After acting school he was discovered by Jean Cocteau and appeared in a wartime production of Les parents terribles ("The Terrible Parents"). His first feature film came in 1946 with his role in Les portes de la nuit ("The Doors of the Night"). He later went on to perform in 80 films including The Pianist (1998).
In 1965 he began a second career as a singer, with the help of Simone Signoret and her husband Yves Montand. Reggiani became one of the most acclaimed performers of French "Chanson" ("song") and although he was in his 40s, his bad-boy image made him popular with both young and older listeners. His best known songs include "Les loups sont entres dans Paris" ("The Wolves Have Entered Paris") and "La femme qui est dans mon lit." ("The Woman Who Is In My Bed").
In later life he became a painter and gave a number of exhibitions of his artwork.
Serge Reggiani died of a heart attack at the age of 82, one day after the death of another well known French singer Sacha Distel. He is interred in the Cimetière du Montparnasse.
Gaspard
Serge Reggiani Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Riche de mes seuls yeux tranquilles
Vers les hommes des grandes villes
Ils ne m′ont pas trouvé malin
À vingt ans, un souffle nouveau
Sous le nom d'amoureuse flamme
M′a fait trouver belles les femmesElles ne m'ont pas trouvé beau
Bien que sans patrie et sans roi
Et très brave, ne l'étant guère
J′ai voulu mourir à la guerre
La mort n′a plus voulu de moi
Suis-je né trop tôt ou trop tard
Qu'est-ce que je fais dans ce monde
Oh! Vous tous ma peine est profonde
Priez pour le pauvre Gaspard
Gaspard
In Serge Reggiani's song "Gaspard," the lyrics delve into the feelings of a lonely and misunderstood individual named Gaspard. The song opens with Gaspard's declaration that he comes to the big cities like an orphan, carrying only his calm and tranquil eyes. However, the people he encounters do not perceive him as clever or cunning. This suggests that Gaspard feels out of place and unrecognized in the bustling urban environment.
As the song progresses, Gaspard reflects on his experiences at the age of twenty, when a new breath of life, symbolized by the "amoureuse flamme" (amorous flame), ignited in him. He discovered beauty in women, but they, in turn, did not find him attractive. This highlights Gaspard's sense of rejection and disappointment in matters of love and relationships.
In the following verse, Gaspard expresses his desire to die in war, perhaps seeking a sense of purpose or escape from his current state. However, even death refuses to embrace him. This line emphasizes Gaspard's feeling of insignificance and his struggle to find meaning in life.
The final lines of the song contemplate Gaspard's existence, questioning whether he was born at the wrong time or in the wrong era. He questions his purpose in this world and pleads with others to pray for him, acknowledging the depth of his sorrow and the weight of his burden.
Line by Line Meaning
Je suis venu comme orphelin
I came into this world alone, without anyone to guide or support me
Riche de mes seuls yeux tranquilles
I possessed only my calm and observant eyes as my most valuable asset
Vers les hommes des grandes villes
I navigated towards the people in the bustling cities, hoping to find connection and understanding
Ils ne m′ont pas trouvé malin
But they did not see me as clever or astute
À vingt ans, un souffle nouveau
At twenty years old, a new breeze of life breathed into me
Sous le nom d'amoureuse flamme
Under the banner of passionate love
M′a fait trouver belles les femmes
It made me see the beauty in women
Elles ne m'ont pas trouvé beau
But they did not find me physically attractive
Bien que sans patrie et sans roi
Even though I had no homeland or leader
Et très brave, ne l'étant guère
And though I claimed to be brave, I rarely acted upon it
J′ai voulu mourir à la guerre
I desired to die in battle
La mort n′a plus voulu de moi
But death did not want to take me
Suis-je né trop tôt ou trop tard
Was I born too early or too late?
Qu'est-ce que je fais dans ce monde
What am I doing in this world?
Oh! Vous tous ma peine est profonde
Oh! All of you, my pain runs deep
Priez pour le pauvre Gaspard
Pray for poor Gaspard
Writer(s): Moustaki Georges
Contributed by Elizabeth H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@arnaud9673
merci Mr reggiani bravo
@sutrasil
thanks you. he's the best.
@ianmoro8300
le grand Serge l'interpretre mieux que moustaki.... bravo!
@vimajo33
Une chanson écrite par georges moustaki, encore merci.
@rogerannick
Un poème de Verlaine
@alextraterestre3552
C'est Verlaine chers amis...
@gusmac3935
Évidemment. C'est Verlaine.
@sebdevillard5716
Il manque la version studio, moin rapide et plus mélancolique. 🤔
@monica40ist
Je ne connaissais pas ! est-ce une chanson de son fils Stéphan ? Monica40
@pascalouine7414
Chanson écrite par Moustaki