The group was founded in Paris during the 1980s. Originally, they played music heavily influenced by the punk movement and depended on electric instruments. Their third album featured Anne-Gaëlle, a classically trained cellist, and marked a turning point in the group’s music toward a more acoustic sound. The group’s later efforts misleadingly took shape of casual folk songs while actually using stunning musical arrangements, experimental soundscapes and poetic lyrics rife with very dark humor.
Listeners find the influence of classic French musicians like Jacques Brel, Georges Brassens and Les Négresses Vertes.
L'iditenté
Têtes Raides Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Les cris des chiens hurlent à la ronde
J'suis pas inscrit sur la mappemonde
Y a pas d'pays pour les vauriens, les poètes et les baladins
Y a pas d'pays, si tu le veux, prends le mien
{Refrain: x2}
Que Paris est beau
Que Paris est laid
Quand il se croit Français
Avec ces sans papires
Qui vont bientôt r'partir
Vers leur pays les chiens
On a tout pris, y a plus rien
De rétention en cale de fond j'en ai même oublié mon ombre
J'me promène moins dans vos décombres
On m'a donné un bout de rien
J'en ai fait cent mille chemins
J'en ai fait cent
J'en ai fait un
Un chemin de l'identité, l'iditenté, l'idétiten, l'itendidé
A la ronde
Et dans ce flot d'une idée rien j'aurais plus de nom j'aurais plus rien
Dis moi c'est quand, dis moi c'est quand
Que tu reviens
{au Refrain, x2}
Avec tous ces champs de tir
Et tous ces fous du tir
Ils visent pas que les lapins
C'est plus du gros sel, c'est des marocains,
Des missiles solaires... ou des skuds
Et moi, avec mon pistolet à bouchon
Je pars au front
Paris s'ra beau quand chantera les oiseaux
Paris s'ra beau, si les oiseaux me notent
Paris s'ra beau car les oiseaux
Allez, Paris s'ra beau
The lyrics of Têtes Raides’s song L'iditenté speak of the struggles of the marginalized and the dispossessed in Paris, particularly the undocumented immigrants, the poets, and the street performers. The song denounces the systemic exclusion and discrimination against those who do not fit into the structured society. The first verse alludes to the social segregation and classism in Paris, with the "clans des rues les clandestins" (the street clans, the illegal immigrants) and the "vauriens, les poètes et les baladins" (the scoundrels, the poets, and the balladeers) being denied a place in society. The song emphasizes the difficulty in finding a place in a world where people are judged on their status and nationality.
The second verse speaks about the plight of undocumented immigrants who live under the constant threat of deportation - "Avec ces sans papiers qui vont bientôt r'partir." They are forced to leave their homes and families behind, and are faced with discrimination even in their country of origin. The singer's sense of identity is further threatened as he feels he has lost his shadow and no longer feels at home in the Parisian landscape.
The chorus highlights the contrast between the beauty and ugliness of Paris, as seen through the eyes of the marginalized. The beauty of Paris is revealed through the song of the birds. The ugliness of Paris is represented by the ignorance and prejudice of people who believe in the superiority of being French.
In general, L'iditenté is a political song that advocates for the rights of the marginalized and dispossessed. It is an expression of the need for inclusion and a sense of belonging in a world that is oftentimes hostile to those who do not fit into preconceived notions of identity and nationality.
Line by Line Meaning
Les clans des rues les clandestins
Refers to the groups of people who have been marginalized and forced to live on the streets.
Les cris des chiens hurlent à la ronde
The dogs barking in the background symbolize the chaos that surrounds the marginalized groups.
J'suis pas inscrit sur la mappemonde
The singer is not recognized as a citizen of any particular country.
Y a pas d'pays pour les vauriens, les poètes et les baladins
No country exists for individuals who don't conform to societal norms, such as the misfits, poets, and travelers who don't fit in.
Y a pas d'pays, si tu le veux, prends le mien
The singer offers his identity to those who are searching for a place where they belong.
{Refrain: x2}
The chorus repeats twice.
Que Paris est beau
Paris is beautiful.
Quand chantent les oiseaux
When the birds sing.
Que Paris est laid
Paris is ugly.
Quand il se croit Français
When it tries to conform to French societal norms.
Avec ces sans papiers
Refers to the individuals who don't have any identification papers or documents.
Qui vont bientôt r'partir
Those individuals will soon have to leave the country.
Vers leur pays les chiens
These marginalized individuals will be hunted by the authorities of their homelands.
On a tout pris, y a plus rien
Society took everything away from them and left them with nothing.
De rétention en cale de fond j'en ai même oublié mon ombre
Being imprisoned in a detention center made the singer forget his own identity.
J'me promène moins dans vos décombres
The singer doesn't feel like he belongs in the ruins of society.
On m'a donné un bout de rien
Society offered him nothing.
J'en ai fait cent mille chemins
He created various paths for himself despite the lack of opportunities.
J'en ai fait cent
There are countless paths that one can take in life.
J'en ai fait un
The singer chose a path that is true to himself, the path of identity.
Un chemin de l'identité, l'iditenté, l'idétiten, l'itendidé
A path to discovering one's own identity, which can be challenging and confusing.
A la ronde
The journey towards self-discovery is one that is taken in all directions.
Et dans ce flot d'une idée rien j'aurais plus de nom j'aurais plus rien
In the process of discovering oneself, the singer lost all sense of identity and his own name.
Dis moi c'est quand, dis moi c'est quand
The singer is searching for the right time to return to himself and his true identity.
{au Refrain, x2}
The chorus repeats twice again.
Avec tous ces champs de tir
Refers to the shooting ranges where people learn to hit targets for sport or defense.
Et tous ces fous du tir
Describes people who are too obsessed with shooting and guns.
Ils visent pas que les lapins
They don't just aim at harmless targets like rabbits.
C'est plus du gros sel, c'est des marocains,
They shoot at people now, particularly those who are marginalized within society.
Des missiles solaires... ou des skuds
They now have some form of destructive power, comparing their weapons to missiles, which can destroy entire buildings.
Et moi, avec mon pistolet à bouchon
The singer has no such power and is only equipped with a toy gun.
Je pars au front
The singer is ready to face society and its challenges, despite the lack of appropriate tools and power.
Paris s'ra beau quand chantent les oiseaux
Paris becomes beautiful when everything is in harmony and everything coexists peacefully.
Paris s'ra beau, si les oiseaux me notent
Paris can become beautiful if one's existence is acknowledged by society, just like the birds' existence is acknowledged.
Paris s'ra beau car les oiseaux
Paris will always be beautiful because of its natural inhabitants, the birds.
Allez, Paris s'ra beau
An encouragement to keep one's spirits up despite everything and to keep searching for beauty in life.
Contributed by Nolan Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.