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".

Tout arrÃªter...
Renaud Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

J'ai arrêté la mer, refourgué mon bateau
Vécu trop de galères dans des pays trop chauds
Je me suis échoué dans un bar à matelots
Rue de la Soif, aux remparts de Saint Malo

Tout arrêter Jamais je n'arrêterais de t'aimer
Terminé Jamais je n'arrêterais de t'aimer
Fini l'aventure, le vent salé

Le voyageur est fatigué
Mais jamais je n'arrêterais de t'aimer

J'ai arrêté la mob, le roller, le vélo
Au volant de leurs bagnoles y a bien trop de blaireaux
Suis redevenu piéton
Où mes pas aussitôt
M'ont conduit sans encombre jusqu'au premier bistrot

Tout arrêter
Terminé
Je quitte le chemin des écoliers
Le patineur est fatigué
Mais jamais je n'arrêterais de t'aimer

J'ai arrêté un jour d'exercer mon boulot
Renoncé à parler aux journaleux idiots
J'ai rangé ma guitare et coupé mon micro
Arrêté la musique et arrêté les mots

Tout arrêter
Terminé
Fini les chansonnettes, ma voix enfumée
Le troubadour est fatigué
Mais jamais je n'arrêterais de t'aimer

J'ai arrêté de croire en tous les idéaux
Arrêté de donner mon obole aux restos
Je n'ouvre plus mon cœur qu'à mes potes au bistrot
Et à mon bel amour qui me quitte bientôt

Tout arrêter, termine! Finis les utopies, les rêves brisés
Le cœur d'artichaut est fatigué
Mais jamais je n'arrêterais de t'aimer

Jamais je n'arrêterais de t'aimer
Jamais je n'arrêterais de t'aimer

Overall Meaning

In the song "Tout arrêter" by Renaud, he sings about stopping everything he has been doing in his life. He has given up on his boat and the sea after facing a lot of hardships in countries with too much heat. He has now found solace in a bar for sailors on the Rue de la Soif in Saint-Malo. Renaud then sings about giving up on his bike, rollerblades, and car because of reckless drivers. He now walks everywhere and his feet have led him to his first bar without any problem.

Renaud has also stopped playing music and writing songs. He has given up on his guitar and microphone and is no longer interested in singing about utopias and shattered dreams. He doesn't believe in idealism anymore and has stopped donating to charities. The only people he trusts now are his friends at the bar and his beloved, who might leave him soon. However, despite stopping everything else in his life, he claims that he will never stop loving his beloved.

This song is a commentary on the singer's disillusionment and loss of faith in the things he once held dear. It's a reflection of the type of disillusionment that often comes with age as individuals grapple with the reality of their lives. Overall, the song is about the value of love in a world where everything else may seem pointless.

Line by Line Meaning

J'ai arrêté la mer, refourgué mon bateau
I quit the sea, sold my boat

Vécu trop de galères dans des pays trop chauds
Too many hardships in too hot countries

Je me suis échoué dans un bar à matelots
I ran aground in a sailor's bar

Rue de la Soif, aux remparts de Saint Malo
On the Rue de la Soif, at the ramparts of Saint Malo

Tout arrêter Jamais je n'arrêterais de t'aimer
Stop everything, but I will never stop loving you

Terminé Jamais je n'arrêterais de t'aimer
End of the road, but I will never stop loving you

Fini l'aventure, le vent salé
Adventure over, salty wind gone

Le voyageur est fatigué
The traveler is tired

Mais jamais je n'arrêterais de t'aimer
But I will never stop loving you

J'ai arrêté la mob, le roller, le vélo
I stopped riding a scooter, roller skates, and bikes

Au volant de leurs bagnoles y a bien trop de blaireaux
Too many idiots driving their cars

Suis redevenu piéton
I became a pedestrian again

Où mes pas aussitôt M'ont conduit sans encombre jusqu'au premier bistrot
Where my steps led without obstacle to the first bistro

Je quitte le chemin des écoliers
I leave the path of schoolboys

Le patineur est fatigué
The skater is tired

J'ai arrêté un jour d'exercer mon boulot
One day, I quit my job

Renoncé à parler aux journaleux idiots
Gave up talking to idiot journalists

J'ai rangé ma guitare et coupé mon micro
I put away my guitar and turned off my mic

Arrêté la musique et arrêté les mots
Stopped making music and stopped using words

Fini les chansonnettes, ma voix enfumée
No more little songs, my smoky voice gone

Le troubadour est fatigué
The troubadour is tired

J'ai arrêté de croire en tous les idéaux
Stopped believing in all ideals

Arrêté de donner mon obole aux restos
Stopped giving my penny to the soup kitchen

Je n'ouvre plus mon cœur qu'à mes potes au bistrot
Only open my heart to friends at the bar

Et à mon bel amour qui me quitte bientôt
And to my beautiful love who is leaving me soon

Tout arrêter, termine! Finis les utopies, les rêves brisés
Stop everything, it's over! End of utopias, shattered dreams

Le cœur d'artichaut est fatigué
The fickle heart is tired

Jamais je n'arrêterais de t'aimer
I will never stop loving you

Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., WARNER CHAPPELL MUSIC FRANCE, WARNER
Written by: JEAN-PIERRE BUCOLO, RENAUD PIERRE MANUEL SECHAN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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