Les Enfoirés (French for "The Tossers"), is the name given to the singers a… Read Full Bio ↴Les Enfoirés (French for "The Tossers"), is the name given to the singers and performers in the yearly charity concert for the Restaurants du Cœur (Les Restos du Cœur).

On January 26, 1986, French humorist Coluche, who had set up Les Restos du Cœur a few months earlier, invited a number of artists and public figures to appear on television as a promotional move. The band, whose line-up was never the same, was dubbed "Les Enfoirés" in reference to one of Coluche's catchwords. After Coluche died in a motorbike accident (June 19, 1986) his widow, Véronique Colucci, called on those who had participated to continue his actions, and the band was revived for a further television show. The concept has since evolved into an annual concert, bringing together up to forty artists and celebrities from various backgrounds. The funds raised by the concerts and derived records under the name "Enfoirés" are donated to Les Restos du Cœur.

One of the key features of Les Enfoirés is "La Chanson des Enfoirés", a song which became a sort of hymn to the charity, written by Jean-Jacques Goldman, a long-time supporter of the organisation.

Rame
Les Enfoirés Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Pagaie pas gai
Sur cette vieille Loire
Pagaie pas gai
T′arriveras nulle part

Bout d'bois
Bout d′bois
Beau caoutchouc

Vois-tu, vois-tu ailleurs?

Bout d'bois
Bout d'bois
Beau caoutchouc
Flotte-moi
Flotte-moi
Plus loin qu′chez nous

Baignoire
Baignoire
Tu m′as menti
Ailleurs, ailleurs, c'est comme ici

Rame, rame, rameurs, ramez
On n′avance à rien dans c'canoë
Là-haut, on t′mène en bateau
Tu n'pourras jamais tout quitter, t′en aller
Tais-toi et...

Rame, rame, rameurs, ramez
On n'avance à rien dans c'canoë
Là-haut, on t′mène en bateau
Tu n′pourras jamais tout quitter, t'en aller
Tais-toi et...

Rame, rame, rameurs, ramez
On n′avance à rien dans c'canoë
Là-haut, on t′mène en bateau
Tu n'pourras jamais tout quitter, t′en aller
Tais-toi et...

Rame, rame, rameurs, ramez
On n'avance à rien dans c'canoë
Là-haut, on t′mène en bateau
Tu n′pourras jamais tout quitter, t'en aller
Tais-toi et...

Rame, rame, rame

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Les Enfoirés's song Rame is about the futility of paddling a canoe down a river, using it as a metaphor for life's struggles. The song, with its repetitive chorus of "Rame, rame, rameurs, ramez" (Row, row, rowers, row), emphasizes the idea of working hard to move forward, but ultimately getting nowhere. The lyrics caution against being led astray by false promises of a better life or a brighter future, represented by the phrase "Là-haut, on t'mène en bateau" (Up there, they lead you on).

The verses describe different aspects of the journey: the old and stagnant river ("Sur cette vieille Loire"), the unreliable and deceptive canoe ("Baignoire, tu m'as menti"), and the need for sturdy oars ("Bout d'bois, beau caoutchouc"). Ultimately, however, the song conveys a sense of resignation and acceptance: "Tu n'pourras jamais tout quitter, t'en aller" (You will never be able to leave everything behind).

Overall, Les Enfoirés's song Rame is a somber and reflective meditation on the challenges and limitations of life's struggles.

Line by Line Meaning

Pagaie pas gai
Paddling sadly

Sur cette vieille Loire
On this old Loire (river)

T′arriveras nulle part
You'll get nowhere

Bout d'bois
Piece of wood

Beau caoutchouc
Beautiful rubber

Vois-tu, vois-tu ailleurs?
Do you see, do you see elsewhere?

Flotte-moi
Float me

Plus loin qu′chez nous
Farther than our home

Baignoire
Bathtub

Tu m′as menti
You lied to me