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.
Le cœur dans mon béret
Pierre Perret Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Quand je l'ai vue la vie m'est revenue
Elle était là et mon sang devint rouge enfiévré
Tout comme nos corps quand ils se sont trouvés
Je l'ai aimé je l'aime et l'aimerai
J'avais quinze ans le cœur dans mon béret
D'un bout de craie j'écrivais sur son mur chaque jour
Je t'aimerai je t'aime mon amour
On partait dénicher des nids de pie
On allait se rouler dans les épis
Du bord de la rivière on saluait les vendangeurs
Et les champs de tabac étaient en fleurs
Sa bouche était un volcan du Pérou
Et son ventre un bassin de poissons fous
Son jeune sein palpitait comme un cœur d'oiseau blessé
Dans ma main de chasseur embarrassé
Je l'ai aimée je l'aime et l'aimerai
J'avais quinze ans le cœur dans mon béret
D'un bout de craie j'écrivais sur son mur chaque jour
Je t'aimerai je t'aime mon amour
Mais la vie tue l'amour à petits coups
Je l'ai perdue dans un monde de fous
Mais dans mes bras monsieur elle vient de s'élancer si fort
Qu'à nouveau la fièvre est là dans mon corps
Mais à présent monsieur que dites-vous
Ce n'est là qu'un amour de jeune loup
Mais non monsieur l'adulte vous ne me la reprendrez pas
On s'est aimés on s'aime on s'aimera
Je l'ai aimée je l'aime et l'aimerai
J'avais quinze ans le cœur dans mon béret
D'un bout de craie j'écrivais sur son mur chaque jour
Je t'aimerai je t'aime mon amour.
The lyrics of Pierre Perret's song "Le cœur dans mon béret" tell a story of young love and the passionate emotions associated with it. The singer reflects on the moment he first saw the girl who brought life back into his existence, causing his blood to run passionately through his veins. He describes the intense connection between their bodies when they met.
The singer expresses his enduring love for this girl, stating that he loved her then, loves her now, and will continue to love her. He reminisces about their adventures together, such as hunting for magpie nests and rolling in the fields of wheat. They would watch the grape pickers from the bank of the river, and the tobacco fields were in full bloom. He compares her lips to a volcano from Peru and her belly to a wild fish basin. Her young breast fluttered like the heart of an injured bird in his insecure hunter's hand.
However, the singer also acknowledges the harsh realities of life that gradually diminish love. He confesses that he lost her in a world of madness. Despite this, he finds solace in the fact that she came back to him with such force that the fever of passion is once again alive in his body. In a final defiance to the adult's perspective, the singer states that their love is not just the fleeting infatuation of a young wolf, but a profound and lasting connection that will endure.
Overall, "Le cœur dans mon béret" captures the intense emotions and memories associated with young love, as well as the bittersweet realization of how life can sometimes challenge and distance lovers. It emphasizes the resilience of true love, which transcends time and societal expectations.
Line by Line Meaning
Voilà monsieur comment tout est venu
Here, sir, is how everything happened
Quand je l'ai vue la vie m'est revenue
When I saw her, life came back to me
Elle était là et mon sang devint rouge enfiévré
She was there and my blood became feverishly red
Tout comme nos corps quand ils se sont trouvés
Just like our bodies when they met
Je l'ai aimé je l'aime et l'aimerai
I loved her, I love her, and I will love her
J'avais quinze ans le cœur dans mon béret
I was fifteen with my heart in my beret
D'un bout de craie j'écrivais sur son mur chaque jour
With a piece of chalk, I wrote on her wall every day
Je t'aimerai je t'aime mon amour
I will love you, I love you, my love
On partait dénicher des nids de pie
We used to go hunt for magpie nests
On allait se rouler dans les épis
We would go roll in the spikes of grain
Du bord de la rivière on saluait les vendangeurs
From the riverbank, we greeted the grape pickers
Et les champs de tabac étaient en fleurs
And the tobacco fields were in bloom
Sa bouche était un volcan du Pérou
Her mouth was a volcano from Peru
Et son ventre un bassin de poissons fous
And her belly a basin of crazy fish
Son jeune sein palpitait comme un cœur d'oiseau blessé
Her young breast was beating like a wounded bird's heart
Dans ma main de chasseur embarrassé
In my embarrassed hunter's hand
Mais la vie tue l'amour à petits coups
But life kills love with small blows
Je l'ai perdue dans un monde de fous
I lost her in a crazy world
Mais dans mes bras monsieur elle vient de s'élancer si fort
But in my arms, sir, she just leaped so strongly
Qu'à nouveau la fièvre est là dans mon corps
That the fever is back in my body
Mais à présent monsieur que dites-vous
But now, sir, what do you say?
Ce n'est là qu'un amour de jeune loup
This is just a young wolf's love
Mais non monsieur l'adulte vous ne me la reprendrez pas
No, sir, the adult, you will not take her away from me
On s'est aimés on s'aime on s'aimera
We loved each other, we love each other, we will love each other
Je l'ai aimée je l'aime et l'aimerai
I loved her, I love her, and I will love her
J'avais quinze ans le cœur dans mon béret
I was fifteen with my heart in my beret
D'un bout de craie j'écrivais sur son mur chaque jour
With a piece of chalk, I wrote on her wall every day
Je t'aimerai je t'aime mon amour
I will love you, I love you, my love
Lyrics © BALANDRAS EDITIONS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Eric Bertrand
Un mot, un seul: MERCI ! :)
Lisbet Mer
C'est très beau, mon pierrot !!!
Michele Berland
Toujours aussi délicat. ..
thierry brouardelle capella voice
j adore ce titre derriiere il avait mére noel