The core pairing assembled a full 8-piece live band for touring purposes, and released one The Herbaliser Band album. Although still a studio rather than a live album, it is distinct from the normal Herbaliser albums; the lack of guest vocalists focuses the an overall "live band" feel, especially showcasing the horn section.
Serge
The Herbaliser Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh, je m'en souviens très bien
Je m'en souviens
C'était en fin de matinée
Dans le quartier latin
J'avais très froid aux mains
Le 28 février
1991
Oh je m'en souviens très bien
Je l'ai noté dans mon calepin
A la page 111
Je l'ai vu arriver
Rue de l'Université
Il marchait difficilement
A pas très lents
Il serrait sa canne blanche
Dans sa main aussi blanche
Il était rasé de près
Ce qui m'a fait un drôle d'effet
Je l'ai suivi discrètement
Il est rentré au tabac dans
La rue des Saint Pères
En claudiquant
Il a pris ses Gitanes
Sans demander quoique ce soit
J'étais juste derrière lui
Moi j'ai pris des Lucky
Puis je l'ai encore suivi
Jusqu'à chez lui
Jusqu'à la rue de Verneuil
Au 5 bis jusqu'au seuil
Non, Je ne lui ai pas parlé
Mais qu'est ce que j'aurais raconté ?
Que j'aimais ce qu'il faisait ?
Que j'aimerais faire des chansons ?
Qu'est ce que ça peut lui foutre au fond
Que je fasse des chansons ?
Qu'est ce que ça peut lui foutre au fond
Que je fasse des chansons ?
Il est mort 3 jours après
Assis au bord de son lit
En plein après midi
Complètement dénudé
Avait il fumé
Les Gitanes qu'il avait achetées
Devant mes yeux éberlués ?
5 paquets
Dans sa main, de papier froissé,
Que j'ai vu se refermer
Je l'ai vu acheter
Son tout dernier paquet
Le 28 février
1991
Le 2 mars
1991
Est-ce qu'il avait tout fumé
Lorsqu'il s'est envolé ?
Vers Melody
Vers Mary Lou
Vers l'homme à la tête de chou
The Herbaliser feat. Katerine's song "Serge" is a hauntingly beautiful tribute to Serge Gainsbourg, one of the greatest and most influential musicians and songwriters of the 20th century. The lyrics describe a chance encounter between the singer and Gainsbourg in the Latin Quarter of Paris on February 28, 1991 - just three days before Gainsbourg's death. The singer notes the cold weather and the date in their notebook, and watches as Gainsbourg slowly makes his way to a tobacco shop to buy his beloved Gitanes cigarettes. The singer follows Gainsbourg to his home at 5 bis rue de Verneuil, but doesn't speak to him - what would they have said? Would Gainsbourg have cared about the singer's love of music and desire to write songs?
The song is a meditation on the fleeting nature of life, memory, and the power of music to connect people across time and space. The lyrics also touch on the mystique surrounding Gainsbourg's life and work, as well as his notorious personal habits (smoking, drinking, and womanizing). While the singer never speaks to Gainsbourg, their brief encounter leaves an indelible impression on them - an impression that is intensified and heightened by the knowledge of Gainsbourg's death just a few days later.
Line by Line Meaning
Je m'en souviens
The singer vividly remembers what they are about to describe.
Oh, je m'en souviens très bien
The singer reiterates that they remember the events with great clarity.
Je m'en souviens
The singer emphasizes that they remember the events being discussed.
C'était en fin de matinée
The events being remembered took place in the late morning.
Dans le quartier latin
The events being remembered occurred in the Latin Quarter, a neighborhood in Paris.
J'avais très froid aux mains
The singer was feeling very cold in their hands at the time of the events.
Le 28 février
The date of the events happened on February 28th.
1991
The year of the events being recounted.
Je l'ai noté dans mon calepin
The artist made a note in their notebook about the events being remembered.
A la page 111
The page in the notebook where the events were recorded.
Je l'ai vu arriver
The singer saw someone arrive at the scene of the events.
Rue de l'Université
The street where the person arrived.
Il marchait difficilement
The person who arrived was walking with difficulty.
A pas très lents
The person arrived walking with slow steps.
Il serrait sa canne blanche
The person had a white cane that they were grasping.
Dans sa main aussi blanche
The person also had a white hand.
Il était rasé de près
The person was cleanly shaven.
Ce qui m'a fait un drôle d'effet
The singer was affected strangely by the person's cleanly shaven appearance.
Je l'ai suivi discrètement
The singer followed the person discreetly.
Il est rentré au tabac dans
The person entered a tobacconist's shop.
La rue des Saint Pères
The name of the street where the shop was located.
En claudiquant
The person entered the shop with a limp.
Il a pris ses Gitanes
The person bought a brand of cigarette called Gitanes.
Sans demander quoique ce soit
The person bought the cigarettes without asking for anything else.
J'étais juste derrière lui
The singer was right behind the person in the shop.
Moi j'ai pris des Lucky
The singer bought a different brand of cigarettes called Lucky Strike.
Puis je l'ai encore suivi
The singer continued to follow the person after they left the shop.
Jusqu'à chez lui
The person being followed was being followed all the way to their home.
Jusqu'à la rue de Verneuil
Name of the street where the person being followed lived.
Au 5 bis jusqu'au seuil
The number of the house where the person being followed lived.
Non, Je ne lui ai pas parlé
The singer did not talk to the person being followed.
Mais qu'est ce que j'aurais raconté ?
The artist wonders what they would have said to the person being followed had they talked to them.
Que j'aimais ce qu'il faisait ?
The artist thinks about telling the person that they liked what they did (presumably music).
Que j'aimerais faire des chansons ?
The artist thinks about telling the person that they would like to make songs as well.
Qu'est ce que ça peut lui foutre au fond
The singer muses that it ultimately doesn't matter to the person being followed if they make music or not.
Que je fasse des chansons ?
The artist concludes that the person being followed wouldn't care if they made music or not.
Il est mort 3 jours après
The person being followed passed away three days later.
Assis au bord de son lit
The person was sitting on the edge of their bed when they passed away.
En plein après midi
The person passed away in the middle of the afternoon.
Complètement dénudé
The person passed away while they were completely undressed.
Avait il fumé
The artist wonders if the person had smoked.
Les Gitanes qu'il avait achetées
The singer considers if the person had smoked the same brand of cigarettes that they had bought earlier.
Devant mes yeux éberlués ?
The singer was shocked by what they were seeing.
5 paquets
The person had bought five packs of cigarettes.
Dans sa main, de papier froissé,
There were wadded up cigarette packs in the person's hand.
Que j'ai vu se refermer
The artist saw the person crumple the cigarette packs in their hand.
Je l'ai vu acheter
The singer had seen the person buying cigarettes earlier.
Son tout dernier paquet
The person had bought their final pack of cigarettes.
Le 28 février
The date of the person's final cigarette purchase.
1991
The year of the person's final cigarette purchase.
Le 2 mars
The date the person passed away.
1991
The year the person passed away.
Est-ce qu'il avait tout fumé
The artist speculates that the person may have smoked all of the cigarettes they bought.
Lorsqu'il s'est envolé ?
The singer uses the metaphor of flight to describe the person passing away.
Vers Melody
The singer lists some of the person's famous works or songs (in this case Melody).
Vers Mary Lou
The artist lists another famous work or song by the person (in this case Mary Lou).
Vers l'homme à la tête de chou
The artist lists yet another famous song or work by the person, this time called l'homme à la tête de chou.
Contributed by Zoe D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@studio64fr
Je pense que c'est le plus bel hommage qu'on ne lui aie jamais fait..... morceau méconnu resté depuis sa création en dessous de l'imper facon "underground" et finalement c'est très bien ainsi... ^^
@davidt.8326
Je trouve ce morceau superbe, la mélodie est digne de serge, philippe est toujours aussi décalé, c'est magique.
@dimruysschaert7210
La mélodie est de Serge, Flash forward album l homme à tête de chou
@michelebarile1878
Magia del passato e interpretazione granitica del presente.... grandissime vibrazioni...
@gombauderic7474
Le meilleur hommage
@teub69
Quel hommage ! 😍
@LeGuJ
@loz441 : Alors c'est pas pour faire mon vieux lourd mais la mélodie n'est pas de Philippe Katerine mais arrangée par The Herbaliser. Et elle est effectivement digne de Serge Gainsbourg puisqu'elle est de lui, ils ont arrangé et rendu hommage à Flash Forward (tirée de L'homme à tête de chou) Mais ça n'enlève rien j'adore l'originale et celle si est un magnifique hommage !
@sevillalaurent2936
Le GuJ un connaisseur enfin!
@magalimartin5188
Magnifik! Entendue sur Fip en ce jour du 2 mars 2021.
@teddyzair974
Grand morceau