Extremely versatile and respected French singer-songwriter. His music is a … Read Full Bio ↴Extremely versatile and respected French singer-songwriter. His music is a crossover of folk, rock, blues and punk. Active since the 70s, Renaud has written some very controversial songs during his musical career, the most famous one (to British readers at least) praising all women as being better than men except Margaret Thatcher, saying that if he comes back as a dog in his next life, he will use her as a lampost... He is famously recovering from alcoholism with some degree of success.

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".

Le Tango Des Élus
Renaud Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Et dire que chaque fois que nous votions pour eux
Nous faisions taire en nous ce cri, "ni dieu ni maître!"
Dont ils rient à présent puisqu'ils se sont fait dieux
Et qu'une fois de plus nous nous sommes fait mettre

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of the Renaud's song Le Tango Des Élus express the singer's frustration and disappointment with the political system in which politicians who we voted for as representatives of the people have turned into authoritarian figures who disregard the interests of the citizens they are supposed to serve. Renaud highlights the fact that each time we vote for such politicians, we betray our belief in the mantra "ni dieu ni maître!" (no god, no master!) which stands for the individual freedom of thought and expression that is central to democracy. However, these politicians now mock this principle since they have become gods in their own right and are dictating to us how we should live our lives. Renaud laments that once again, we have allowed ourselves to be fooled by them.

The song also carries the message that the political elite has betrayed the people's trust and has become consumed by their own greed and self-importance. Renaud implies that we have given them power and they are using it against us. The lyrics resonate with those who see power as something to be feared as it can corrupt even the most well-intentioned.

Line by Line Meaning

Et dire que chaque fois que nous votions pour eux
It's unbelievable that every time we voted for them,

Nous faisions taire en nous ce cri, "ni dieu ni maître!"
we silenced the cry inside us that said "neither God nor master!"

Dont ils rient à présent puisqu'ils se sont fait dieux
Now they laugh at us because they have become gods,

Et qu'une fois de plus nous nous sommes fait mettre
And once again, we have been screwed over.

Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: RENAUD PIERRE MANUEL SECHAN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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