He spent a long part of his childhood in the café which his parents owned, where he learned work jargon and slang. At the age of 14 he signed up to the conservatoire de musique de Toulouse and to a dramatic arts institute. In the mean time, he set up his first band of 4 musicians in his own name, with whom he played at events throughout the region. In 1957, he was snapped up by Eddie Barclay who signed him on. It was in the studio of Barclay where he met his future wife, Simone Mazaltarim.
In 1958 Perret carried on touring round Parisian cabaret bars and crossed France and Africa as a part of the American group, The Platters. In Novemeber that year, a pleurisy forced him to take two years off in a sanatorium.
A master of the subtleties of the French language and French slang (he even rewrote some of Jean de La Fontaine's fables), his songs are often cheeky (for example Le zizi (The willy)) , asking questions in a seemingly naive child's tone, but has written more serious political songs, such as La bête est revenue, La petite kurde, Vert de Colère ou Lily.
Belle Rose
Pierre Perret Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tes seize ans te font péter plus haut que ton cul
Papa Ronsard l'a dit
Queneau te l'a redit
Viens mignonne sors de ton lycée
Il est temps de nous enlacer
Belle rose devient gratte-cul
Regarde cette fille, elle a trente ans passés
Si elle est chaste c'est qu'on lui a rien demandé
Mais moi je t'en supplie
Papa Ronsard l'a dit
Si demain t'as pas vu les fraisiers
T'auras du remords dans le gosier
Belle rose devient gratte-cul
A toi la plus belle je n'en dis pas plus
Et quand de pourpre verra ta fleur éclatée
Tous les oiseaux pour toi se mettront à chanter
Oh! Douce mort souhaitée
Pour mieux ressusciter
Je te l'offre dans un lit tout blanc
Berceau de nos ébats gourmands
Belle rose devient gratte-cul
A toi la plus belle je n'en dis pas plus
Puisses-tu avoir fait au bilan des amours
Autant de fois l'amour que tu as vécu de jours
Laisse aux gens comme il faut
Leurs devoirs conjugaux
Et rêvant d'un amour clandestin
Faire leur prière tous les matins
Belle rose devient gratte-cul
A toi la plus belle je n'en dis pas plus
L'amour en quelque sorte est un secret maquis
Le seul refuge des amoureux de la vie
De ceux qui n'aiment pas
Clairons et guérillas
Dans tes bras plutôt mourir un jour
Que périr au son des tambours
Belle rose devient gratte-cul
A toi la plus belle je n'en dis pas plus
The song "Belle Rose" by Pierre Perret is a satirical commentary on society's expectations of women and their sexuality. The singer of the song is addressing a young woman who is being told to be more reserved and chaste. The lyrics also criticize the societal norms of arranged marriages, conjugal duties, and the pressure to conform to a certain standard of beauty.
The first verse of the song tells the young woman not to push away the singer and to stop acting superior because of her youthfulness. The singer references two literary figures, Ronsard and Queneau, to show that these societal expectations have been around for a long time. The singer then urges the young woman to leave school and embrace life with him. The phrase "gratte-cul" means "itchy bum" and is used to describe the young woman's future if she does not loosen up and enjoy life.
In the second verse, the singer brings up an older woman who has not had the same experiences as the young woman. He implores the young woman to savor life and have no regrets. He references the strawberries as a metaphor for life experiences and warns that not taking advantage of them will lead to regret. The phrase "gratte-cul" is used again to describe the older woman's life.
The third verse is a bit more melancholic, with the singer mentioning the inevitability of death. He suggests that dying with someone you love is a worthwhile goal, and he offers himself as that person. The phrase "gratte-cul" is used for a third time, indicating that the older woman's life has been unfulfilled. The final verse references the secrecy surrounding love and the toll that societal expectations can take on a person.
Line by Line Meaning
Ne me dis plus "Va-t'en!", ne me repousse plus
Stop telling me to go away and pushing me away
Tes seize ans te font péter plus haut que ton cul
Your youth is making you act arrogant
Papa Ronsard l'a dit
Even the great poet Ronsard said it
Queneau te l'a redit
Even Queneau reminded you
Viens mignonne sors de ton lycée
Come on, cutie, leave your high school
Il est temps de nous enlacer
It's time for us to embrace
Belle rose devient gratte-cul
Beautiful rose turns into an itchy plant
A toi la plus belle je n'en dis pas plus
You are the most beautiful, I won't say more than that
Regarde cette fille, elle a trente ans passés
Look at that girl, she's over thirty years old
Si elle est chaste c'est qu'on lui a rien demandé
If she's chaste, it's because nobody asked her otherwise
Mais moi je t'en supplie
But I beg of you
Papa Ronsard l'a dit
Even Ronsard said it
Si demain t'as pas vu les fraisiers
If you haven't seen the strawberry fields tomorrow
T'auras du remords dans le gosier
You'll feel regret in your throat
Et quand de pourpre verra ta fleur éclatée
And when your flower bursts into a purple hue
Tous les oiseaux pour toi se mettront à chanter
All the birds will start singing for you
Oh! Douce mort souhaitée
Oh! Sweet, desired death
Pour mieux ressusciter
To better come back to life
Je te l'offre dans un lit tout blanc
I offer it to you in a pure white bed
Berceau de nos ébats gourmands
Cradle of our gluttonous lovemaking
Puisses-tu avoir fait au bilan des amours
May you have as much love in your life as the days you've lived
Autant de fois l'amour que tu as vécu de jours
As many times love as the days you've lived
Laisse aux gens comme il faut
Leave the proper people to their conjugal duties
Leurs devoirs conjugaux
Their marital obligations
Et rêvant d'un amour clandestin
And dreaming of a secret love
Faire leur prière tous les matins
Say their prayers every morning
L'amour en quelque sorte est un secret maquis
Love is in a way a secret hideout
Le seul refuge des amoureux de la vie
The only refuge of those who love life
De ceux qui n'aiment pas
Of those who don't love
Clairons et guérillas
Trumpets and guerilla warfare
Dans tes bras plutôt mourir un jour
I'd rather die one day in your arms
Que périr au son des tambours
Than perish to the sound of drums
Lyrics © SONGS OF PEER LTD
Written by: Pierre PERRET
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind