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.
Olé
Têtes Raides Lyrics
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Il y a l'autre et c'est tant mieux
Il y a ma façon de faire
Il y a cent mille manière
Y a j'ai loupé l'omnibus
Y a je dors au terminus
Y a je rêve beaucoup trop
Olé olé olé
Ça c'est payé
Olé olé olé
C'est du passé
Olé olé olé
Tout est payé
Olé olé olé
C'est du passé
Puis un jour je me suis dit
Tiens tiens les gens sont gentils
Deux deux jours je me suis dit
Oh les gens c'est des bandits
Si si t'es franc du collier
Mé méfie-toi des rosiers
Sous sur la peau de tes os
Les vaches ne font pas des veaux
Olé olé olé
Ça c'est payé
Olé olé olé
C'est du passé
Olé olé olé
Tout est payé
Olé olé olé
C'est du passé
On rira juste un refrain
Dans nos mains y a des oursins
Nos têtes dans le panier
Vont plus vont plus rigoler
Vont pleurer oui vont pleurer
Et quand on s'ra bien séché
On refra des nés nouveaux
Quand les vaches feront des veaux
Olé olé olé
Ça c'est payé
Olé olé olé
C'est du passé
Olé olé olé
Tout est payé
Olé olé olé
C'est du passé
The song "Olé" by Têtes Raides presents a sense of introspection through self-reflection and self-realization. The lyrics present the idea of the duality of life, where there is "us and the good Lord," and "the other, and that's good too." This juxtaposition shows that life is a balance of good and bad, light and dark, positive and negative. The singer reflects on his own way of living and acknowledges that there are many ways to live life. He admits to missing the bus and sleeping at the terminal, dreaming too much, and realizing that "cows do not give birth to calves." This last phrase is a metaphor that suggests that things don't always go the way we want them to, and that we need to accept our limitations and shortcomings.
The chorus of the song presents the idea of closure and moving on from the past. The repetition of "Olé olé olé, that's paid" and "it's the past," shows that the singer has come to terms with his past and has moved on from it. He has paid for his mistakes and is ready to start anew. The bridge of the song presents the idea that people are not always what they seem to be, and that we should be wary of those who appear good but may have ulterior motives. The singer warns us to beware of the "roses," which may have thorns. The song ends on a positive note, with the idea that we will laugh, cry, and then laugh again, and that there will be new beginnings when "cows give birth to calves."
Line by Line Meaning
Il y a nous et le bon dieu
There's us and God
Il y a l'autre et c'est tant mieux
And there are others, and that's great
Il y a ma façon de faire
There's my way of doing things
Il y a cent mille manière
And there are a hundred thousand other ways
Y a j'ai loupé l'omnibus
I missed the bus
Y a je dors au terminus
I sleep at the end of the line
Y a je rêve beaucoup trop
I dream too much
Les vaches ne font pas des veaux
Cows don't give birth to calves
Olé olé olé
Olé olé olé
Ça c'est payé
That's been paid for
C'est du passé
It's in the past
Tout est payé
Everything's been paid for
Puis un jour je me suis dit
Then one day I said to myself
Tiens tiens les gens sont gentils
Huh, people are kind
Deux deux jours je me suis dit
But two days later, I said to myself
Oh les gens c'est des bandits
Oh, people are crooks
Si si t'es franc du collier
Yes, if you're honest
Mé méfie-toi des rosiers
But be careful of the roses
Sous sur la peau de tes os
Underneath your skin and bones
Les vaches ne font pas des veaux
Cows don't give birth to calves
On rira juste un refrain
We'll just laugh at a refrain
Dans nos mains y a des oursins
In our hands, there are sea urchins
Nos têtes dans le panier
Our heads in a basket
Vont plus vont plus rigoler
Will laugh more and more
Vont pleurer oui vont pleurer
They'll cry, oh, they'll cry
Et quand on s'ra bien séché
And when we're all dried up
On refra des nés nouveaux
We'll make new kids again
Quand les vaches feront des veaux
When cows give birth to calves
Olé olé olé
Olé olé olé
Ça c'est payé
That's been paid for
C'est du passé
It's in the past
Tout est payé
Everything's been paid for
Olé olé olé
Olé olé olé
Ça c'est payé
That's been paid for
C'est du passé
It's in the past
Tout est payé
Everything's been paid for
Olé olé olé
Olé olé olé
Ça c'est payé
That's been paid for
C'est du passé
It's in the past
Tout est payé
Everything's been paid for
Olé olé olé
Olé olé olé
C'est du passé
It's in the past
Contributed by Taylor D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.