In 1977, besides participating at the Ontario Festival, Richard Séguin made a tour of Switzerland, France, and Quebec. The next year he collaborated with Serge Fiori of the group Harmonium on the LP Deux cents nuits à l'heure (CBS PFS-90456), which sold 100,000 copies and won three Félix Awards at the first ADISQ gala in 1979. His first solo album was followed by a tour in Quebec and in New-Brunswick. His 'Chanson pour durer' won three awards at the Spa Festival in 1981. That year, Séguin also won the second prize for the 'jeune chanson' at the Festival mondial de la chanson française held in Antibes, Côte d'Azur. He then sang in some 40 Quebec cities and at Montreal's Spectrum.
Of folk inspiration initially, Richard Séguin's style slowly evolved toward rock without renouncing its sources, however. His is the legacy of the 1960s. As stated by Micheline Lortie in the magazine Wow, 'those who consider him converted granola have not understood anything; in truth, for many years, Séguin has pursued simple folk-rock, with guitar touches, vocal harmonies on a human scale, and a preoccupation with others who are not success crazy' (August 1989). His album Double vie, inspired by a greater emphasis on rock, marked a new stage in his career. It was listed on the Radio activité chart for more than 50 weeks and won the Félix award for best rock album of 1986, when Séguin was crowned best songwriter. Journée d'Amérique won the Félix Award for best rock album of 1988 and the public's award at the Festival d'été international de Québec 1989. The record was followed by four videoclips and became a gold record. Séguin took part, in Sénégal, in the program 'D'accord-Dakar,' as part of the Sommet de la francophonie (1988). His song 'Ici comme ailleurs' won the CBC competition 'Notre chanson' in 1989. Séguin then performed at the Francofolies in La Rochelle and in the Botaniques in Brussels.
Author: Christian Rioux
L'ange vagabond
Richard Séguin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tu cherchais quoi
De Lowell Mass
Jusqu'à L.A.
Peut-être une trace
De parenté
Ou un peu de toi
Ou un abri
Y'avait de l'encre
Dans ton stylo
Des mots qui chantent
Sur ton rouleau
T'as pris la route
Du bout d'la nuit
T'as viré d'boutte
Seul dans Paris
Dans ta mémoire
Y'a des tiroirs
De sales histoires
De sans espoirs
Le Merrimac
Et du cognac
De grandes prières
Pour ton p'tit frère
Tu cherchais qui
Tu cherchais quoi
De Lowell Mass
Jusqu'à L.A.
Comme un apôtre
Sans Jésus-Christ
D'un bord à l'autre
De ce pays
Dans ta mémoire
Y'a des tiroirs
D'amours brisées
D'canucks fuckés
Tu savais bien
Qu'un immigré
Parle pas pour rien
Au monde entier
On the road again
On the road again
Au bout de ta peine
Comme un requiem
On the road again
On the road again
Au bout de ta peine
Comme un requiem
Tu cherchais qui Tu cherchais quoi
De Lowell Mass
Jusqu'à L.A.
Un peu de toi
Ou un abri
D'un bord à l'autre
De ce pays
Tu cherchais qui
Tu cherchais quoi
The lyrics of Richard Séguin's song "L'ange vagabond" tell the story of a wanderer who is searching for something or someone. The person being addressed, "tu" (you), is on a journey from Lowell, Massachusetts to Los Angeles, possibly in search of a connection to their past or a sense of identity. They may be seeking refuge or seeking to find themselves.
The song suggests that this person carries a lot of emotional baggage, symbolized by the "encre dans ton stylo" (ink in your pen) and the words that sing on their "rouleau" (scroll). They have taken the road of the darkest nights, navigating their way alone in Paris. Their memories are filled with drawers of sad stories and hopelessness. There are references to the Merrimac, a river in Massachusetts, and cognac, possibly symbolizing the person's struggles and vices. They also offer prayers for their little brother.
The wanderer is portrayed as an apostle without Jesus Christ, indicating a sense of being lost or lacking guidance. They traverse the country from one end to another, searching for something or someone. Their memories are filled with drawers of broken loves and disappointments. They are well aware that an immigrant speaks not in vain to the entire world.
The repetition of "On the road again" and "Au bout de ta peine" (at the end of your suffering) suggests that the journey is ongoing, and the search continues. The wanderer is still seeking someone or something, from Lowell, Massachusetts to Los Angeles, from one side to the other of this vast country.
Line by Line Meaning
Tu cherchais qui
You were searching for someone
Tu cherchais quoi
You were searching for something
De Lowell Mass
From Lowell Mass
Jusqu'à L.A.
Until L.A.
Peut-être une trace
Maybe a trace
De parenté
Of family connection
Ou un peu de toi
Or a piece of yourself
Ou un abri
Or a shelter
Y'avait de l'encre
There was ink
Dans ton stylo
In your pen
Des mots qui chantent
Words that sing
Sur ton rouleau
On your scroll
T'as pris la route
You took the road
Du bout d'la nuit
From the end of the night
T'as viré d'boutte
You swerved
Seul dans Paris
Alone in Paris
Dans ta mémoire
In your memory
Y'a des tiroirs
There are drawers
De sales histoires
Of dirty stories
De sans espoirs
Of hopeless ones
Le Merrimac
The Merrimac
Et du cognac
And some cognac
De grandes prières
Of big prayers
Pour ton p'tit frère
For your little brother
D'amours brisées
Of broken loves
D'canucks fuckés
Of messed up Canucks
Tu savais bien
You knew well
Qu'un immigré
That an immigrant
Parle pas pour rien
Doesn't speak for nothing
Au monde entier
To the whole world
On the road again
On the road again
Au bout de ta peine
At the end of your pain
Comme un requiem
Like a requiem
Tu cherchais qui
You were searching for someone
Tu cherchais quoi
You were searching for something
Un peu de toi
A piece of yourself
Ou un abri
Or a shelter
D'un bord à l'autre
From one end to the other
De ce pays
Of this country
Lyrics © Walt Disney Music Company, Ultra Tunes
Written by: Marc Chabot, Marie-Claire Séguin, Richard Séguin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
mtl délo
Ça vaut le détour !! C'est excellent !!! Ça dit qqchose.
dany davos
solide la version j'adore
Steve sun
Merveilleux ! Merci en grand !!!
Risbo Turbide
Merci Gilles Chaumel et ckrl 89,1 Qc!
By the way, qui sont les musiciens? Solide band 💜
Louis Hébert
Simon Godin et Hugo Perreault :)
Nadia Ghalem
Kirouac a inventé les mots et la route...
Dark side of the moon
Wow .....good music , j'aime
Pierre Cantin
Éblouissant !
Nadia Ghalem
Reprendre la route en imaginaion...
Marvin Martian
Jean-Louis Kérouac 12 Mars 1922 Lowell Massachusetts/St-Petersburg Florida 21 Octobre 1969 U.S.A