Pierre Perret (born July 9, 1934 in Castelsarrasin), is a French singer and… Read Full Bio ↴Pierre Perret (born July 9, 1934 in Castelsarrasin), is a French singer and composer. Pierre Perret resides in the city of Nangis.

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.

Vaisselle Cassée
Pierre Perret Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Savez-vous casser la vaisselle à maman
Voilà voilà comment on s'y prend
La toute première fois
On hésite un peu
Quand on a pris le coup
C'est marrant comme tout
On pose une assiette
Sur une autre assiette

Puis de plus en plus
Jusqu'à ce qu'y en ait plus
La pile sur la tête
On enlève la main
Puis on lève un pied
En chantant ce refrain

Vaisselle cassée
C'est la fessée
Vaisselle foutue
Pan-pan cul-cul

Vaisselle cassée
C'est la fessée
Vaisselle foutue
Pan-pan cul-cul

Savez-vous casser la vaisselle à maman
Voilà voilà comment on s'y prend
Sur le plan musical
Sachez mes petits
Qu'avec du cristal
C'est bien plus joli
Vous posez un verre
Sur un autre verre
Puis de plus en plus
Jusqu'à ce qu'y en ait plus
La pile sur la tête
On enlève la main
Puis on lève un pied
En chantant ce refrain

Vaisselle cassée
C'est la fessée
Vaisselle foutue
Pan-pan cul-cul

Vaisselle cassée
C'est la fessée
Vaisselle foutue
Pan-pan cul-cul

Savez-vous casser la vaisselle à maman
Voilà voilà comment on s'y prend
Pour la deuxième fois
Papa s'est fâché
C'est vrai qu'la vaisselle
C'est pas bon marché
Prenez dans l'armoire
Un bocal de poires
Puis un vase de Gien
S'il reste plus rien
La pile sur la tête
Écartez vos mains
Puis levez une gambette
En chantant ce refrain

Vaisselle cassée
C'est la fessée
Vaisselle foutue
Pan-pan cul-cul

Vaisselle cassée
C'est la fessée

Vaisselle foutue
Pan-pan cul-cul

Overall Meaning

Pierre Perret's "Vaisselle Cassée" showcases a fun and playful side of childhood, where breaking dishes can be seen as a fun activity. The song explains how kids break dishes while playing in the kitchen and the consequences that they have to face. The first paragraph describes the process of breaking dishes and how it starts with a bit of hesitation but then becomes an enjoyable activity. The second paragraph adds a musical twist to the process, where the use of crystal glasses gives the breaking of dishes a more beautiful sound. The chorus reflects the consequences of breaking dishes, which is a spanking and shame, and how it relates to the French saying "pan-pan cul-cul," meaning to be punished.

In the third paragraph, the song shifts to the aftermath of the dish-breaking game. The father gets angry about his broken dishes and the song moves on to suggest alternative things to break such as jars and vases that are less expensive to replace. The chorus repeats the same consequences for breaking dishes but with a different context.

Line by Line Meaning

Savez-vous casser la vaisselle à maman
Do you know how to break your mother's dishes

Voilà voilà comment on s'y prend
Here's how to do it

La toute première fois
The very first time

On hésite un peu
We hesitate a bit

Quand on a pris le coup
Once we've gotten the hang of it

C'est marrant comme tout
It's really quite funny

On pose une assiette
We put one plate

Sur une autre assiette
On top of another plate

Puis de plus en plus
Then more and more

Jusqu'à ce qu'y en ait plus
Until there are none left

La pile sur la tête
The stack on your head