The most iconic song to many French people, and possibly the song that put him on the map, was the huge 70's French hit "Laisse Béton" (the story - told with a great deal of humour - of someone who enters a bar and gets mugged for everything he owns, from his leather jacket, to his jeans, his boots, and ends up in an alley without any clothes on).
Renaud 'came back' in 2002 with a huge hit 'Manhattan-Kaboul' (featuring Belgian singer Axelle Red), comparing the lives of a Puerto Rican in NYC to an Afghan girl in Kabul in 2001. This song catapulted his latest album to the top of the charts and earned him various awards in France. His latest album was published in october 2006 and was called "Rouge sang".
Incendie
Renaud Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Assis, tout seul, près du fourneau, le jour vient doucement
La journée sera longue et vide, comme souvent
Il me racontera encore sa vie d'itinérant
Au fond de l'Alabama, comme elle est loin sa terre
Reverra-t-il un jour sa rivière et le Connemara ?
Son pays brûle en lui comme un grand incendie dans la nuit
Ma mère nettoie par terre, courbée en deux, toujours
Par la vie de misère et puis par l'amour
Elle a pleuré, elle a souffert plus souvent qu'à son tour
Pour donner à manger au père aux enfants chaque jour
Au fond de l'Alabama, comme elle est loin sa terre
Ses frères, ses amis, la pluie qui tombe et le Connemara
Elle revoit son pays comme un grand incendie dans la nuit
Comme un grand incendie dans la nuit
Mon père va parfois, le soir, au billard du coin
Claquer un demi-dollar sans même un copain
Et lorsque nous sommes jetés comme de pauvres chiens
Du dancing près de la jetée, le vieux ne dit rien
Il ira demain matin encore au bureau d'emploi
Faire la queue pendant des heures en se demandant pourquoi
Pas de job, pas de boulot, râpé, pas pour les Irlandais
Il sera toujours pour ces gens un putain d'immigrant
Au fond de l'Alabama, comme elle est loin sa terre
Reverra-t-il un jour sa rivière et le Connemara ?
Son pays brûle en lui comme un grand incendie dans la nuit
Comme un grand incendie dans la nuit
Comme un grand incendie dans la nuit.
The song "Incendie" by Renaud tells the story of a family, likely of Irish descent, living in the United States. The father wakes up early every morning, alone, and drinks his hot coffee near the stove while the day slowly begins. He will talk to his children about his life as a wanderer, still longing for his homeland in the depths of Alabama. The mother spends her days cleaning floors and taking care of her family, and although she has suffered a lot, she remains devoted to them. She also dreams of the green fields and raining days in her homeland, the Connemara.
The song touches on the struggles of immigrant families, their feelings of isolation, and their longing for their homeland. The family in the song is poor, and the father spends his days at the employment office, hoping for a job, while the mother does her best to ensure her family has enough to eat. The song's title, "Incendie," French for "fire," is a metaphor for the intense feelings of homesickness felt by the family members.
Overall, Renaud's "Incendie" highlights the challenges that many immigrant families face when they leave their homes in search of a better life. It speaks to the universal human desire to connect with our roots and feel a sense of belonging.
Line by Line Meaning
Mon père se lève tôt
My father wakes up early
Il prend son café brûlant
He drinks his scorching hot coffee
Assis, tout seul, près du fourneau
Sitting all alone, near the stove
Le jour vient doucement
The day slowly comes
La journée sera longue
The day will be long
Et vide, comme souvent
And empty, as often
Il me racontera encore
He will tell me again
Sa vie d'itinérant
His life as a wanderer
Au fond de l'Alabama
Deep in Alabama
Comme elle est loin sa terre
How far his land is
Reverra-t-il un jour sa rivière
Will he ever see his river again
Et le Connemara?
And the Connemara?
Son pays brûle en lui
His country burns inside him
Comme un grand incendie dans la nuit
Like a big fire in the night
Ma mère nettoie par terre
My mother cleans the floor
Courbée en deux, toujours
Bent over, always
Par la vie de misère
Because of the life of misery
Et puis par l'amour
And also because of love
Elle a pleuré, elle a souffert
She cried, she suffered
Plus souvent qu'à son tour
More than her fair share
Pour donner à manger au père
To feed the father
Aux enfants chaque jour
And the children every day
Ses frères, ses amis, la pluie qui tombe
Her brothers, her friends, the falling rain
Elle revoit son pays
She sees her country again
Mon père va parfois, le soir,
Sometimes my father goes in the evening
Au billard du coin
To the local pool hall
Claquer un demi-dollar
To spend half a dollar
Sans même un copain
Without even a friend
Et lorsque nous sommes jetés
And when we are thrown out
Comme de pauvres chiens
Like poor dogs
Du dancing près de la jetée
From the dance near the pier
Le vieux ne dit rien
The old man says nothing
Il ira demain matin encore
He will go again tomorrow morning
Au bureau d'emploi
To the employment office
Faire la queue pendant des heures
Wait in line for hours
En se demandant pourquoi
Wondering why
Pas de job, pas de boulot, râpé
No jobs, no work, broke
Pas pour les Irlandais
Not for the Irish
Il sera toujours pour ces gens
He will always be for these people
Un putain d'immigrant
A damn immigrant
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Elvis Presley, Vera Matson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind