Bonheur
Michèle Bernard Lyrics
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Michèle Bernard
Tu voudrais lire tous les livres
Rattraper tant d'années perdues
Danser des heures et parfois suivre
Sur la route des inconnus {x2}
Tu voudrais pouvoir tout saisir
La main, la pensée, le couteau
Te coucher tard, te lever tôt
Savoir la douleur, le plaisir
Tu voudrais pouvoir caresser
Tous les cous, toutes les épaules
Entre tous les draps te glisser
Tomber les masques et les rôles {x2}
Bonheur, bonheur, désir comme un appel
Bonheur, tout ce qui vit te fait envie
Bonheur, tu te jettes à l'eau, tu souris
Désire et tu commences à vivre
Tu te souviens du pensionnat
Qui a peint en gris ton enfance
T'a ficelée, te laissant là
Pleine de peurs et de défenses {x2}
Morne, médiocre et sans désir
Tu pressentais cette existence
Qu'on t'imposerait comme le silence
Pour t'empêcher de réagir
Mais dans l'ombre du grand dortoir
Et tu crachais dans ton mouchoir
Quand s'éloignait la religieuse {x2}
Bonheur, bonheur, refus comme un souvenir
Bonheur, dont la tête enfin se nettoie
Bonheur, tu sais ce que tu ne veux pas
Refuse et tu commences à vivre
Les injustices et le mépris
Qui ont tout pouvoir pour détruire
Tu les traques et lorsque tu cries
Personne n'a envie de rire {x2}
Face à l'étau qui se resserre
Tes rêves sont si exigeants
Tu voudrais réveiller les gens
Et changer leur peur en colère
Pour qu'un jour ils aient des enfants
Qui mettraient, et sans plus attendre,
Le vieux monde à feu et à sang
Pour enfin pourvoir être tendres {x2}
Bonheur, bonheur, combat, comme une pierre
Bonheur, sous nos frondes tous ces pantins
Bonheur, perdront leur classe et leur maintien
Combat et tu commences à vivre
Michèle Bernard's song Bonheur is about the desire for happiness and the struggle to achieve it. The lyrics speak of wanting to read all the books, catch up on lost time, dance for hours, and follow unknown paths. The desire to understand everything and experience both pain and pleasure is also expressed. The song touches upon the struggles of childhood, specifically the experience of being sent away to boarding school, where one's freedom and desires are suppressed. The lyrics highlight the injustice and contempt present in society, and how these factors can prevent one from living a happy life. However, the song also speaks of the thirst for change and the need to rebel against the norms imposed by society in order to achieve happiness. It ends with the hope that future generations will have the courage to create a better world.
One interesting fact about this song is that it was released in 1979 as part of Michèle Bernard's album "De fil en aiguille", and it quickly became a hit. It is considered one of her most famous songs, and it has been covered by many other singers over the years. The song's lyrics have been interpreted as a call for revolution and change, which was a common theme in French music during the 1970s. The song's title, "Bonheur", translates to "happiness" in English, which is a common theme in French music in general.
Another interesting fact is that Michèle Bernard is a well-known French singer, songwriter, and guitarist. She has been active in the music industry since the 1970s and has released many albums over the years. Her music is known for its socially conscious themes and its connection to traditional French music. In addition to music, Michèle Bernard is also a playwright and screenwriter. She has written several plays and television scripts, and she has also collaborated on several films.
The chords for this song are as follows: G, D, Am, C.
Line by Line Meaning
Tu voudrais lire tous les livres
You wish you could read every book
Rattraper tant d'années perdues
Catch up on so many lost years
Danser des heures et parfois suivre
Dance for hours and sometimes follow
Sur la route des inconnus {x2}
On the road of strangers {x2}
Tu voudrais pouvoir tout saisir
You wish you could understand everything
La main, la pensée, le couteau
The hand, the thought, the knife
Te coucher tard, te lever tôt
Stay up late, wake up early
Savoir la douleur, le plaisir
Know pain, pleasure
Tu voudrais pouvoir caresser
You wish you could caress
Tous les cous, toutes les épaules
All necks, all shoulders
Entre tous les draps te glisser
Slip between all the sheets
Tomber les masques et les rôles {x2}
Drop the masks and the roles {x2}
Bonheur, bonheur, désir comme un appel
Happiness, happiness, desire like a call
Bonheur, tout ce qui vit te fait envie
Happiness, everything that lives makes you envious
Bonheur, tu te jettes à l'eau, tu souris
Happiness, you throw yourself into the water, you smile
Désire et tu commences à vivre
Desire and you start living
Tu te souviens du pensionnat
You remember the boarding school
Qui a peint en gris ton enfance
That painted your childhood in gray
T'a ficelée, te laissant là
Tied you up, leaving you there
Pleine de peurs et de défenses {x2}
Full of fears and defenses {x2}
Morne, médiocre et sans désir
Dull, mediocre and without desire
Tu pressentais cette existence
You felt this existence
Qu'on t'imposerait comme le silence
That would be imposed on you like silence
Pour t'empêcher de réagir
To prevent you from reacting
Mais dans l'ombre du grand dortoir
But in the shadow of the big dormitory
Tu guettais, sombre et vénéneuse
You watched, dark and venomous
Et tu crachais dans ton mouchoir
And you spat into your handkerchief
Quand s'éloignait la religieuse {x2}
When the nun walked away {x2}
Bonheur, bonheur, refus comme un souvenir
Happiness, happiness, refusal like a memory
Bonheur, dont la tête enfin se nettoie
Happiness, finally clearing your head
Bonheur, tu sais ce que tu ne veux pas
Happiness, you know what you don't want
Refuse et tu commences à vivre
Refuse and you start living
Les injustices et le mépris
Injustices and contempt
Qui ont tout pouvoir pour détruire
That have all the power to destroy
Tu les traques et lorsque tu cries
You track them down and when you shout
Personne n'a envie de rire {x2}
No one feels like laughing {x2}
Face à l'étau qui se resserre
Faced with the tightening vise
Tes rêves sont si exigeants
Your dreams are so demanding
Tu voudrais réveiller les gens
You want to wake people up
Et changer leur peur en colère
And turn their fear into anger
Pour qu'un jour ils aient des enfants
So that one day they have children
Qui mettraient, et sans plus attendre,
Who would put, without waiting any longer,
Le vieux monde à feu et à sang
The old world to fire and blood
Pour enfin pouvoir être tendres {x2}
To finally be able to be tender {x2}
Bonheur, bonheur, combat, comme une pierre
Happiness, happiness, fight, like a stone
Bonheur, sous nos frondes tous ces pantins
Happiness, under our branches all these puppets
Bonheur, perdront leur classe et leur maintien
Happiness, will lose their class and their composure
Combat et tu commences à vivre
Fight and you start living
Contributed by Dylan P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.