He and his friends formed the country rock ensemble Abbittibbi in the 1970s. Desjardins played piano, guitar, and sang. When the group disbanded in 1982, Desjardins pursued a solo career.
He also found work scoring films, especially documentaries. This involvement in the Quebec film industry even led him to co-direct a number of feature length documentaries. As well as his singing career, he is well known for his environmental activism.
T'attends
Richard Desjardins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
quand t’es pas là tout’va mal.
Y a rien qu’on ferait pas pour toi,
on est tout’à genoux devant toi.
Ton règne arrive,
ta volonté est faite.
Pardonne-nous nos dépenses
comme nous pardonnons
On a tout’succombé à ta chanson,
délivre-nous de la malle,
toi, l’argent.
T’attends cinq heures moins cinq
Et pis cinq heures moins quatre
Et pis t'attends pus rien qu’la lumière verte
T’attends le jour ou la nuit
ce qu’on appelle la vie
T'attends dans les murs blancs
de ton appartement
T'attends le miracle qui téléphone
Allô! allô! mon nom c'est King Kong
Passez-moi personne!
T'attends comme un chien qui fait rien
T'attends que le vent vire de bord
T'attends qu'y passe et pis
ça passe encore
T'attends comme un hibou debout
à l'heure du loup
Qui guette sur la branche la moindre chance
Si quelqu'un quelque chose bouge
Je vais le voir sortir au ch'min
T'attends la romance promise
qui va venir un soir te baiser le cou
T'attends qu'elle vienne et qu'elle te dise:
«Je t'ai cherché partout»
T'attends pis tu sais pus c'est quoi la cause encore
Pourquoi pourquoi pourquoi que t'irais voir dehors
Y a-tu quelqu'un qui t'attend au détour
Pour une raison ou pour l'amour?
T'attends tout l'temps pis tu fatigues
à te d'mander à chaque coin de rue:
«Chus-tu un homme libre
Ou ben un bum perdu?»
The song 'T'attends' by Richard Desjardins is an emotional depiction of waiting and the feelings associated with it. The lyrics interconnect the idea of waiting with various things - a person, an opportunity or a moment - which the singer of the song is waiting for. The first stanza talks about the dominance of a person, whom the singer addresses directly, and how everyone around them is subservient to them. The reference to 'règne' (reign) hints at the power dynamics in the relationships that the singer has been a part of. The second stanza starts with a countdown that builds up the anticipation of the singer's wait. The lyrics that follow are relatively bleak, with references to white walls and a sense of longing and desperation. The singer compares themselves to a dog waiting for its master and an owl waiting for prey, which shows their frustration with the waiting game that they are playing. The final stanza talks about the uncertainty that waiting brings with it. The singer doesn't know what they are waiting for, whether it's for love or just to satisfy their curiosity. The line 'Chus-tu un homme libre ou ben un bum perdu?' (Are you a free man or just a lost bum?) suggests that the singer is grappling with their identity and whether their wait has been worth it.
Overall, the song brings together different facets of waiting - hope, disappointment, desperation, and uncertainty. The repetitive nature of the lyrics, especially in the second and the third stanza, adds to the feeling of waiting being an endless cycle.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey toi, quand t’es là tout’va ben,
When you, the one we wait for, are present, everything is alright
quand t’es pas là tout’va mal.
In your absence, everything goes wrong
Y a rien qu’on ferait pas pour toi,
We are willing to do anything for you
on est tout’à genoux devant toi.
We are all on our knees in front of you
Ton règne arrive,
Your reign is coming
ta volonté est faite.
Your will is done
Pardonne-nous nos dépenses
Forgive us our expenses
comme nous pardonnons
As we forgive
à ceux qui nous ont dépensés.
Those who have spent against us
On a tout’succombé à ta chanson,
We have all succumbed to your song
délivre-nous de la malle,
Free us from the obligation
toi, l’argent.
You, the money.
T’attends cinq heures moins cinq
You wait at ten fifty-five
Et pis cinq heures moins quatre
And then at ten fifty-six
Et pis t'attends pus rien qu’la lumière verte
Then you wait only for the green light
T’attends le jour ou la nuit
You wait for the day or the night
ce qu’on appelle la vie
What we call life
T'attends dans les murs blancs
You wait inside the white walls
de ton appartement
Of your apartment
T'attends le miracle qui téléphone
You wait for the miracle phone call
Allô! allô! mon nom c'est King Kong
Hello! Hello! My name is King Kong
Passez-moi personne!
Don't connect me with anyone!
T'attends comme un chien qui fait rien
You wait like a dog doing nothing
T'attends que le vent vire de bord
You wait for the wind to shift direction
T'attends qu'y passe et pis
You wait for it to pass and then
ça passe encore
It passes again
T'attends comme un hibou debout
You wait like an owl standing
à l'heure du loup
At the hour of the wolf
Qui guette sur la branche la moindre chance
Who is watching on the branch for any opportunity
Si quelqu'un quelque chose bouge
If someone or something moves
Je vais le voir sortir au ch'min
I will see it come out on the road
T'attends la romance promise
You wait for the promised romance
qui va venir un soir te baiser le cou
That will come one evening to kiss your neck
T'attends qu'elle vienne et qu'elle te dise:
You wait for her to come and say to you
«Je t'ai cherché partout»
"I've been looking everywhere for you"
T'attends pis tu sais pus c'est quoi la cause encore
You wait and you don't know what the reason is anymore
Pourquoi pourquoi pourquoi que t'irais voir dehors
Why, why, why would you go outside
Y a-tu quelqu'un qui t'attend au détour
Is there someone waiting for you around the corner
Pour une raison ou pour l'amour?
For a reason or for love?
T'attends tout l'temps pis tu fatigues
You wait all the time and you get tired
à te d'mander à chaque coin de rue:
Asking yourself at every street corner:
«Chus-tu un homme libre
"Am I a free man
Ou ben un bum perdu?»
Or just a lost bum?"
Lyrics © Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN)
Written by: Richard Desjardins, Francis Grandmont, Remi Perron, Richard Perrotte, Claude Vendette
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind