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".
Les Molettes
Renaud Lyrics
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Ch'étot l'âm' ed' la région
I fallot l'saquer à l'pelle
Dins chés tall's éeh' earbon
In étot noyés d'sueur
In y mettot tout sin eoeur
In savot qu'eha n'étot pas pour rien
Ch'est eomm' eha qu'in gagnot sin pain
Là in haut i n' n'avot deux
Tout à l'tiêt' du chevalet
I n'arrêtott' pas d'tourner
Quand in l'air in l'vot ses yeux
ln étot tout heureux
Aujourd'hui in n'vot pas cha
Jé n'cros pas qu'cha r'tournera
I vont bientôt disparaître
Les molettes
Y'a Totoche un vieux mineur
Qui vient d'avoir es' pinsion
Y'a bin n'mau à sin eoeur
Qui n'peut pus vir el' fond
Comm' y dit ch'étot l'bon temps
Si j'avos incor vingt ans
l'apprindros à tous ehés jeun's d'à eh't'heure
Commint t'nir un martieau-piqueur
Mais in ravissant in l'air
Tout d'un eop i'a invie d'braire
Tous les jours éd' bore matin
Dé l'voyette éd' sin gardin
I véyot tourner deux roulettes
Cha vivot ch'étot bien
Aujourd'hui cha n 'marche plus
Ch'est muet comme eun' statue
In va les fair' disparaître
Les molettes
Mais j'cros Lin qu'ch'est pas fin
E1' carbon ch'est tout'not'vie
I attind fauqu' après nous
Des molettes des barrons
E1' souffrance, el' faim, l'bhômage
Cha s'ra Lin vite oublié
In rouvrira tous les moulinaches
In s'ra fier ed' dévaller
Alors in haut des chevalets
Les roulettes i s'mettront à r'tourner
Ch'est tondis rot' seul espoir
D'armonter un jour tout noir
Avec incor dins s 'musette
Du bon pair d'alouette
De l 'cage jusqu'au lavabo
In pinss'ra tous à nos tchots
In n'veut pus jamais qu'i s'arrêtent
Nos molettes
Ch 'est toudis not' seul espoir
D'armonter un jour tout noir
In n'veut pas les vir disparaître
Nos molettes
The song "Les Molettes" by Renaud is an ode to traditional coal mining and the hardships that came with it. The lyrics speak of a time long gone when miners had to work hard to extract coal from the earth. They had to use pickaxes and shovels, and they often worked in harsh conditions that were dangerous and unhealthy. The phrase "Les Molettes" refers to the mining wheels that were used to transport workers and equipment up and down the mine shafts. These wheels were operated manually and required a lot of strength and stamina to turn.
The song also speaks of the difficult times that miners faced once the mines started to close down. Many miners were left without jobs, and some struggled to make ends meet. The character of Totoche, a retired miner who is struggling to adjust to life outside the mine, is a representation of this struggle. The song ends on a hopeful note, with Renaud predicting that one day mining will return, and the wheels will start turning again. This represents the hope that mining communities had for the future, even in the face of adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
Y'a longtemps ej' min rappell'
I remember a long time ago
Ch'étot l'âm' ed' la région
It was the soul of the region
I fallot l'saquer à l'pelle
We had to dig it out with a shovel
Dins chés tall's éeh' earbon
In the dark coal pits
In étot noyés d'sueur
We were soaked in sweat
In y mettot tout sin eoeur
We put all our heart into it
In savot qu'eha n'étot pas pour rien
We knew it wasn't for nothing
Ch'est eomm' eha qu'in gagnot sin pain
It was how we earned our bread
Pour cha in étot pas tout seul
We weren't alone in it
Là in haut i n' n'avot deux
Up there, we were only two
Tout à l'tiêt' du chevalet
Right at the head of the frame
I n'arrêtott' pas d'tourner
It never stopped turning
Quand in l'air in l'vot ses yeux
When you saw his eyes light up
ln étot tout heureux
He was so happy
Aujourd'hui in n'vot pas cha
Today we don't see that
Jé n'cros pas qu'cha r'tournera
I don't think it will come back
I vont bientôt disparaître
They will soon disappear
Les molettes
The wheels
Y'a Totoche un vieux mineur
There was Totoche, an old miner
Qui vient d'avoir es' pinsion
Who just retired
Y'a bin n'mau à sin eoeur
He's hurting inside
Qui n'peut pus vir el' fond
Who can't see the bottom anymore
Comm' y dit ch'étot l'bon temps
As he says, it was the good times
Si j'avos incor vingt ans
If I were twenty again
l'apprindros à tous ehés jeun's d'à eh't'heure
I would teach all the young people now
Commint t'nir un martieau-piqueur
How to handle a pickaxe
Mais in ravissant in l'air
But, suddenly, in the air
Tout d'un eop i'a invie d'braire
He feels like screaming out loud
Tous les jours éd' bore matin
Every morning, early
Dé l'voyette éd' sin gardin
From the path of his garden
I véyot tourner deux roulettes
He saw two wheels turning
Cha vivot ch'étot bien
It was alive, it was good
Aujourd'hui cha n 'marche plus
Today it doesn't work anymore
Ch'est muet comme eun' statue
It's silent like a statue
In va les fair' disparaître
We're going to make them disappear
Mais j'cros Lin qu'ch'est pas fin
But I don't think it's over
E1' carbon ch'est tout'not'vie
Coal is our whole life
I attind fauqu' après nous
It will wait for us to come back
Des molettes des barrons
The wheels, the bars
E1' souffrance, el' faim, l'bhômage
The pain, the hunger, unemployment
Cha s'ra Lin vite oublié
It will be quickly forgotten
In rouvrira tous les moulinaches
We'll reopen all the mills
In s'ra fier ed' dévaller
We'll be proud to dig
Alors in haut des chevalets
Then, up on the frames
Les roulettes i s'mettront à r'tourner
The wheels will start turning again
Ch'est tondis rot' seul espoir
It's still our only hope
D'armonter un jour tout noir
To rise up again one day
Avec incor dins s 'musette
With still in our backpack
Du bon pair d'alouette
A good pair of larks
De l 'cage jusqu'au lavabo
From the cage to the sink
In pinss'ra tous à nos tchots
We'll think of all our little ones
In n'veut pus jamais qu'i s'arrêtent
We never want them to stop again
Nos molettes
Our wheels
Ch 'est toudis not' seul espoir
It's still our only hope
D'armonter un jour tout noir
To rise up again one day
In n'veut pas les vir disparaître
We don't want to see them disappear
Nos molettes
Our wheels
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: EDMOND TANIERE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind