Les Jardins Ouvriers
Serge Lama Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
S'échangeaient branche à branche
Des oiseaux le dimanche,
Les maisons se parlaient.
Ça sentait le bébé,
Les dragées, les baptêmes,
L'amour, les chrysanthèmes,
Le propre et les abbés.
Plein leurs armoires, plein leurs greniers
Qu'ils transmettaient par testament
À leurs enfants.
Ça s'envolait comme un ballon,
C'était sucré comme un bonbon,
C'était pas vrai, mais c'était bon,
Les illusions.
Les jardins ouvriers
C'était de la verdure,
Un zeste de nature
Où le soleil brillait.
Elle qui reprisait,
Lui, qui fumait sa pipe,
Ça faisait des équipes
Le cœur qui se taisait
Mais, les illusions,
Ils les dansaient sous les lampions,
Sur les pavés, dans la mitraille
Des trilles des accordéons,
Les émois, les premiers frissons,
Les fleurs mortes et les papillons,
Ficelés dans les boîtes en carton
Vos illusions.
Les jardins ouvriers
S'échangeaient branche à branche,
Des oiseaux le dimanche,
Mais... les maisons parlaient
Quand tu aimais les jeux
De Rimbaud, de Verlaine,
Par derrière les persiennes,
On te montrait des yeux.
Les illusions, c'était au fond
Un parfum qui sentait pas bon
Comme ces fleurs qui poussent
Au milieu des chardons.
Les rumeurs battaient aux balcons
Comme le vent et les chansons,
Ça rend heureux, mais ça rend con:
Les illusions.
The song Les Jardins Ouvriers by Serge Lama tells the story of a neighborhood where workers had little gardens where they would plant vegetables and flowers. The gardens were not only a place to grow food but also a place for the community to come together, exchange ideas and share joy. The workers would exchange branches and methods, and on Sundays, they would enjoy the beauty of the birds who came to visit.
The lyrics evoke a sense of nostalgia for a time and place that no longer exists. The gardens and the lives of the workers who tended them are long gone, but the memories remain. The song reflects on the illusions that the workers had, the dreams they held dear, and the hopes they had for themselves and their children. It speaks to the fact that even though life was hard, and the future uncertain, they still found joy in the simple pleasures of life.
The chorus of the song echoes this sentiment by saying that the illusions were not true but were still good because they brought happiness. The song's final verse reveals a darker side to the community, one where judgment and criticism lurked behind closed doors. Those who loved poetry or enjoyed art were scoffed at and belittled. Despite this, the illusions remained, and the memory of the gardens and the community they fostered continued to inspire.
Line by Line Meaning
Les jardins ouvriers
This is about community gardens
S'échangeaient branche à branche
The gardens exchanged branches with one another
Des oiseaux le dimanche,
Birds visited the gardens on Sundays
Les maisons se parlaient.
The houses spoke to each other
Ça sentait le bébé,
There was the smell of babies
Les dragées, les baptêmes,
There were candy coated almonds and baptism ceremonies
L'amour, les chrysanthèmes,
There was love and chrysanthemums
Le propre et les abbés.
There was cleanliness and priests
Des illusions, ils en avaient
The people there had illusions
Plein leurs armoires, plein leurs greniers
Their illusions filled their cupboards and attics
Qu'ils transmettaient par testament
They passed their illusions on through their wills
À leurs enfants.
To their children.
Ça s'envolait comme un ballon,
Their illusions flew away like a balloon
C'était sucré comme un bonbon,
Their illusions were sweet like candy
C'était pas vrai, mais c'était bon,
Their illusions were not true, but they were good
Les illusions.
Their illusions
Les jardins ouvriers
Community gardens
C'était de la verdure,
The gardens were green
Un zeste de nature
A bit of nature
Où le soleil brillait.
Where the sun shined
Elle qui reprisait,
She who mended clothes
Lui, qui fumait sa pipe,
He who smoked his pipe
Ça faisait des équipes
They made a team
Le cœur qui se taisait
The heart that was quiet
Mais, les illusions,
But the illusions
Ils les dansaient sous les lampions,
They danced with their illusions under lanterns
Sur les pavés, dans la mitraille
On the pavement, in the debris
Des trilles des accordéons,
To the tunes of accordions
Les émois, les premiers frissons,
Feeling emotional, the first chills
Les fleurs mortes et les papillons,
Dead flowers and butterflies
Ficelés dans les boîtes en carton
Tied up in cardboard boxes
Vos illusions.
Your illusions
Les jardins ouvriers
Community gardens
S'échangeaient branche à branche,
The gardens exchanged branches with each other
Des oiseaux le dimanche,
Birds visited the gardens on Sundays
Mais... les maisons parlaient
But... the houses talked
Quand tu aimais les jeux
When you loved games
De Rimbaud, de Verlaine,
By Rimbaud, by Verlaine
Par derrière les persiennes,
Behind the shutters
On te montrait des yeux.
They showed you their eyes
Les illusions, c'était au fond
Illusions were, in essence,
Un parfum qui sentait pas bon
A perfume that didn't smell good
Comme ces fleurs qui poussent
Like flowers that grow
Au milieu des chardons.
In the middle of thistles.
Les rumeurs battaient aux balcons
The rumors hit the balconies
Comme le vent et les chansons,
Like the wind and the songs
Ça rend heureux, mais ça rend con:
It makes you happy, but it makes you stupid
Les illusions.
Your illusions
Lyrics © P.E.S.L (Productions et Editions Serge Lama)
Written by: Serge LAMA, Yves GILBERT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
electronlibre17
"A tous nos Anciens qui se sont battu pour des lendemains qui chantent...Nous qui vivons les lendemains qui déchantent..." MERCI
nicole morhain
Merci pour le partage Bonne conscience
ribpaie
Merci!