Michel Fugain is a French singer-songwriter who began his songwriting caree… Read Full Bio ↴Michel Fugain is a French singer-songwriter who began his songwriting career for others (like Hugues Aufray or Dalida) in the early 1960s and released his first record in 1966. He reached the peak of his popularity with his musical troupe "Big Bazar" in the early 1970s, with a string of major hits including "Une Belle Histoire" and "Fais Comme l'Oiseau", and had never ceased to record since then.

On A La Mer
Michel Fugain Lyrics

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Il avait une fleur entre les dents, entre les dents,
Il avait dans le coeur l'amour du large et des grands vents,
Et quand il embarquait par trop gros temps, il nous disait:
"Nous, on n'a pas de cimetiиre, on a la mer"

Quand il ne revint pas un beau matin, un beau matin,
Les femmes ne pleuraient pas, elles joignaient seulement leurs mains,
Les hommes ne disaient rien mais ils pensaient: "Un jour, qui sait...

Nous, on n'a pas de cimetiиre, on a la mer"

Et quand la vague un jour nous ramena une fleur,
On l'a compris, qu'il nous laissait encore son coeur.

Il avait une fleur entre les dents, entre les dents,
Il avait dans le coeur l'amour du large et des grands vents,

Quand nous parlons de lui, tout en riant, on se redit:
"Nous, on n'a pas de cimetiиre, on a la mer".

Overall Meaning

The song 'On A La Mer' by Michel Fugain speaks about the life of a sailor who loved the sea and the feeling of the wind in his face. The sailor had a flower in his teeth, which was his style, and he carried the love of the ocean in his heart. Every time he sailed in rough weather, he would say, "We don't have a cemetery, we have the sea." But one day, he didn't return, and the women did not cry, they simply joined their hands. The men kept silent, but they thought that one day, they might meet him again. However, they realized that they could never meet him on land because their sailor friend had no grave on land. Instead, he had the vast and beautiful ocean as his final resting place.

The song's lyrics are about the honor and respect that one earns from spending their entire life at sea. It is about that sea-lover who fully embraced the life of a sailor and inspired others with his passion for it. The song speaks of the circle of life that sailors enjoy, and how even after their lives end, the sea is still there, and they will always be remembered by it. The song captures the spirit of adventure, the freedom that comes with being on the high seas, and the unique relationships formed among sailors.

Line by Line Meaning

Il avait une fleur entre les dents, entre les dents,
He had a flower between his teeth, between his teeth,

Il avait dans le coeur l'amour du large et des grands vents,
He had the love of the open sea and strong winds in his heart,

Et quand il embarquait par trop gros temps, il nous disait: "Nous, on n'a pas de cimetiиre, on a la mer"
And when he sailed in bad weather, he would tell us, 'We don't have a cemetery, we have the sea.'

Quand il ne revint pas un beau matin, un beau matin,
When he didn't come back one beautiful morning, one beautiful morning,

Les femmes ne pleuraient pas, elles joignaient seulement leurs mains,
The women didn't cry, they only clasped their hands together,

Les hommes ne disaient rien mais ils pensaient: "Un jour, qui sait...
The men didn't say anything, but they thought, 'One day, who knows...'

Nous, on n'a pas de cimetiиre, on a la mer"
'We don't have a cemetery, we have the sea.'

Et quand la vague un jour nous ramena une fleur,
And when the wave one day brought us a flower back,

On l'a compris, qu'il nous laissait encore son coeur.
We understood that he was still leaving his heart with us.

Il avait une fleur entre les dents, entre les dents,
He had a flower between his teeth, between his teeth,

Il avait dans le coeur l'amour du large et des grands vents,
He had the love of the open sea and strong winds in his heart,

Quand nous parlons de lui, tout en riant, on se redit: "Nous, on n'a pas de cimetiиre, on a la mer".
When we talk about him, still laughing, we remind ourselves: 'We don't have a cemetery, we have the sea.'

Contributed by Taylor Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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Comments from YouTube:

Monique GRIMAUD

4y↑1

Souvenirs d'enfance ! Et j'ai découvert ce soir que cette superbe chanson était de Michel Fugain 💞💞

herve lallouette

en homage à tous les marins pêcheurs, qui doivent lutter quand la mer est grosse et que le tempête menace, pour nous amener du poisson frais ! Amitiés à tous les marins pêcheurs de la mer d'Iroise ! Hervé de Néoules !