Stéphane Sanseverino, born in 1962, traces his Italian origins back to his … Read Full Bio ↴Stéphane Sanseverino, born in 1962, traces his Italian origins back to his grandparents, a pair of enterprising Neapolitans who emigrated to France in the 1950s. Stéphane's father, a plumber by trade, chose to work in the paper industry so that he could travel with his family. And thus it was that, between the age of three and sixteen, young Stéphane travelled the world with his parents, sampling the very different cultures of countries such as Bulgaria, New Zealand, Yugoslavia and Mexico.

At the age of twenty, Stéphane decided his future lay on the stage. The only problem was deciding which of his artistic ambitions to concentrate on first: learning the guitar, the banjo or training as an actor. He eventually plumped for the latter and, after taking a course run by the actor Serge Martin, he enrolled at DAL Théâtre for a three-year stint. Here, he mastered the art of Comédia dell’Arte and clowning, and also learnt to play banjo and guitar.

La mer
Sanseverino Lyrics

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Je pêche sans espoir des poissons
Sans canne à pêche sans hameçons
En mer tout peut encore changer
Sur terre tout peut aussi changer
Piétiner sur place ne sert plus à rien
Piétiner sur place ne sert plus à rien et ça m’énerve

Pour garder mes idées noires je

Bois des bières blanches bien glacées
Je montre la mer du Nord du doigt
Le plat pays qu’on doit chanter
J’oublie l’argent des marrées noires
J’englue des ailes meurtries et
Je vais remplir mon réservoir de diesel meurtrier
Piétiner de rage ne sert plus à rien
Piétiner de rage ne sert plus à rien et ça m’énerve

Je mate de la lune la planète bleue
Devenir la planète dégeu
Lasse que tous les jours on s’oublie
A lui tchernobiler la vie
Piétiner sur place ne sert plus à rien

Piétiner de rage ne sert plus à rien et ça m’énerve
Et ça m’énerve et ça m’énerve et ça m’énerve…

Overall Meaning

The song "La Mer" by Sanseverino talks about the frustration and helplessness that comes with the deteriorating state of the planet. The singer, who is fishing without a fishing rod and hooks, is aware that everything is subject to change, both at sea and on land. However, he feels that simply standing still and being unhappy is not productive. He tries to distract himself from the negative thoughts by drinking cold white beers and pointing to the North Sea, which has to be sung about, as it symbolizes the possibility of better things. He forgets the money made from the black tides and applies his time to fixing his damaged wings, and filling his gas tank with a killer diesel. The singer is frustrated by his inability to make meaningful change, and it angers him.

The singer then looks to the sky and wonders at the blue planet and the moon that revolves around it. He sees the planet changing into a "dirty" planet, where we all continue to neglect it with our actions, such as causing events like the Chernobyl disaster. He concludes that it is useless to stand around and be enraged because it won't solve anything.

In conclusion, the song "La Mer" is a reflection on the environmental crisis and the frustration that comes with it. Despite the fact that the singer acknowledges that things can change, he feels powerless to do anything about it. He tries to find solace in the sea and the beers he drinks but ultimately gets angry at the world's failures.

Line by Line Meaning

Je pêche sans espoir des poissons
I fish hopelessly for fish

Sans canne à pêche sans hameçons
Without a fishing rod and without hooks

En mer tout peut encore changer
At sea, everything can still change

Sur terre tout peut aussi changer
On land, everything can also change

Piétiner sur place ne sert plus à rien
Standing in one place doesn't serve a purpose anymore

Piétiner sur place ne sert plus à rien et ça m’énerve
Standing in one place doesn't serve a purpose anymore and it annoys me

Pour garder mes idées noires je
To keep my dark thoughts, I

Bois des bières blanches bien glacées
Drink ice-cold white beers

Je montre la mer du Nord du doigt
I point to the North Sea

Le plat pays qu’on doit chanter
The flat country that we must sing about

J’oublie l’argent des marrées noires
I forget about the money from oil spills