Translating Brassens is a subjective process. It is the author more than the songs that I try to transpose into English. These songs are personal interpretations that strive to respect the meaning and spirit of Brassens while recognizing the linguistic and cultural differences between French and English. It can be done to the extent that English speakers can appreciate in their mother tongue some of the verve, musicality and genius of a universally great wordsmith.
My goal is to end up with a song that flows and holds together, remains faithful to the original, and doesn’t sound “translated”. I have no qualms about taking liberties—huge ones at times— in the process, but in so doing I imagine having Tonton Georges looking over my shoulder and nodding his approval with a puff of pipe smoke, should he ever have spoken English.
Français
Les chansons ci-contre sont présentées dans l’ordre chronologique de leur parution. Traduire Brassens est une entreprise subjective. Plus que la chanson, c’est l’auteur que je m’efforce de transposer en anglais, un anglais qui, précisons-le, n’est pas celui de la reine. Ces textes sont des interprétations qui s’efforcent de respecter le fonds et la forme de Brassens tout en tenant compte des différences linguistiques entre le français et l’anglais.
Mon but est d’en arriver à une chanson qui tient debout sur ses nouvelles jambes, reste fidèle à l’original et ne fleure pas le traduit. Ce faisant, je ne me prive pas de m’octroyer une certaine licence, parfois considérable, pour en arriver à ma fin. Je me plais d’imaginer que Tonton Georges aurait souri et approuvé d’un joli rond de fumée, eût-il parlé l’anglais.
Brassens a écrit et enregistré 119 chansons de 1952 à 1976 qui ont été publiées de son vivant. Il a aussi mis en musique 16 poèmes de poètes favoris et en a récité trois. Ceci constitue l’opus officiel qui s’étale sur douze albums, judicieusement réintitulés au fil des ans de I à XII. Telle est l’oeuvre qui m’intéresse et à laquelle je me consacre, bien que nombre autres chansons aient fait surface à titre posthume. [DD]
Georges Brassens is a cultural icon in his native France. Long after his death, he is universally recognized as one of the greatest songwriter in a country that reveres l’Art de la chanson. Even though Brassens could speak with impish delight of whores and assholes, peppered his repertoire with the French equivalent of four-letter words, he did it with such grace, such style, such wit and such perfection that the incorrigible anarchist has found his place in the hallowed halls of academia. Today, Brassens is taught in French schools, alongside French literary greats. Brassens stretched French to the limits of the language. He mixed classic forms of poetry with colourful language. He was a consummate wordsmith who lived to and by his word, and perfectly set it to music.
Yet, Brassens remains a virtual unknown to anglophone ears. Even though he became France’s most celebrated singer during his lifetime, Brassens did not particularly relish the attention and he had little interest in achieving international fame. Brassens was also as French as they come and at times words cannot translate the cultural roots of his poetry. But that is hardly a reason to stop there.
Over a three decades long career, Brassens retained a level of creative integrity that is unparalleled in popular music. He was a true individualist with a poetic and challenging eye on the outside world. He was, above all, an extraordinary craftsman whose work is as relevant today to international audiences, as it was and still is to French ears.
Brassens’ repertoire is quirky and timeless. Musically, it stands as fresh as when it was written, as far back as 70 years ago. One of all-time great songwriters, Brassens perfected songs that hold the test of time. It was high time to them to put them to the test of the English language, on a brand new continent, which I set out to do in 2001.
Français
Ce n’est pas au visiteur francophile que je vais présenter Brassens, il fait partie intégrante de la culture française au point d’avoir écoles, rues, parcs et autres à son nom. Mais si vous voulez connaître davantage l’auteur des quelques chansons qui vous sont vraisemblablement familières, je vous invite à consulter la page des liens.
“…he is the greatest songwriter in the world, bar none. He is head, shoulders, chest, knees above anybody else I can think of. Nothing he does is poor. In France he is not just a household word, he is a household paragraph.” Jake Thackray, poet and songwriter
“A few years ago, in the course of a literary discussion, someone asked who was the best poet at the moment in France. I responded without hesitation: Georges Brassens.” Gabriel Garcia Marquez Nobel Prize for Literature 1981 Lire l’article
“Je n’ai pas réussi à écrire. Mes chansons ne sont pas des poèmes. Je ne suis pas un chanteur non plus… Ce que je suis? Un chansonnier… oui, un chansonnier. Je ne suis pas un poète…” G. Brassens
Brassens came to me in a wooden box. The kind of old-fashioned trunk that was once used to store old stuff up in an attic but that was eventually elevated to the status of furniture. When I was a kid, some time ago in a land far away, we had a trunk just like that in our living-room. It did not hide a bar, but records. In those days, records were big and made of vinyl. Most of the records were of the classical variety— belonging solely in a parental collection—with a few exceptions. There was a series of plain, nearly identical albums. They all looked like they were made of the wood that contained them. Their only distinguishing features were variations on the wood grain and a small picture of a guy with a thick mustache and sometimes a pipe. In big letters, titles held the promise of interesting stories.
I started listening, systematically, and I discovered songs that you don’t hear on the radio. Songs that challenged my budding literary fibers. Songs that made me chuckle and songs that made me run for the dictionary. This guy with the pipe and mustache was in a class of his own. His records and I became close friends. And then one day I could not contain anymore an urge to sing and share them with others.
Now, my anglophone friend, I share them with you, because there is way more to these songs than just being French. Besides, they show no signs of aging, which is more than I, and maybe you, can say.
Français
C’est tout de bois vêtu que Brassens m’est apparu. Quand j’étais jeune garçon, nous avions dans le salon familial un de ces coffres en bois qui jadis faisaient la malle. Le nôtre faisait diligence de coffre à disques, lesquels en ce temps faisaient 33 petits tours. C’était une collection ennuyeusement classique mais avec quelques exceptions notoires. Une série de disques se cachait dans des pochettes en faux bois, comme s’ils avaient trouvé le camouflage idéal pour dormir tranquillement dans leur boîte à musique. Le seul signe particulier d’une pochette à l’autre était la petite photo d’un type à la gueule sympathique, qui arborait une grosse moustache et parfois une pipe, dont j’avais moi-même en bon garnement récemment fait la découverte. De grosses lettres affichaient les titres prometteurs d’histoires à rêver debout.
Alors je me mis à l’écoute systématique et j’y découvris un univers en vers qui me fit tour à tour rigoler et consulter le dictionnaire. Ce moustachu était un sacré bonhomme. Petit à petit, j’ai tout, tout su de lui. Puis un beau jour je n’ai plus contenu mon envie de le chanter et de le partager avec autrui.
Depuis, ma barbe a poussé puis engrisonné. Les chansons de tonton Georges quant à elles n’ont toujours pas pris une ride. Le moment est venu de les partager avec mes amis anglophones avant que le temps n’en fasse à l’affaire.
Si je devais emporter un disque de Brassens sur mon île déserte, c’est sans hésitation le IX qui ferait l’objet de mon choix. Je lui rends ici humble homage à ma façon, insuflé d’un grand air de liberté…
Didier Delahaye: voix, guitare, arrangements & FX Jean Declinchamp: contrebasse sur 3 et 6
Enregistré à Kathleen Lake, Haines Junction, Mary Lake, Yukon (Canada), et Évreux (France) par Didier Delahaye, été 2012. Mastering à Whitehorse, Yukon, au Rainbow Recording Studio par Laurie Malo.
Le cadre de mon enregistrement maison.Moulin de la Bonde, Crespières, Yvelines, France Le salon dans lequel Brassens à enregistré le disque IX simplement et en toute intimité, dans sa campagne au loin des studios parisiens.
IX La Supplique… is my favourite Brassens album, the one that I’d take to the proverbial desert island. Brassens is at his writing peak and from start to finish the songs absolutely shine. They are also perfectly served by the intimacy of their unique recording setting. No frills, just plain goodness. This is Brassens’ only true home recording – done in the warmth of his living room rather than in a studio for practical reasons rather than artistic ones. The end result is perfect in its simplicity. Having had the privilege to visit the hallowed place, I was stirred to pay it homage in my own way, and I reinvented this home recording using my own tools, and in my own world which happened to be the Yukon.
Recorded in Haines Junction & Whitehorse Yukon Territory, Canada July-August 2012
My home on the range and recording settingMoulin de la Bonde, Crespières, Yvelines, France The cosy living room where Brassens recorded the album IX in the warmth of his country home.
The time had come to go and sing my English versions to discerning audiences, and I was invited to perform at a couple of Brassens centric festivals in France. I needed some merch (to try and recoup some of the travel costs, you know) so I printed a Songbook of my translations (which sold out) and pressed a home made CD (it did well too). Here it is.
Didier Delahaye: voice & guitar
Recorded in Whitehorse, Yukon March 2004
Festival Un P’tit Coin d’Paradis 2004 Crespières, Yvelines, FranceFestival Brassens 2004 Vaison-La-Romaine, France Concert bilingue Anglais-Catalan avec Miquel Pujado (Jérôme à la contrebasse)
Je viens d’écouter vos traductions anglaises. C’est un boulot extraordinaire. Chapeau!! J’avais déjà entendu des traductions en allemand, créole, espagnol, esperanto… Vous avez accompli un travail remarquable. Christian Vanderwinnen, Belgique
I moved to Montpellier, France (a short drive from Sète) with my family two years ago and started to notice occasional posters and photos of a man with a pipe called Georges Brassens. I finally got to hear “Je me suis fait tout petit” on the radio and bought one of his CDs – a compilation which began with “Le Gorille”. What fantastic songs! Why hadn’t we in the English-speaking world ever heard of this man? I was hooked, and I’ve subsequently bought most of Brassens’ work. He’s been the gateway, for me, to the world of French chanson and I’ve enthusiastically recommended him to my friends in Ireland and England. I’ve looked for translations of his songs before and I’ve never found any that captured Brassens’ wit and earthiness – until now. Thank you so much for a superb job of translating the songs, or rather, of making it look like they have always existed in English. Your voice is perfectly matched to the material and conveys the same warmth as le Bon Maître. I’ll keep an eye on your touring schedule and try to get to see you whenever you come to the South of France. Tom Kennedy, France
Home recordings are fine and dandy, but I wanted to go into a proper studio this time. So I traded my beaten up but faithful pick-up truck for some studio time. The Yukon is that kind of place. I also managed to rope in some musician friends to tag along. Matt, who of course had never heard of Brassens, turned out to be the best bass player I ever played Brassens with. He was my Pierre NIcholas. I had been singing Leonard Cohen with her before, so I asked my friend Marie-Hélène whether she’d sing along with me. At that point I strongly felt that I wanted to have a female voice heard along mine. She reluctantly agreed, not being a Brassens fan herself, and then totally gave herself to it. Last, I didn’t want the requisite guitar noodling for flourishes, so I turned to a firebrand fiddler to bring another dimension. Again, I had to educate her in Brassens, but my did she pick up! Keitha is an awesome fiddler. Both in studio and on stage, what a trip that was! I cannot thank them enough. The Yukon is indeed that kind of place.
Didier Delahaye: voice & guitar Marie-Hélène Comeau: vocals Keitha Clark: violin Matt King: standup bass Track 3 (The Gorilla): Pat Braden: Chapman stick Ed White: drums Track 13 (Tush): Pat Braden: bass Barb Chamberlin: organ
Recorded at Rainbow Studios in Whitehorse, Yukon Engineered and mixed by Laurie Malo January 2007
Brassens REDUX: In Brief EP CD version released for the 2007 Arctic Winter Games concert, Whitehorse, Yukon
By the simple act of bringing the poetry of Georges Brassens to a Yukon audience, Delahaye is surely enriching our culture. It is as if someone had decided to recreate a vintage wine in our neck of the woods and present it for the world to taste. This music is from a talented interpreter and scholar of music… Like a log alight on a roaring fire, Delahaye warms your soul with a rich, sonorous singing voice. His delivery in French and English is, like the original Brassens, distinctively enunciated and articulated to perfection. Bill Polonski, What’s up Yukon – full review
Brassens REDUX: In Brief, the debut CD of Didier Delahaye, is the weirdest music to come out of the Yukon in quite some time. Weird in a good way, however. Excitingly creative, fast and inspiring. Using a collection of gypsy-influenced folk tunes originally written by Georges Brassens half a century ago, Delahaye has taken the songs, laboured over them and reworked them to become something new. Andrew Hoshkiw, Whitehorse Star – full article
Your new release is wonderful wonderful wonderful. The “Yukon style”, is it? The introductory and intermezzo descants are so lush as to be almost edible. Your bass is much richer and sonorous than GB’s baritone, and I would lief as listen to you as him for the rest of whatever existence is left to me. I am ever captivated by delicate two part harmony with a fine soft soprano enriching the male melod, and your examples of L’amour marin and Natural mate with Marie-Hélène filling that fine role are as satisfying as apple pie. I can’t desist without mentioned the quality of the studio work. The subtle “presence”, as we used to call it, which has vanished in a lot of modern mixing, is perfect. For now, thank you, thank you, and bis! bis! William Hinshaw,Georges Brassens American Fan Club
If only she were a-pretty I would say there’s a ray of hope I know damn well she is nutty But she’s a cutie, I can cope Regrettably she has a face Even her mother hates. (x2)
If only she were a-pulpy I would say there’s a ray of hope I know damn well she is ugly But she has great curves, I can cope Regrettably she is flatter Than your average platter. (x2)
If only she were a sweetie I would say there’s a ray of hope She is no Rubenesque beauty But she’s like honey, I can cope Unfortunately she is rude And never in the mood. (x2)
If only she were a-brainy I would say there’s a ray of hope I know damn well she’s a meanie But she’s witty and I can cope Unfortunately she is dense And lacks all common sense. (x2)
If only she were a cooker I would say there’s a ray of hope She is dumb and not a looker But we eat well and I can cope Unfortunately her pot roast Looks and tastes like burnt toast. (x2)
If only she were true to me I would say there’s a ray of hope She’s hard on the eye and tummy But she’s faithful and I can cope Unfortunately she sees more Johns than a working whore. (x2)
If only she were a-dying I would say there’s a ray of hope I know damn well she’s a-lying But she’s at the end of her rope Too bad she’s built like a stone wall She will bury us all. (x2)
Si seulement elle était jolie Je dirais: “tout n´est pas perdu. Elle est folle, c´est entendu, Mais quelle beauté accomplie!” Hélas elle est plus laide bientôt Que les sept péchés capitaux. {2x}
Si seulement elle avait des formes, Je dirais: “tout n´est pas perdu, Elle est moche c´est entendu, Mais c´est Venus copie conforme.” Malheureusement, c´est désolant, C´est le vrai squelette ambulant. {2x}
Si seulement elle était gentille, Je dirais: “tout n´est pas perdu, Elle est plate c´est entendu, mais c´est la meilleure des filles.” Malheureusement c´est un chameau, Un succube, tranchons le mot. {2x}
Si elle était intelligente, Je dirais: “tout n´est pas perdu, Elle est vache, c´est entendu, Mais c´est une femme savante.” Malheureusement elle est très bête Et tout à fait analphabète. {2x}
Si seulement l´était cuisinière, Je dirais: “tout n´est pas perdu, Elle est sotte, c´est entendu, Mais quelle artiste culinaire!” Malheureusement sa chère m´a Pour toujours gâté l´estomac. {2x}
Si seulement elle était fidèle, Je dirais :”tout n´est pas perdu, Elle m´empoisonne, c´est entendu, Mais c´est une épouse modèle.” Malheureusement elle est, papa, Folle d´un cul qu´elle n´a pas! {2x}
Si seulement l´était moribonde, Je dirais: “tout n´est pas perdu, Elle me trompe c´est entendu, Mais elle va quitter le monde.” Malheureusement jamais elle tousse: Elle nous enterrera tous. {2x}
