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.
Un menuisier dansait
Serge Reggiani Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On peut voir depuis avant-hier
Une histoire en blanc et noir
Le film était de Jacques Becker
Avec la fille la plus belle
Dans un café français
Un menuisier dansait Mais rangez les violoncelles
Elle était l'idée fixe
D'un dénommé Félix
Dont les gilets fleuris
Faisaient peur dans Paris
Le menuisier dansait
Et la fille l'aimait
Et c'était pour la vie
Elle s'appelait Marie
Mais...
Mais à l'heure où Paris dort
Un voyou qui trépasse
Dans le fond d'une impasse
Fait accuser de sa mort
L'ouvrier qui enlace
La fille au casque d'or
Tous les chats étaient gris
Et les lumières éteintes
Mais Félix a tout dit
En buvant son absinthe
Alors Marie en larmes
Voit venir les gendarmes
Au ciné de mon quartier
On peut voir depuis avant-hier Comment meurt en blanc et noir
Un homme qu' a jamais vu la mer
Quand tombe la guillotine
Sur le cou de Manda
Il s'appelait Manda
C'est l'amour qu'on assassine
Et la valse repasse
Et le film se termine
Un menuisier dansait
Et la fille l'aimait
Et cette valse-là
Une femme dans mes bras
La dansait comme personne
Et c'était toi, Simone
The lyrics to Serge Reggiani's "Un menuisier dansait" tell the story of a love triangle in Paris in the early 20th century. The singer tells us that at his local cinema, a movie by Jacques Becker has been playing for the past two days. It's a black and white film, and it tells the story of the most beautiful girl in Paris and a handsome carpenter who dances with her in a French cafe. They are in love, but the girl is also the fixation of a man called Felix, whose flowery vests are the talk of Paris.
One night, when Paris sleeps, a man is killed in a back alley. The carpenter is accused of his murder, and the girl with the golden helmet (presumably a reference to her hair) is his alibi, but it is not enough to keep him from being executed by the guillotine. The waltz they used to dance to plays again, and the movie ends.
The last verse is a personal touch: the singer tells us that he danced this same waltz with a woman named Simone who was unparalleled in her grace.
"Un menuisier dansait" is a poignant song with a tragic ending. It speaks to the fragility of love and the power of society to destroy it. The use of a movie as a framing device adds a layer of nostalgia and wistfulness to the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
Au ciné de mon quartier
At the cinema in my neighborhood
On peut voir depuis avant-hier
Since the day before yesterday, one can see
Une histoire en blanc et noir
A story in black and white
Le film était de Jacques Becker
The film was by Jacques Becker
Avec la fille la plus belle
With the most beautiful girl
Dans un café français
In a French café
Un menuisier dansait
A carpenter was dancing
Mais rangez les violoncelles
But put the cellos away
Elle était l'idée fixe
She was the fixed idea
D'un dénommé Félix
Of a guy named Félix
Dont les gilets fleuris
Whose flowery vests
Faisaient peur dans Paris
Were scary in Paris
Le menuisier dansait
The carpenter was dancing
Et la fille l'aimait
And the girl loved him
Et c'était pour la vie
And it was for life
Elle s'appelait Marie
Her name was Marie
Mais...
But...
Mais à l'heure où Paris dort
But at the time when Paris sleeps
Un voyou qui trépasse
A thug who dies
Dans le fond d'une impasse
In the back of an alley
Fait accuser de sa mort
Accuses his murderer for his death
L'ouvrier qui enlace
The worker who embraces
La fille au casque d'or
The girl with the golden helmet
Tous les chats étaient gris
All the cats were gray
Et les lumières éteintes
And the lights out
Mais Félix a tout dit
But Félix said it all
En buvant son absinthe
While drinking his absinthe
Alors Marie en larmes
Then Marie in tears
Voit venir les gendarmes
Sees the police coming
Au ciné de mon quartier
At the cinema in my neighborhood
On peut voir depuis avant-hier
Since the day before yesterday, one can see
Comment meurt en blanc et noir
How one dies in black and white
Un homme qu' a jamais vu la mer
A man who has never seen the sea
Quand tombe la guillotine
When the guillotine falls
Sur le cou de Manda
On the neck of Manda
Il s'appelait Manda
His name was Manda
C'est l'amour qu'on assassine
It's love that we assassinate
Et la valse repasse
And the waltz repeats
Et le film se termine
And the film ends
Un menuisier dansait
A carpenter was dancing
Et la fille l'aimait
And the girl loved him
Et cette valse-là
And that waltz
Une femme dans mes bras
A woman in my arms
La dansait comme personne
Danced it like nobody else
Et c'était toi, Simone
And it was you, Simone
Contributed by Christian C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.