LYS GAUTY, the grande dame of the classic chanson, well deserved the tribute of monstre sacre bestowed upon her by Colette, Cocteau and the gilded youth of les annees folles between the two wars. She was indeed a sacred monster off stage - Cocteau called her 'a vulture of virtuosity'. The moment she set foot on a stage, in the humblest cabaret or in the grandest music hall and advanced upon her public with a rapacious smile upon her beautiful face, one knew she was about to bruler les planches - burn up the boards and set the stage afire with her strange personality, her unusual, spellbinding vibrato growl and her heart-breaking songs.
The Independent - JAMES KIRKUP
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Lys Gauty, de son vrai nom Alice Gauthier, née en 1900 à Levallois-Perret et décédée à Monte-Carlo en 1994, est une chanteuse française.
Dotée d'une formation classique, c'est pourtant Chez Fyscher, rue d'Antin, qu'elle entame une carrière de chanteuse de music-hall avec Georges Van Parys pour pianiste. Gaston Groener qui devient son mari prend en charge la direction d'une carrière émaillée de nombreux succès :
• Le Chaland qui passe [1] (1931), chanson qui a été ajoutée à une version du film L'Atalante (Jean Vigo) renommé pour l'occasion Le Chaland qui passe.
• Valparaiso (1932)
• À Paris dans chaque faubourg (1933), chanson du film Quatorze juillet de René Clair dans lequel elle apparaît.
• Le Bistro du port (1934)
• Le Bonheur est entré dans mon cœur (1938)
• J'écoute la pluie (1940)
Après guerre, Lys Gauty se retire à Nice où elle tient un cabaret et enseigne le chant, Elle abandonnera la scène vers 1953 pour devenir directrice d'un cabaret dans la région de Nice et fonde d'une école de chant. Lys Gauty est décédée à Monte-Carlo en 1994.
Valparaiso
Lys Gauty Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Good bye, farewell, good bye, farewell,
Hardi, les gars, adieu Bordeaux,
Hourra, Oh Mexico, ho, ho, ho!
Au Cap Horn, il ne fera pas chaud,
Haul away, hé, oula tchalez,
A faire la pêche au cachalot,
Hâl' matelot, hé, ho, hisse, hé, ho!
Good bye, farewell, good bye, farewell,
Adieu misère, adieu bateau,
Hourra, Oh Mexico, ho, ho, ho!
Et nous irons à Valparaiso,
Haul away, hé, oula tchalez,
Où d'autres laisseront leurs os,
Hâl' matelot, hé, ho, hisse, hé, ho!
3. Ceux qui reviendront pavillon haut,
Good bye, farewell, good bye, farewell,
C'est premier brin de matelot,
Hourra, Oh Mexico, ho, ho, ho!
Pour la bordée ils seront à flot.
Haul away, hé, oula tchalez,
Bons pour le rack, la fille, le couteau
Hâl' matelot, hé, ho, hisse, hé, ho!
The song “Valparaiso” by Lys Gauty is a traditional French naval shanty that was specially composed to accompany the sailors during their voyage. The lyrics of the song depict the hard and perilous life of sailors and their farewell to their home country. The opening lines, “Hardi, les gars, vire au guindeau,” which means “Brave guys, turn the windlass,” sets the tone of the song and encourages the sailors to embark on the journey without any fear. The song talks about bidding goodbye to their home country, Bordeaux, and sailing towards Cape Horn, where the weather is bad and rough, and doing the whaling. The lyric “Au Cap Horn, il ne fera pas chaud,” meaning “It will not be warm at Cape Horn,” highlights the harsh climate of the region.
The second stanza of the song describes the dangerous voyage that resulted in many sailors losing their lives. The sailors say goodbye to their sufferings and their sailing vessel and instead, welcome a new destination, Valparaiso in Chile, which was a popular stopover for the sailors. The line “Et nous irons à Valparaiso” means “And we will go to Valparaiso.” The sailors are aware that even Valparaiso is not safe and some may never return. The final stanza is the sailors' hopeful talk about those who will return back with high spirits, having survived their sailing journey. The stanza also has a reference to the sailors' readiness to face challenges and even be killed in action for their country, highlighted in the lyric “Bons pour le rack, la fille, le couteau,” meaning “Good for the rack, the girl, the knife.”
Line by Line Meaning
Hardi, les gars, vire au guindeau,
Bravely, lads, turn to the windlass,
Good bye, farewell, good bye, farewell,
Saying goodbye, farewell, goodbye, farewell,
Hardi, les gars, adieu Bordeaux,
Bravely, lads, goodbye Bordeaux,
Hourra, Oh Mexico, ho, ho, ho!
Hooray, Oh Mexico, ho, ho, ho!
Au Cap Horn, il ne fera pas chaud,
At Cape Horn, it will not be warm,
Haul away, hé, oula tchalez,
Haul away, hey, oula tchalez,
A faire la pêche au cachalot,
To go whaling,
Hâl' matelot, hé, ho, hisse, hé, ho!
Haul, sailor, hey, ho, hoist, hey, ho!
Plus d'un y laissera sa peau
More than one will leave their skin there
Adieu misère, adieu bateau,
Goodbye poverty, goodbye boat,
Et nous irons à Valparaiso,
And we will go to Valparaiso,
Où d'autres laisseront leurs os,
Where others will leave their bones,
Ceux qui reviendront pavillon haut,
Those who return with a high flag,
C'est premier brin de matelot,
It's the first strand of a sailor's life,
Hourra, Oh Mexico, ho, ho, ho!
Hooray, Oh Mexico, ho, ho, ho!
Pour la bordée ils seront à flot.
For the watch, they will be afloat.
Haul away, hé, oula tchalez,
Haul away, hey, oula tchalez,
Bons pour le rack, la fille, le couteau
Good for the rack, the girl, the knife
Hâl' matelot, hé, ho, hisse, hé, ho!
Haul, sailor, hey, ho, hoist, hey, ho!
Writer(s): Sisco
Contributed by Gavin T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.