Oscar
Renaud Lyrics

Y venait du pays où habite la pluie
He came from a place where rain dominates, where even the presence of sun is ominous and indicates an upcoming rain with grey skies. His birthplace was famous for heavy rainfall.

Où quand y a du soleil c'est un mauvais présage
Sunshine was seen as a sign of upcoming rain, therefore, he believed that sunshine was an ill omen.

C'est qui va pleuvoir, c'est qui va faire gris
Clear skies and sunshine were rarely seen in his hometown, which meant that rainfall was imminent.

Il était chtimi jusqu'au bout des nuages
His attachment to his hometown and its reputation for rainfall was so strong that he carried it with him, even to the ends of his life.

L'a connu l'école que jusqu'à treize ans
He only went to school until he was thirteen years old.

Après c'est la mine qui lui a fait la peau
When he turned thirteen, he left school and went to work in the mines which eventually led to his demise in adulthood.

Vingt au charbon, c'est un peu minant
Working in the coal mines was both physically and mentally draining.

Pour goûter de l'usine y s'est fait parigot
To experience a change from working in the mines, he chose to work in a factory in Paris.

Dans son bleu de travail y me faisait rêver
He appeared strong and admirable in his work uniform, and it greatly influenced the young narrator's perception of work as a positive force.

Faut dire que j'étais jeune, je savais pas encore
The artist was young and naive and didn't yet understand the harsh reality of working life.

Je pensais que le turbin c'était un bienfait
The singer believed that work was a blessing or a positive influence on one's life.

Bienfait pour ma gueule, surtout c'est la mort
The artist learns that working constantly is more of a burden and can be damaging to one's health and well-being.

L'avait fait 36, le Front populaire
He lived through the events of 1936, the Popular Front which was a time of great political and social change in France.

Pis deux ou trois guerres, pis Mai 68
He also lived through two or three wars and the events of May 1968 which were marked by student protests and widespread social change.

Li avait la haine pour les militaires
He held a grudge against the military and strongly disliked their actions or behaviour.

Je te raconte même ce qui pensait des flics
He held negative opinions of police officers or law enforcement officials, which he was not afraid to express.

Il était marxiste tendance Pif le chien
He was a Marxist with a particular affinity for the comic strip character 'Pif the dog', which he identified with.

Syndiqué à mort, inscrit au parti
He was fiercely dedicated to the ideals of socialism and was a lifelong member of the socialist party.

Nous traitait de fainéant, moi et mes frangins
He referred to the singer and his siblings as lazy or unambitious, most likely because of their lack of dedication to socialist ideals.

Parce qu'on était anars tendance patchouli
The artist and his siblings were anarchists with hippie tendencies, which clashed with his strong socialist beliefs.

Il était balaise fort comme un grand frère
He was physically imposing and felt like an older brother in his strength and toughness.

Les épaules plus larges que sa tête de lit
His shoulders were so broad that they extended beyond the width of his bed.

Moi qui suis musclé comme un serpillière
The singer contrasts his own lack of physical strength by comparison, calling himself weak or physically unremarkable.

Ben, de ce coté-là je tiens pas beaucoup de lui
The artist feels inferior to him in terms of physical strength and toughness.

L'avait sur le bras gauche un super tatouage
He had a distinctive, impressive tattoo on his left arm.

Avec un croissant de lune et une fleur coupée
The tattoo depicted a crescent moon and a cut flower, images that may have held significant meaning to him personally.

La couleur s'était barrée avec l'âge
The original colour of the tattoo had faded over time as he grew older.

Il avait le bleu pâle d'un jean délavé
His skin had a pale, blueish tint likened to that of a faded pair of jeans.

Quand j'allais chez lui des fois de temps en temps
The artist visited him occasionally at his home.

Je lui roulait ses clopes avec son tabac gris
The singer would roll cigarettes for him using his grey tobacco.

Pis je restais des heures avec des yeux tout grands
The singer was fascinated by his stories and would listen to him for hours on end in rapt attention.

À l'écouter me baratiner sa vie
He would tell fantastical or embellished stories about his life, which the artist found interesting and engaging.

Vers soixante-cinq ans, on lui a dit, bonhomme
At around the age of sixty-five, he was told by his doctors to stop working and retire.

T'as assez bossé, repose-toi enfin
They advised him that he had worked enough and urged him to finally take a break and rest.

L'a quitté Paname et la rue de Charonne
He left Paris and moved to a small house with a garden to enjoy his retirement.

Pour une petite baraque avec un bout de jardin
He moved to a modest house in the countryside with a small but pleasant garden.

L'a usé ses reins, a cassé la terre
Even in his retirement, he continued to work hard and exert himself physically by tending to his garden.

Pour planter trois pauvres salades, trois carottes
He didn't strive to produce anything grand or expansive in his garden, content with growing simple vegetables like lettuce and carrots.

Y regrettait ses potes du boulevard Voltaire
He missed his old friends and the memories they shared on the Boulevard Voltaire in Paris, where they would gather and socialize.

Le bistrot, l'apéro et les parties de belote
Their activities included frequenting a pub, enjoying aperitifs and playing card games like belote.

Il est pas parti, comme disent les poètes
He didn't die, as poets often say.

Y s'est pas envolé, comme disent les curés
He didn't 'fly away', as religious people often say about death.

Un matin de décembre d'un cancer tout bête
He passed away on a regular December morning from a simple case of cancer.

L'a cassé sa pipe, il a calanché
He died, his life coming to a close.