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.
L'arabe
Serge Reggiani Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
T'йtais au bout du rouleau
J'allais quand mкme pas, l'Arabe,
Passer sans te donner d'eau
T'es bien le premier Arabe
A qui j'ai donnй de l'eau
Quitte а faire la route
Aprиs tout
Fini le roumi
Et fini le crouia
On est deux pauvres croыtes
Dans le Sahara
Dans quatre ou cinq lunes
La ville jaillira, jaillira!
Derriиre la dune
Que tu vois lа-bas,
Derriиre la dune
Que tu vois lа-bas
On a marchй dans le sable,
Deux jours sans se dire un mot
Mais quand j'ai flanchй, l'Arabe,
Tu m'as portй sur ton dos
T'es bien le premier Arabe
Qui me porte sur son dos
Harassйs de tempкte
On s'est йcroulйs, йpuisйs
Et lа, comme deux bкtes,
On s'est enroulйs
Dans la mкme veste
Sous le vent glacй
Regarde l'Arabe
Bon dieu, pince-moi, lиve-toi
C'est elle, c'est la ville,
Debout fainйant,
Dans mes bras, l'Arabe!
Nous sommes vivants.
On est arrivйs, l'Arabe,
L'amitiй s'arrкte ici,
On s'est sйparйs sans larmes
A peine adieu et merci
Mais tu as changй, l'Arabe,
Quelque chose dans ma vie.
The song "L'arabe" by Serge Reggiani tells a story of two men crossing the Sahara where one, the singer, finds another man who is Arab and in desperate need of water. The singer, despite being aware of the animosity between their cultures, gives the man water and they both continue their journey. As they walk for days, the Arab ends up carrying the singer on his back when the singer becomes too tired to keep walking. After a long, arduous journey, the two men finally arrive in the city, and although they part ways without many words, the singer feels a sense of change within him, something that the Arab has instilled.
The lyrics speak to themes of humanity, compassion, and crossing cultural boundaries. The singer sees beyond the prejudices and stereotypes of his time and culture and chooses to help the Arab man in need, showing that all individuals, regardless of race or origin, have the capacity for kindness and empathy. The song also touches on the transformative power of shared experiences and how they can change a person's perspective on the world and those around them.
Line by Line Meaning
Je t'ai trouvй dans le sable,
I found you in the sand,
T'йtais au bout du rouleau
You were at the end of your tether
J'allais quand mкme pas, l'Arabe,
I couldn't just pass by you, Arab,
Passer sans te donner d'eau
Without giving you some water.
T'es bien le premier Arabe
You are the first Arab
A qui j'ai donnй de l'eau
To whom I gave water.
Quitte а faire la route
As long as we're making the journey
Sous ce soleil-lа,
Under the sun,
Aprиs tout
After all,
Fini le roumi
No more Roumi
Et fini le crouia
And no more crouia
On est deux pauvres croыtes
We are two poor wretches
Dans le Sahara
In the Sahara
Dans quatre ou cinq lunes
In four or five moons
La ville jaillira, jaillira!
The city will rise, will rise!
Derriиre la dune
Behind the dune
Que tu vois lа-bas,
That you see over there,
On a marchй dans le sable,
We walked in the sand,
Deux jours sans se dire un mot
Two days without saying a word
Mais quand j'ai flanchй, l'Arabe,
But when I faltered, Arab,
Tu m'as portй sur ton dos
You carried me on your back.
T'es bien le premier Arabe
You are the first Arab
Qui me porte sur son dos
Who carried me on his back.
Harassйs de tempкte
Exhausted by the storm,
On s'est йcroulйs, йpuisйs
We collapsed, exhausted
Et lа, comme deux bкtes,
And there, like two beasts,
On s'est enroulйs
We curled up
Dans la mкme veste
In the same jacket
Sous le vent glacй
In the freezing wind.
Regarde l'Arabe
Look at the Arab
Bon dieu, pince-moi, lиve-toi
My God, pinch me, stand up
C'est elle, c'est la ville,
It's her, it's the city,
Debout fainйant,
Get up lazy,
Dans mes bras, l'Arabe!
In my arms, Arab!
Nous sommes vivants.
We are alive.
On est arrivйs, l'Arabe,
We arrived, Arab,
L'amitiй s'arrкte ici,
The friendship ends here,
On s'est sйparйs sans larmes
We parted without tears
A peine adieu et merci
Hardly a goodbye and thank you
Mais tu as changй, l'Arabe,
But you have changed, Arab,
Quelque chose dans ma vie.
Something in my life.
Contributed by Maria F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.