Le Petit Poisson
Les Wriggles Lyrics

The song tells the story of a little fish who decided to leave his home one night with a backpack containing only the essentials - a pot of cottage cheese and a photo of his mother. He wanted to find a new home for himself and a new little seashell to live in, since he felt he was old enough to live on his own. He said goodbye to everyone in his house and mentioned that he was a grown-up now and could journey anywhere he wanted to. He swam peacefully, contemplating about his new life, but then he got blinded by a bright light. In a matter of seconds, he was killed, dismembered by the propellers of the Rainbow Warrior near Mururoa. This song portrays the environmental disaster that occurred near Mururoa at the time and how innocent lives were affected because of it.

The tragic event that inspired this song was the 1985 bombing of the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior, that took place in New Zealand by French secret agents. This action was done as a part of French nuclear testing in the Pacific. The ship was sunk, resulting in the death of one Greenpeace staff member, Fernando Pereira.

It’s interesting to note that ‘Le Petit Poisson’ was initially released on an album called ‘Justice Avec Des Saucisses’ by Les Wriggles. Later, it was included in the soundtrack for the French film ‘The Greenpeace Generation,’ which documents the story of the bombing.

This song was covered by another French band named Tryo, which helped it gain more popularity within the French reggae/folk scene. The Tryo version of the song was performed live, and they took a moment to acknowledge the other musicians who performed the song before they did.

The song was also played at the commemorative ceremony held to mark the twentieth anniversary of the Rainbow Warrior bombing. Additionally, it was performed at the 2004 concert in which Greenpeace celebrated its reunion with the French government.

This track highlights the issue of environmentalism and is considered to be an environmental protest song. It depicts how an innocent creature is impacted by human ego and recklessness.

Interestingly, the song doesn't necessarily use the French language in its entirety. Rather, it is a mix of French, English, and various other languages.

The song's popularity has been attributed to both its broad appeal and its ability to be understated in first exploring the tragedy.

This song has become somewhat of an anthem for environmental enthusiasts and has been widely considered a symbol of the power of environmentalist campaigns to raise awareness about the critical issues.

Chords: The chords for this song are not publicly available, unfortunately.