P.P.D.E
Les Fatals Picards Lyrics


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Petit poisson d’élevage
Tu n'connais pas ton père
Tu n'connais pas la mer
Petit poisson d’élevage
A peine né que te voilà déjà pané

A mille dans un casier tu n’as pas vraiment bonne mine
Dans ton bassin d’élevage tu gondoles et tu chaloupes
Au milieu de saumons serrés comme des sardines
Tu trembles, tu te les cailles, tu as la chair de poulpe

En pensant à ce jour où ils viendront te chercher
Pour se payer une tranche ou t’obliger à fumer
Petit poisson d’élevage tu files un mauvais coton
Aussi vrai qu’il n’y a pas de fumée sans saumon

Arrête petit poisson !
De te faire un sang d’encre
Arrête petit poisson !
De vouloir lever l’ancre
Arrête, arrête, arrête petit poisson
Arrête, arrête, arrête, arrête
Comme dans le poisson

Tu voulais chevaucher les chevaux des océans
Comme Claude François remonter le courant
Et devenir un homme enfin plutôt un poisson
Sauvage et indomptable affûte comme un bison

Mais le monde est mal fait les chats ne font pas des chiens
Et le beurre ne fond pas comme les petites marionnettes
C’est sûr que vu ton cas la mort aura demain
Le goût que tu n’as pas même relevé d’aneth

Arrête poisson violent !
De te faire tant de sushi
Arrête poisson violent !
De vouloir prendre le maki
Arrête, arrête, arrête petit poisson
Arrête, arrête, arrête, arrête
Comme dans le poisson

Aujourd’hui tu es un ange au côté de Saint-Pierre
Tu baignes loin de tes frères dans un halo de lumière
Et tout l’monde est venu pour un dernier hommage
Au Robin des bois de la mer, au Mesrine des poissons d’élevage

Il y a, il y a, il y a

Le bar du coin, le barbu bien coiffé
Avec la raie au milieu pour les soles d’été
Le thon de Naplouse la dorade et la méduse
La morue du vieux port si je n'm’abuse

La murène d’Angleterre assise au premier hareng
Avec un vieux Flipper nageant dans
L’eau limpide de Marseille




Avec le rouget de Lille
Et même la petite sirène non je rigole poisson d’avril

Overall Meaning

The song "P.P.D.E." by Les Fatals Picards talks about the life of a farmed fish, who never really knew its father or the sea. The fish is born and almost immediately taken to be filleted and eaten. It lives in a cramped and uncomfortable environment with thousands of other fish, which causes it to feel anxious and scared. The song provides a commentary on the way we treat our food, and how we disregard the life and wellbeing of animals that we consume.


The lyrics describe the fish's thoughts and feelings as it imagines its inevitable fate of being caught and turned into food. It dreams of a life where it could be free and wild, swimming through the oceans like a horse galloping across a field. However, the fish comes to the realization that it is trapped and cannot escape its fate. The song ends with a morbid scene at the fish's funeral, where it is referred to as the Robin Hood of the sea and the Mesrine (a notorious French criminal) of farmed fish.


Line by Line Meaning

Petit poisson d’élevage
This line is addressing a small fish that has been raised in captivity and doesn't know anything about life in the open sea.


Tu n'connais pas ton père
Since the fish was raised in captivity, it does not know who its biological father is.


Tu n'connais pas la mer
Similarly, since the fish has never lived in the sea, it has no idea what the ocean is like.


A peine né que te voilà déjà pané
The fish is already breaded and ready for consumption even though it is still very young.


A mille dans un casier tu n’as pas vraiment bonne mine
The fish is not in good condition as it is crammed together with many other fish in a confined space.


Dans ton bassin d’élevage tu gondoles et tu chaloupes
The fish is swimming erratically in its freshwater breeding ground.


Au milieu de saumons serrés comme des sardines
The fish is surrounded by many other salmon that are trapped in a cramped space.


Tu trembles, tu te les cailles, tu as la chair de poulpe
The fish is scared and anxious, and its skin is rough and covered in bumps.


En pensant à ce jour où ils viendront te chercher
The fish is aware that it will soon be harvested for human consumption.


Pour se payer une tranche ou t’obliger à fumer
The fish will likely be consumed either as a fillet or smoked product.


Petit poisson d’élevage tu files un mauvais coton
The fish is in bad shape and unlikely to survive much longer.


Aussi vrai qu’il n’y a pas de fumée sans saumon
This is a play on words, as the French saying 'il n'y a pas de fumée sans feu' (there's no smoke without fire) has been altered to include the pun 'saumon' (salmon) since the song is about fish. The meaning is that where there is smoke (in this case, from smoking the fish), there must also be salmon.


Arrête petit poisson ! De te faire un sang d’encre
The song is telling the fish to stop worrying so much.


Arrête petit poisson ! De vouloir lever l’ancre
The song is telling the fish not to try to escape its enclosure and head out to sea.


Tu voulais chevaucher les chevaux des océans
The fish had dreams of swimming freely in the open ocean, like a horse.


Comme Claude François remonter le courant
Claude François was a French singer who performed a famous song called 'Comme d'habitude' (As Usual), which was later adapted to become 'My Way' by Frank Sinatra. The line is a pun on the name of the song, meaning the fish wants to swim against the current.


Et devenir un homme enfin plutôt un poisson
The fish aspires to be more than just a captive animal, but a wild and free creature of the sea.


Sauvage et indomptable affûté comme un bison
The fish wants to be fierce and untamed, and as strong as a bison.


Mais le monde est mal fait les chats ne font pas des chiens
The song is saying that life is unfair and animals cannot change who they are (i.e. cats will always be cats and cannot become dogs).


Et le beurre ne fond pas comme les petites marionnettes
This is another play on a French saying 'le beurre fond dans la poêle' (the butter melts in the pan), which has been reworded as a pun on puppets ('marionnettes'). The meaning is that things don't always go according to plan.


C’est sûr que vu ton cas la mort aura demain
The fish is not expected to live much longer due to its unhealthy environment and upcoming harvest.


Le goût que tu n’as pas même relevé d’aneth
The fish has no taste or flavor, not even when seasoned with dill.


Arrête poisson violent ! De te faire tant de sushi
The song is telling the fish not to be so aggressive and to stop trying to attack humans who are preparing it as sushi.


De vouloir prendre le maki
The fish is trying to catch a ride on a sushi roll called 'maki'.


Aujourd’hui tu es un ange au côté de Saint-Pierre
The fish has died and is now in heaven alongside Saint Peter (who is said to guard the gates of heaven).


Tu baignes loin de tes frères dans un halo de lumière
The fish is now in a heavenly light, away from its fellow captive fish.


Et tout l’monde est venu pour un dernier hommage
Even in death, the fish is honored and remembered by humans.


Au Robin des bois de la mer, au Mesrine des poissons d’élevage
The fish is compared to legendary French figures: Robin Hood and Jacques Mesrine. The song is highlighting the irony of someone as unremarkable as a farmed fish now becoming a celebrated figure in death.


Le bar du coin, le barbu bien coiffé
The singer is listing types of fish that are commonly found in fish markets or on restaurant menus.


Avec la raie au milieu pour les soles d’été
The singer is specifically mentioning 'soles d'été' (summer soles), a popular fish dish in France, and how it is often served with 'raie' (skate).


Le thon de Naplouse la dorade et la méduse
The singer is listing other types of fish, including tuna, sea bream, and jellyfish.


La morue du vieux port si je n'm’abuse
The singer is mentioning cod, which is often caught in the old port of Marseille.


La murène d’Angleterre assise au premier hareng
The singer is mentioning a type of eel found off the coast of England, as well as the 'hareng' (herring).


Avec un vieux Flipper nageant dans l’eau limpide de Marseille
The singer is using a bit of wordplay, as 'Flipper' is also the name of a famous dolphin from a 1960s TV show. The line describes a dolphin swimming in the clear waters of Marseille.


Avec le rouget de Lille
The singer is mentioning 'rouget' (red mullet), a popular fish in French cuisine, which comes from Lille, a city in northern France.


Et même la petite sirène non je rigole poisson d’avril
The singer is jokingly comparing the fish to the Little Mermaid, a fairy tale character. The last phrase 'poisson d'avril' means 'April Fools', which is a day for playing practical jokes in France.




Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS

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