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.
La famille sauf moi
Pierre Perret Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tout l'mond' veut travailler
Sauf moi
J'vois par exempl'ma soeur
Ell'bat l'beurr'
Ma mèr'qui n'aime pas le beurr'
Bat ma soeur
Et cett'sorcière dérouill'mon frère
Qu'les pieds du facteur
{Refrain:}
Moi je m'éveille j'lav'mes oreilles
Dès qu'y a plus d'obstruction
J'écout'les informations
Chez nous tout l'mond'fait la prière
Les talons sous l'derrièr'
Sauf moi
Tous les dimanch's matin de confess'
Ils se point'nt aussitôt à la mess'
Mes soeurs mes frères
S'en vont pépères
Avec les enfants d'choeur
Avaler l'sapeur
{Refrain:}
Moi je m'éveille je lave mes oreilles
Je m'étire en sign'de croix
Manqu'de pot j'me crèv'l'oeil droit
Chez nous on embrass'les parents
Deux cent mill'fois par an
Sauf moi
Si y'en a un qui fout l'camp
On l'embrass'
Dès qui y'en a un qui r'vient
IL y r'pass'
Ça les stimule de faire des bulles
Le soir y a même plus besoin
D'aller prendre un bain
{Refrain:}
J'ai dû m'y faire'j'embrasse ma mère
Et le mari de l'épicière
Qui est aussi un peu mon père
Chez nous tout l'mond'est fou à lier
Ils sont tous enfermés
Sauf moi
The French song La famille sauf moi (The Family Except for Me) by Pierre Perret is a humorous and satirical commentary on the mundanity of familial life. The lyrics describe the everyday happenings in a household where everyone is busy, except for the singer. The family members engage in a lot of activities, such as working, cooking, praying, confession, and greeting relatives, while the singer observes them with detachment.
The opening lines of the song, "Chez nous tout le monde est occupé, Tout l'mond' veut travailler, Sauf moi", indicate that everyone in the family is busy and eager to work, except for the singer. He then goes on to describe his sister and mother, who are busy churning butter, an activity that he despises. He also mentions his brother, whom he calls a witch, and who annoys his sister as much as the postman's feet. The singer, in contrast, does not engage in any physical labor, preferring to listen to the news after unblocking his ears.
The song continues to describe the family's religious activities, such as praying and attending confession, which the singer opts out of, instead choosing to stretch and make the sign of the cross, but ending up poking his eye. The song ends with the singer describing the family's habit of kissing their relatives, even the husband of the grocery store owner, who is also his father. The singer seems to be the odd one out in the family, who is not conforming to the norms and rituals of familial life.
Overall, the song highlights the mundane and sometimes absurd aspects of familial life, and the singer's refusal to participate in them, making for a humorous and satirical commentary.
Line by Line Meaning
Chez nous tout le monde est occupé
In our home, everyone is occupied with something.
Tout l'mond' veut travailler
Everyone wants to work and be productive.
Sauf moi
Except me.
J'vois par exempl'ma soeur
For instance, my sister...
Ell'bat l'beurr'
...who churns the butter.
Ma mèr'qui n'aime pas le beurr'
My mother, who doesn't even like butter...
Bat ma soeur
...makes my sister churn it anyway.
Et cett'sorcière dérouill'mon frère
And that wicked person beats my brother...
Qui piffe autant ma soeur
...who also annoys my sister...
Qu'les pieds du facteur
...as much as the mailman's feet.
{Refrain:} Moi je m'éveille j'lav'mes oreilles
As for me, I wake up and clean my ears...
Dès qu'y a plus d'obstruction
...as soon as there are no more blockages.
J'écout'les informations
Then I listen to the news.
Chez nous tout l'mond'fait la prière
In our home, everyone prays.
Les talons sous l'derrièr'
They kneel with their heels under their buttocks.
Sauf moi
Except me.
Tous les dimanch's matin de confess'
Every Sunday morning, during confessions...
Ils se point'nt aussitôt à la mess'
...they rush over to church.
Mes soeurs mes frères
My sisters and brothers...
S'en vont pépères
...nonchalantly go there.
Avec les enfants d'choeur
...accompanied by the altar boys.
Avaler l'sapeur
...to hear the priest's sermon.
{Refrain:} Moi je m'éveille je lave mes oreilles
But for me, I wake up and clean my ears...
Je m'étire en sign'de croix
...then I stretch and make the sign of the cross.
Manqu'de pot j'me crèv'l'oeil droit
I just hope I don't poke my right eye out.
Chez nous on embrass'les parents
In our home, we kiss our parents...
Deux cent mill'fois par an
...two hundred thousand times a year.
Sauf moi
Except me.
Si y'en a un qui fout l'camp
If one of them leaves...
On l'embrass'
...we kiss them goodbye.
Dès qui y'en a un qui r'vient
As soon as one of them returns...
IL y r'pass'
...we kiss them again.
Ça les stimule de faire des bulles
It encourages them to blow bubbles.
Le soir y a même plus besoin
In the evening, there's no need...
D'aller prendre un bain
...to take a bath.
{Refrain:} J'ai dû m'y faire'j'embrasse ma mère
I had to get used to it... now I kiss my mother.
Et le mari de l'épicière
...and the grocer's husband.
Qui est aussi un peu mon père
...who is also a bit of a father figure.
Chez nous tout l'mond'est fou à lier
In our home, everyone is crazy!
Ils sont tous enfermés
They're all locked up.
Sauf moi
Except me.
Lyrics © SEMI
Written by: Pierre PERRET
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Tony Chartier
Énorme c est chanson