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.
Là-haut sur la colline
Pierre Perret Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Trou du cul, champignon, tabatière
Là haut sur la colline (chœurs)
Il y avait un gros cul
Il y avait un gros cul (chœurs)
Un gros curé de campagne
Trou du cul, champignon, tabatière
Qu'astiquait son gros bout
Qu'astiquait son gros bout (chœurs)
Son gros bouquin de prières
Trou du cul, champignon, tabatière
Son gros bouquin de prières (chœurs)
Pour entrer dans un con
Pour entrer dans un con (chœurs)
Dans un confessionnal
Trou du cul, champignon, tabatière
Dans un confessionnal (chœurs)
Pour y tirer un coup
Pour y tirer un coup (chœurs)
Un coupable de l'enfer
Trou du cul, champignon, tabatière
Un coupable de l'enfer (chœurs)
Qui avait fait un gros pet
Qui avait fait un gros pet (chœurs)
Un gros péché mortel
Trou du cul, champignon, tabatière
Un gros péché mortel (chœurs)
Il avait trop pété
Il avait trop pété (chœurs)
Trop été au bordel
Trou du cul, champignon, tabatière
Trop été au bordel (chœurs)
Il n'y a que la quiquette
Il n'y a que la quiquette (chœurs)
Là qu'il quête pour les pauvres
Trou du cul, champignon, tabatière
Là qu'il quête pour les pauvres (chœurs)
Qui en ont tant besoin (bis)
Qui en ont tant besoin (chœurs)
The song "Là-haut sur la colline" by Pierre Perret is a satirical and humorous commentary on the hypocrisy and scandalous behavior of a rural priest. The lyrics describe the priest's large behind ("gros cul"), his habit of polishing his "gros bout" (likely a reference to his crucifix), and his oversized book of prayers which he uses to try and "enter" women ("entrer dans un con"). The priest's unbecoming behavior also includes using the confessional as a place to have sexual encounters ("y tirer un coup") and being guilty of "un gros péché mortel" - having spent too much time at the brothel.
The use of colloquial and vulgar language in the song serves to highlight the absurdity of the priest's supposed piety and the culture of silence around such behavior in the church. By placing such outrageous behavior in a rural setting, the song suggests that this type of scandalous behavior is not limited to urban or wealthy contexts.
Overall, "Là-haut sur la colline" is a biting critique of the Catholic Church and its priests, highlighting the pervasive and damaging hypocrisy that can exist in religious institutions.
Line by Line Meaning
Là haut sur la colline
Up there on the hill
Trou du cul, champignon, tabatière
Hole in the butt, mushroom, snuffbox
Il y avait un gros cul
There was a big butt
Un gros curé de campagne
A big country priest
Qu'astiquait son gros bout
Polishing his big knob
Son gros bouquin de prières
His big prayer book
Pour entrer dans un con
To enter a cunt
Dans un confessionnal
In a confessional
Pour y tirer un coup
To shoot a load in there
Un coupable de l'enfer
A sinner bound for hell
Qui avait fait un gros pet
Who had let out a big fart
Un gros péché mortel
A big mortal sin
Il avait trop pété
He had farted too much
Trop été au bordel
Been to the brothel too much
Il n'y a que la quiquette
There's only the thing
Là qu'il quête pour les pauvres
There, where he collects for the poor
Qui en ont tant besoin (bis)
Who are in such great need
Contributed by Samuel B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.