In 1965, Le Forestier formed a duo (Cat et Maxime) with his sister Catherine. Playing at cabaret venues on Paris' Left Bank, the pair met and formed a friendship with Georges Moustaki. They were amongst the first artists to cover a number of songs by Moustaki - including Ma Liberté and Ma Solitude. In 1968, Catherine joined Moustaki as a backing singer. Le Forestier began to focus on songwriting and composed Ballade pour un traître which was recorded and released by the French/Italian singer and actor, Serge Reggiani.
Le Forestier continued as part-time singer/songwriter during his military service (beginning 1969) with a parachute regiment (the inspiration for the song Parachutiste). He recorded two songs: "Cœur de Pierre, Face de Lune", and La Petite Fugue.
His military service ending September 1970, Le Forestier refocused on his musical career. He developed a folksy style which was enormously popular in the 1970s and '80s. His first album Mon Frère, released in 1973, contains several pieces that have entered French folklore, including the title song Mon frère, San Francisco, Comme un arbre and Education sentimentale. He toured extensively, both in France and abroad. In 1976, he toured in 14 cities in the USSR. Recently he has gained particular acclaim for his reworkings of the songs of Georges Brassens.
Mon frère
Maxime Le Forestier Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sais-tu si tu avais vécu
Ce que nous aurions fait ensemble
Un an après moi, tu serais né
Alors on n'se s'rait plus quittés
Comme deux amis qui se ressemblent
On aurait appris l'argot par cœur
À mon école buissonnière
Sur qu'un jour on se serait battu
Pour peu qu'alors on ait connu
Ensemble la même première
Mais tu n'es pas là
À qui la faute?
Pas à mon père
Pas à ma mère
Tu aurais pu chanter cela
Toi le frère que je n'ai jamais eu
Si tu savais ce que j'ai bu
De mes chagrins en solitaire
Si tu m'avais pas fait faux bond
Tu aurais fini mes chansons
Je t'aurais appris à en faire
Si la vie s'était comportée mieux
Elle aurait divisé en deux
Les paires de gants, les paires de claques
Elle aurait sûrement partagé
Les mots d'amour et les pavés
Les filles et les coups de matraque
Mais tu n'es pas là
À qui la faute?
Pas à mon père
Pas à ma mère
Tu aurais pu chanter cela
Toi le frère que je n'aurais jamais
Je suis moins seul de t'avoir fait
Pour un instant, pour une fille
Je t'ai dérangé, tu me pardonnes
Ici quand tout vous abandonne
On se fabrique une famille
The lyrics of Maxime Le Forestier's song "Mon Frère" speak to the universal longing for a close sibling bond. The song begins by addressing a brother that the singer never had, wondering what they would have done together if they had been born at the same time. The singer then imagines the ways they could have connected with one another, like learning slang together or starting a fight over a shared love interest. Despite the fact that this imagined brother does not exist, the singer feels compelled to sing to him, expressing the desire for a deeper connection that feels missing from their life.
The chorus then takes a bittersweet turn, as the singer acknowledges that this imagined brother is not there and no one is to blame for that absence. They move on to say that they have found solace in writing songs and drinking alone, but that they wish they had someone to share those experiences with. The song concludes by noting that even though the imagined brother may not exist, the singer has found a sense of family in creating something out of the longing for that bond.
Overall, "Mon Frère" is a poignant reflection on the desire for familial connection and the ways in which we try to fill that void when it is absent. It is a testament to the power of music to provide a sense of belonging even in the absence of a physical family.
Line by Line Meaning
Toi le frère que je n'ai jamais eu
The singer is addressing the idea of a brother they never had
Sais-tu si tu avais vécu
The singer wonders what kind of experiences they would have had if they had a brother
Ce que nous aurions fait ensemble
The singer imagines all the things they would have done together
Un an après moi, tu serais né
The artist is imagining a world where their brother was born a year after them
Alors on n'se s'rait plus quittés
The artist believes they would have been inseparable
Comme deux amis qui se ressemblent
The singer compares the bond they could have had with a brother to that of close friends
On aurait appris l'argot par cœur
The singer and their brother would have learned slang together
J'aurais été ton professeur
The artist would have taught their brother slang
À mon école buissonnière
The artist imagines skipping school with their brother
Sur qu'un jour on se serait battu
The artist believes they would have fought with their brother
Pour peu qu'alors on ait connu
The singer thinks that they would have fought over something small
Ensemble la même première
The artist thinks they would have shared the same experiences
Mais tu n'es pas là
The singer acknowledges that their brother is not real
À qui la faute?
The singer wonders who is to blame for their nonexistent brother
Pas à mon père
The singer doesn't blame their father for the absence of a brother
Pas à ma mère
The artist doesn't blame their mother for the absence of a brother
Tu aurais pu chanter cela
The artist imagines their brother singing with them
Si tu savais ce que j'ai bu
The singer has drowned their sorrows in alcohol
De mes chagrins en solitaire
The singer has been dealing with their sadness alone
Si tu m'avais pas fait faux bond
The artist is grieving for the brother they never had
Tu aurais fini mes chansons
The artist believes their brother would have helped them finish their songs
Je t'aurais appris à en faire
The artist would have taught their brother how to write songs
Si la vie s'était comportée mieux
The singer believes life could have been better
Elle aurait divisé en deux
The artist believes life could have been easier if they had a brother
Les paires de gants, les paires de claques
The singer thinks that they could have shared everything with their brother, including both good and bad experiences
Elle aurait sûrement partagé
The singer believes life could have been better if they had someone to share things with
Les mots d'amour et les pavés
The singer thinks that they could have shared both love and rebellion with their brother
Les filles et les coups de matraque
The artist believes that they could have shared both romance and trouble with their brother
Je suis moins seul de t'avoir fait
The artist feels less alone imagining their brother's existence
Pour un instant, pour une fille
The singer thinks that their brother could have helped them with romance
Je t'ai dérangé, tu me pardonnes
The singer apologizes for bringing their nonexistent brother to mind
Ici quand tout vous abandonne
The artist feels like they have no one left in their life
On se fabrique une famille
The artist believes that they can make their own family
Lyrics © COINCIDENCES, WARNER CHAPPELL MUSIC FRANCE
Written by: Bruno Le Forestier
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@imaneamona9935
Moi je suis une institutrice marocaine qui enseigne le français dans une université américaine. J'ai choisi cette chanson de Maxime le Forestier pour enseigner une leçon de grammaire: le conditionnel passé sans savoir que j'allais tomber amoureuse de cet album exceptionnel.
@toufik2803
😅 salutations imane
@toufik2803
Labass 3lik
@kikiluna354
Merci madame vous êtes merveilleuse de part votre sensibilité
@nathaliecoulomi6941
Une chanson qui me fait pleurer a chaque fois.. Vous avez raison un album magnifique.
@MauriceBoulard
vous auriez pu choisir un autre chanteur français plutot que ce gauchiste de M. Forestier
@alainchristian1330
1972 ; j'ai alors 21 ans. Un certain Maxime Le Forestier vient de produire son premier Album ; je ne cesse de l'écouter, mais surtout...de l'Entendre. Un entendement à mon cœur, à la fois tendre et rebelle, comme le sont ses poèmes, que mon être fredonne sur le pavé de Bastille.
J'ai aujourd'hui 70 ans.
J'aurais aimé être forestier ; je fus un arbre dans la ville, mais sur chacune de mes feuilles est écrite un souvenir de cette période, où notre génération ''Forestière'' se chauffait au bois de nos espérances. La plus vivace était, et reste celle de changer toutes ''trêves'' en une Paix durable.
Merci Maxime Le Forestier. Tu restes l'Âme de ma génération.
@chamaclinea
C’est beau....
@lepoissonthibaut6279
Waw
@nour-eddinefath7027
Excellent!