and if all the thorns had a rose with them
et copain sa copine,
and boyfriend had his girlfriend
on n' vivrait plus qu'avec la fortune, quelques thunes, deux saluts trois aur'voirs et la lune,
We would only live with fortune, a few coins, two greetings, three goodbyes, and the moon,
Si tu chantes, ta vie lente fil'ra comm' file une étoile filante;
If you sing, your slow life will flow like a shooting star;
la fortune, quelques thunes, et de quoi fair' briller cette lune
fortune, a few coins, and enough to make this moon shine
cette lune où s'allume et consume l'infortune
this moon where misfortune ignites and burns out
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, LES NOUVELLES EDITIONS MERIDIAN
Written by: Léo FERRE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
camous joel
Si tous les crayons
que l'on vend à Paris
écrivaient des chansons
comme Monsieur Lully
Et si toutes les plumes
avaient Verlaine au bec
et chacun sa chacun'
On n' vivrait plus qu'avecla fortune,
quelques thunes,
deux bouquets trois chansons et la lune,
Si tu rêves,
ta vie brève passera comme passent les rêves;
La fortune quelques thunes,
et de quoi s'en aller dans la lune,
Si tout passe
si tout casse
si tout lasse
passe
passe
Si tous les vauriens
qui n' val'nt rien à Paris
ne valaient qu'un refrainde Villon ou de qui ?
et si tout's les épines avaient la rose avec
et copain sa copine,
on n' vivrait plus qu'avec la fortune,quelques thunes,
deux saluts trois aur'voirs et la lune,
Si tu chantes,
ta vie lente
fil'ra comm' file une étoile filante;
la fortune,
quelques thunes,
et de quoi fair' briller cette lune
cette lune
où s'allume et consume l'infortune
camous joel
chanson enregistrée en 1956