This project of translating and annotating the songs of Georges Brassens began in 2007 and was completed in 2021, the centenary of the poet's birth. If you'd like to learn about my motivation in undertaking this work, please check out my story.
Below is a list of the first twelve volumes that Georges Brassens recorded under the Philips label, 138 songs in all. Click on a volume to see a list of the songs contained in it and select a song to display the text and my translation. The hyperlink in the title will open a window to Brassens' recording. The superscripts in the text are footnotes explaining what I found to be somewhat obscure references in the songs. I'm told that many of these references are a mystery even to native French speakers, so hopefully they, too, will benefit from reading the footnotes. My life has been immeasurably enriched working on this project and I hope yours will be also by listening to the songs and reading my translations.
If you enjoyed my translations and they have helped increase your understanding and appreciation of French language and culture, a small donation to my PayPal account (ruomini@gmail.com) would be greatly appreciated! Thank you.
Note: Some Android device users have reported being shown a sign-in page when selecting a link to the songs. This is due to the tight linkage between Android and Google Drive, where the pages live. If that happens to you, instead of tapping a link, do a long press and select Open in new tab, then display that tab.
Album 1: La Mauvaise Réputation
Album 2: Le Vent
Album 3: Les Sabots d'Hélène
Album 4: Je me suis fait tout petit
Album 5: Les Funérailles d'antan
Album 6: Le Bistrot
Album 7: Dans L’Eau de la Claire Fontaine
Album 8: Les Copains d'abord
Album 9: Supplique pour être enterré à la plage de Sète
Album 10: La rose, la bouteille et la poignée de main
Album 11: Fernande
Album 12: La Messe au Pendu
This work would not have been possible without the help of my daughter Natalie and my companion Dominique, both of whom made many valuable additions and corrections to my translations. I also wish to acknowledge the site analysebrassens.com whose many contributors offered their interpretations and research that helped me understand some of the more arcane references that appear in Brassens' songs. Finally, I want to thank Catherine Sharrock for her translations of several songs which helped jumpstart my understanding and appreciation of Brassens so many years ago.
Contact me if you have any questions or comments about this site.
Web site copyright 2007-2021 Robert Uomini. All rights reserved.