In… Read Full Bio ↴Thomas Fersen is a French singer-composer born in 1963 in Paris.
In his youth, he joined a punk band, before playing the piano in cafés-théatre. His first album in 1993 brought him an immediate success.
Fersen is a poet, who enjoys playing with language -he writes his lyrics exclusively in french-, using words, rhymes, symbols and images of vegetal or animal world. He tells strange and funny stories, impressions and dreams of casual life. His smoker's deep voice gives a particular tone to his songs. His musical style varies from one album to another (rock, folk, jazz and blues..).
He is one of the first who joined the Tot Ou tard/WM France label.
Le balafré
Thomas Fersen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ça lui donnait pas l'air d'un ange
Avec son œil sous un bandeau
Et sa gueule en lame de couteau
Sous son vêtement, doux Jésus
Tout son corps était recousu
Et quand il remontait ses manches
Les femmes devenaient toutes blanches
Il menait une vie de cigale
Il jouait de la scie musicale
Il trouvait qu'en fermant les yeux
Son instrument sonnait mieux
Le balafré
Sa mère croyait de bonne foi
Qu'il s'en allait couper du bois
C'est pas qu'il fût je-m'en-foutiste
Il avait une âme d'artiste
Dans un cabaret de Pigalle
Il jouait de la scie musicale
Il trouvait qu'en fermant les yeux
Son instrument sonnait mieux
Le balafré
Il aimait la vie de théâtre
Il aimait les stucs et les plâtres
Les filles habillées en lapin
Plutôt que l'odeur du sapin
Et à la pause syndicale
Leur jouait de la scie musicale
Il trouvait qu'en fermant les yeux
Son instrument sonnait mieux
Le balafré
On retrouva au parc Monceau
Une bourgeoise coupée en morceaux
Le balafré passait par là
Il avait sa scie sous son bras
Tout le monde croyait de bonne foi
Qu'il s'en allait couper du bois
C'est pas qu'il fût je-m'en-foutiste
Il avait une âme d'artiste
Il menait une vie de cigale
Il jouait de la scie musicale
Il trouvait qu'en fermant les yeux
Son instrument sonnait mieux
Le balafré
The lyrics of Thomas Fersen's song "Le balafré" describe a character who has a missing eye, covered with a bandage, and he is missing four fingers, which makes him look like an unattractive creature. He has a scarred face, and his body is covered with stitches. However, he is an artist and plays musical saw in a cabaret in Pigalle. He believes that his saw sounds better with his eyes closed, and he enjoys the stucco and plaster of theatre life, rather than the smell of pine.
The character of the balafré is painted as a misunderstood artist who is judged by his appearance. His mother thinks he is only chopping wood, but he is enjoying his life as a musician. In the final verse, the balafré is found carrying his saw in the park Monceau, and a woman is found dismembered. Although it is suggested that he committed the crime, it is left ambiguous, as it could also be a case of people's prejudices against him.
The song highlights the difficult life of artists who are judged based on their physical appearances, making it a timeless issue. The use of the saw as an instrument is also unique, making the character stand out even more. The song's lyrics and melody convey a sense of melancholy yet seem somewhat tongue-in-cheek, reminding listeners not to take life too seriously.
Line by Line Meaning
Il lui manquait quatre phalanges
He was missing four phalanges, which didn't give him the appearance of an angel
Ça lui donnait pas l'air d'un ange
That didn't make him look like an angel
Avec son œil sous un bandeau
With his eye under a bandage
Et sa gueule en lame de couteau
And his face looking like a knife blade
Sous son vêtement, doux Jésus
Under his clothing, Jesus Christ
Tout son corps était recousu
His entire body was sewn up
Et quand il remontait ses manches
And when he rolled up his sleeves
Les femmes devenaient toutes blanches
The women all turned white
Il menait une vie de cigale
He led a grasshopper lifestyle
Il jouait de la scie musicale
He played the musical saw
Il trouvait qu'en fermant les yeux
He found that by closing his eyes
Son instrument sonnait mieux
His instrument sounded better
Le balafré
The scarred one
Sa mère croyait de bonne foi
His mother believed in good faith
Qu'il s'en allait couper du bois
That he was going to cut wood
C'est pas qu'il fût je-m'en-foutiste
It's not that he was indifferent
Il avait une âme d'artiste
He had an artistic soul
Dans un cabaret de Pigalle
In a Pigalle cabaret
Il aimait la vie de théâtre
He loved the theater life
Il aimait les stucs et les plâtres
He loved stucco and plaster
Les filles habillées en lapin
Girls dressed as rabbits
Plutôt que l'odeur du sapin
Rather than the smell of pine
Et à la pause syndicale
During the union break
Leur jouait de la scie musicale
He played the musical saw for them
On retrouva au parc Monceau
They found in Parc Monceau
Une bourgeoise coupée en morceaux
A bourgeois woman cut into pieces
Le balafré passait par là
The scarred one was passing by
Il avait sa scie sous son bras
He had his saw under his arm
Tout le monde croyait de bonne foi
Everyone believed in good faith
Qu'il s'en allait couper du bois
That he was going to cut wood
C'est pas qu'il fût je-m'en-foutiste
It's not that he was indifferent
Il avait une âme d'artiste
He had an artistic soul
Il menait une vie de cigale
He led a grasshopper lifestyle
Il jouait de la scie musicale
He played the musical saw
Il trouvait qu'en fermant les yeux
He found that by closing his eyes
Son instrument sonnait mieux
His instrument sounded better
Le balafré
The scarred one
Contributed by Parker D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@sbfy
I almost don't understand any words but I listen to Fersens songs for more than 15 years. He is my favourite french singer songwriter. I love his music!
@quentindx3624
You got good taste mate
@moleshaman3040
Good on you :) He’s an excellent songwriter and good singer too , the lyrics are often charming and surprisingly deep since he often uses puns and figures of speech in a way that only a handful of the great French songwriters like Anne Sylvestre , Jacques Higelin or Georges Brassens managed to.
@abouzaydbaba6374
J'ai appris cette chanson en musique et elle est vraiment magnifique 🙂
@Maloumeissel
Bon prof ça
@paulinepronchery6521
Je l'ai chanté en cours de musique elle est sympa cette chanson
@gerardjuif5015
merci pour la poésie de votre univers Mister Fersen...... chacune de vos chansons est un voyage magique.
@nitromaggle8007
tu crois il va te répondre
@lelette0204
c'est vraiment superbe !
@locoma6
Son concert à la cigale était génial et "gonflé à bloc" :)