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 mauvais sujet repenti
Renaud Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Les hanches pleines,
Et chassait le mâle aux alentours
De la Madeleine
A sa façon de me dire " Mon rat,
Est-ce que je te tente?"
Je vis que j'avais affaire à
Une débutante
L'avait le don, c'est vrai, j'en conviens,
L'avait le génie,
Mais, sans technique, un don n'est rien
Qu'un' sale manie
Certes on ne se fait pas putain
Comme on se fait nonne,
C'est du moins ce qu'on prêche, en latin,
A la Sorbonne
Me sentant rempli de pitié
Pour la donzelle,
Je lui enseignai, de son métier,
Les petites ficelles
Je lui enseignai le moyen du bientôt
Faire fortune,
En bougeant l'endroit où le dos
Ressemble à la lune
Car, dans l'art de faire le trottoir,
Je le confesse,
Le difficile est du bien savoir
Jouer des fesses
On ne tortille pas son popotin
De la même manière,
Pour un droguiste, un sacristain,
Un fonctionnaire
Rapidement instruite par
Mes bons offices,
Elle m'investit d'une part
Dises bénéfices
On s'aida mutuellement,
Comme dit le poète.
Elle était le corps, naturellement,
Puis moi la tête
Un soir, à la suite de
Manœuvres douteuses,
Elle' tomba victime d'une
Maladie honteuse
Lors, en tout bien, toute amitié,
En fille probe,
Elle me passa la moitié
De ses microbes
Après des injections aiguës
D'antiseptique,
J'abandonnai le métier d'cocu
Systématique
Elle eut beau pousser des sanglots,
Braire à tu'-tête,
Comme je n'étais qu'un salaud,
Je me fis honnête
Sitôt privée de ma tutelle,
Ma pauvre amie
Courut essuyer du bordel
Les infamies
Paraît qu'elle se vend même à des flics,
Quelle décadence!
Y a plus de moralité publique
Dans notre France
The song "Le mauvais sujet repenti" by Renaud tells a story of a man who meets a novice prostitute and teaches her the tricks of the trade. The singer describes the woman's physical attributes, notably her "full hips," and her ability to attract men in the area. She approaches him, asking if she tempts him, and he realizes he is dealing with a beginner. Despite having a talent for the work, she lacks technique, which the singer believes is necessary for success. He feels sorry for her and decides to teach her "the little strings" of the trade.
The man teaches the woman how to make a fortune using her body, and she shares half of the profits with him. However, she eventually contracts a sexually transmitted infection, and the singer abandons his role as a systematic cuckold. While the woman bemoans the loss of her mentor, the singer declares that he is now an honest man. The song ends with a commentary on the decadence and lack of public morality in France.
The lyrics suggest that prostitution can be a way for women to make a living, but it also exposes them to risks and exploitation. The singer of the song takes on the role of a mentor, but his motivation is not entirely altruistic. He enjoys the benefits of the woman's profession and only abandons it when it is no longer viable for him. The commentary on French society at the end of the song suggests that the singer's character flaws are not unique to him but are emblematic of the wider social decay.
Line by Line Meaning
Elle avait la taille faite au tour,
She had the perfect figure,
Les hanches pleines,
With full hips,
Et chassait le mâle aux alentours
And hunted males in the vicinity,
De la Madeleine
Around Madeleine (a district in Paris)
A sa façon de me dire "Mon rat,
In her way of saying to me "My kitten,
Est-ce que je te tente?"
"Am I tempting you?"
Je vis que j'avais affaire à
I saw that I was dealing with
Une débutante
A beginner
L'avait le don, c'est vrai, j'en conviens,
She had the gift, it's true, I agree
L'avait le génie,
She had the talent,
Mais, sans technique, un don n'est rien
But without technique, a talent is nothing
Qu'un' sale manie
But a bad habit
Certes on ne se fait pas putain
Certainly, one doesn't become a whore
Comme on se fait nonne,
Like becoming a nun,
C'est du moins ce qu'on prêche, en latin,
At least that's what they preach in Latin,
A la Sorbonne
At the Sorbonne
Me sentant rempli de pitié
Feeling full of pity
Pour la donzelle,
For the young woman,
Je lui enseignai, de son métier,
I taught her the tricks of her trade,
Les petites ficelles
The little ropes
Je lui enseignai le moyen du bientôt
I taught her the way to soon
Faire fortune,
To make a fortune,
En bougeant l'endroit où le dos
By moving the spot where the back
Ressemble à la lune
Looks like the moon
Car, dans l'art de faire le trottoir,
Because, in the art of working the street,
Je le confesse,
I confess it,
Le difficile est du bien savoir
The difficult part is knowing well
Jouer des fesses
How to play with your hips
On ne tortille pas son popotin
One doesn't wiggle their behind
De la même manière,
The same way
Pour un droguiste, un sacristain,
For a pharmacist, a sacristan,
Un fonctionnaire
A civil servant
Rapidement instruite par
Quickly instructed by
Mes bons offices,
My good services,
Elle m'investit d'une part
She gave me a share
Dises bénéfices
Of her earnings
On s'aida mutuellement,
We helped each other out,
Comme dit le poète.
As the poet says.
Elle était le corps, naturellement,
She was the body, naturally,
Puis moi la tête
And I was the brains
Un soir, à la suite de
One night, after
Manœuvres douteuses,
Suspicious maneuvers,
Elle' tomba victime d'une
She fell victim to a
Maladie honteuse
Shameful disease
Lors, en tout bien, toute amitié,
Then, in all honesty, in friendship,
En fille probe,
As an honest girl,
Elle me passa la moitié
She gave me half
De ses microbes
Of her germs
Après des injections aiguës
After sharp injections
D'antiseptique,
Of antiseptic,
J'abandonnai le métier d'cocu
I abandoned the profession of a cuckold
Systématique
Systematic
Elle eut beau pousser des sanglots,
She tried to cry,
Braire à tu'-tête,
Screaming at the top of her lungs,
Comme je n'étais qu'un salaud,
But since I was just a bastard,
Je me fis honnête
I made myself honest
Sitôt privée de ma tutelle,
As soon as she was deprived of my guidance,
Ma pauvre amie
My poor friend
Courut essuyer du bordel
Went to work at a brothel
Les infamies
Committing infamies
Paraît qu'elle se vend même à des flics,
Apparently, she even sells herself to cops,
Quelle décadence!
What a decline!
Y a plus de moralité publique
There is no more public morality
Dans notre France
In our France
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Georges Charles Brassens, Eugene-Louis-Henri Metehen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind