La goualante de pauvre Jean (The Sad Story of Poor Jean)
Marguerite Monnot & Edith Piaf
Marguerite Monnot composed the music for “La goualante de pauvre Jean” (“The Sad Song of Poor Jean”) with lyrics by René Rouzaud (aka René Rosny). Edith Piaf sang and released the first version in 1954, with Yves Montand close behind. It was a huge hit and it was quickly appropriated in “covers” by other French singers, in adaptations to English and other languages, and in purely instrumental versions. In 1956, Les Baxter’s instrumental version topped the US Billboard chart at #1, although English-language vocal versions were less popular. The sprightly melody and Jack Lawrence's anomalous English lyrics projected a joyous and carefree image of early postwar France. The wine, women and song resonated with the upbeat American psyche and preconceptions about France.
Marguerite Monnot was a pivotal figure in French mid-century music and a regular collaborator with Edith Piaf (“Milord, L’hymne à l’amour”) and many other artists. Monnot was basically home-schooled by her musical mother and father and later had classical music training. Poor health led her at age 18 to abandon her budding career as a concert pianist and shift to popular music. She composed music for many songs by prominent vocalists as well as for the 1956 stage production in Paris of Alexandre Breffort’s book “Irma la douce.” In 1958 “Irma” opened in London under Peter Brook’s direction, and in 1963 Billy Wilder directed the romantic comedy film with Jack Lemon and Shirley MacLaine.
The original French version of the song narrates the story of “pauvre Jean” in the form of a cautionary tale to warn young folk from wayward pursuits and to appreciate the difference between material and inner rewards. The narrative begins with two introductory verses of four lines each. It then tells the tale of Jean’s exploits in three verses followed by a closing summation and an outro. Jean lived “the high life,” but it was “hand-to-mouth" and he didn’t score with women or find true love. Most verses conclude with the recurrent 2-line refrain: “Sans amour on n'est rien du tout, On n'est rien du tout.”
NB: The “mystery of verses 3 & 4:” As shown below, small inconsistencies exist between the Edith Piaf and Yves Montand versions of the song in Verse 3, lines 1-3. The Montand version also omits the first line of Verse 4 (“Il bectait chez les barons”) and inserts a new second line (“Il baffrait comme un cochon”) (“he gorged like a pig”). It is unclear by whom, when or why these changes were made although it was clearly in the small time interval between their two releases. In any case, the additions expand the vivid depiction of "pauvre Jean."
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Version Piaf
Verse 3 Il vivait au jour le jour (from day to day) Dans la soie et le velours (silk & velvet) Il pionçait dans de beaux draps (snoozed) |
Version Montand
Verse 3 Il vivait comme un rupin (filthy rich) Habillé comme un gandin (dandy, fop) Il ronflait dans de beaux draps (snored) NB: un rupin = “filthy rich” un gandin = “a dandy,” “show-off” or “fop.” Il ronflait = “he snores.” |
The video clip and lyrics below feature Yves Montand’s version. It provides a straightforward interpretation of the lyrics and music and a less vaudevillian presentation than some other versions.
The video clip and lyrics below feature Yves Montand’s version. It provides a straightforward interpretation of the lyrics and music and a less vaudevillian presentation than some other versions.
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FRENCH ORIGINAL Verse 1 Esgourdez rien qu'un instant La goualante du pauvre Jean Que les femmes n'aimaient pas Mais n'oubliez pas Verse 2 Dans la vie y a qu'une morale Qu'on soit riche ou sans un sous Sans amour on n'est rien du tout On n'est rien du tout Verse 3 Il vivait comme un rupin Habillé comme un gandin Il ronflait dans de beaux draps Mais n'oubliez pas Dans la vie on est peau d'balle Quand notre cœur est au clou Sans amour on n'est rien du tout Verse 4 Il guinchait dans les salons Il baffrait comme un cochon Et lichait tous les tafias Mais n'oubliez pas Rien ne vaut une belle fille Qui partage votre ragoût Sans amour on n'est rien du tout On n'est rien du tout Verse 5 Pour gagner des picaillons Il fut un méchant larron On le saluait bien bas Mais n'oubliez pas Un jour on fait la pirouette Et derrière les verrous Sans amour on n'est rien du tout On n'est rien du tout Summation Esgourdez bien jeunes gens Profitez de vos vingt ans On ne les a qu'une fois Et n'oubliez pas Plutôt qu'une cordelette Mieux vaut une femme à son cou Sans amour on n'est rien du tout On n'est rien du tout Outro Et voilà mes braves gens La goualante du pauvre Jean Qui vous dit en vous quittant Aimez-vous.... |
ENGLISH TRANSLATION Verse 1 Listen up for a moment The sad story of poor Jean Who women didn’t like But don’t forget Verse 2 In life, there’s just one story Whether you’re rich or penniless Without love we are nothing We are nothing at all Verse 3 He lived like the filthy rich Dressed like a dandy He snored in pretty sheets But don’t forget In life, we are all skin & bones When our heart is at stake Without love we are nothing at all Verse 4 He frolicked in the salons He gorged like a pig And he sipped all the rums But don’t forget Nothing is better than a pretty girl Who shares your stew Without love we are nothing at all We are nothing at all Verse 5 To earn small change He was a nasty thief They greeted him respectfully But don’t forget One day things turn around And behind bars Without love we are nothing at all We are nothing at all Summation Listen up young people Enjoy your youth You have them only once And don’t forget Rather than a rope It’s better to have a woman on your neck Sans amour on n'est rien du tout On n'est rien du tout Outro And there my good people The sad story of poor Jean That tells you while leaving you Love each other…. |
NB:
Esgourdez rien qu'un instant: “esgourdez” is a slang word for écouter (“listen”). The phrase “esgourdez rien qu'un instant” means “listen up!”
La goualante: this is not a common word, but it refers to a plaintive, popular ballad or street song.
Dans la vie on est peau d'balle: this is a slang expression with both literal and symbolic meaning. Literally, “peau d’balle” means “skin/peel of balls” (naked). Symbolically, it means “we are all skin and bones” or “in the same boat.”
Quand notre cœur est au clou: the expression “au clou” is key here, and it means “when our heart is at stake.”
des picaillons: means “small change” or “pennies” (related to “picayune”)
un méchant larron: a nasty thief; “larron” is an obsolete term for a thief.
On le saluait bien bas: “on le saluait” = “they greeted him;” “bien bas” = “deep bow”
on fait la pirouette: this is a tricky little expression which draws on the ballet move
derrière les verrous: means “behind bars” as “in jail.”
vos vingt ans: this is a common expression in French to refer to youth.
Esgourdez rien qu'un instant: “esgourdez” is a slang word for écouter (“listen”). The phrase “esgourdez rien qu'un instant” means “listen up!”
La goualante: this is not a common word, but it refers to a plaintive, popular ballad or street song.
Dans la vie on est peau d'balle: this is a slang expression with both literal and symbolic meaning. Literally, “peau d’balle” means “skin/peel of balls” (naked). Symbolically, it means “we are all skin and bones” or “in the same boat.”
Quand notre cœur est au clou: the expression “au clou” is key here, and it means “when our heart is at stake.”
des picaillons: means “small change” or “pennies” (related to “picayune”)
un méchant larron: a nasty thief; “larron” is an obsolete term for a thief.
On le saluait bien bas: “on le saluait” = “they greeted him;” “bien bas” = “deep bow”
on fait la pirouette: this is a tricky little expression which draws on the ballet move
derrière les verrous: means “behind bars” as “in jail.”
vos vingt ans: this is a common expression in French to refer to youth.
Jack Lawrence Adaptation: (The Poor People of Paris)
Jack Lawrence
Jack Lawrence was an American songwriter and lyricist. Born in Brooklyn in 1912, he began his career as a podiatrist but wrote many songs when young and chose later to pursue songwriting. He wrote songs for Disney films, the Ink Spots, Frank Sinatra, Dinah Shore and Sarah Vaughan and many others.
It is uncertain how the original French title of the song “La goualante de pauvre Jean” (“The Sad Song of Poor Jean”) became “The Poor People of Paris” in Jack Lawrence’s English adaptation. It was, perhaps, a mistranslation of “pauvre Jean” (“poor Jean”) as “pauvres gens” (“poor people”).
On the other hand, we do know that Lawrence could wield his pen like a knife in the pursuit of “creative adaptation,” as when he translated Charles Trenet’s “La Mer” to “Beyond the Sea” for Bobby Darrin. He may have intuited that a song with the title “The plaintive ballad of poor Jean” would have scant chance of success in America. On the plus side, Lawrence’s title enjoys the percussive alliteration of the “P” sound. He certainly took liberties with the actual lyrics of the song. Upon perusal of the French lyrics, it’s not difficult to see why he backed away from a close, literal translation. Many of the words and expressions are esoteric, “slang-ish” and hard to approximate in English (e.g. esgourder, la goualante, etc.). The Lawrence style was more in the starry-eyed Disney-esque vein.
On the other hand, we do know that Lawrence could wield his pen like a knife in the pursuit of “creative adaptation,” as when he translated Charles Trenet’s “La Mer” to “Beyond the Sea” for Bobby Darrin. He may have intuited that a song with the title “The plaintive ballad of poor Jean” would have scant chance of success in America. On the plus side, Lawrence’s title enjoys the percussive alliteration of the “P” sound. He certainly took liberties with the actual lyrics of the song. Upon perusal of the French lyrics, it’s not difficult to see why he backed away from a close, literal translation. Many of the words and expressions are esoteric, “slang-ish” and hard to approximate in English (e.g. esgourder, la goualante, etc.). The Lawrence style was more in the starry-eyed Disney-esque vein.
As it turned out, Jack Lawrence’s English lyrics strayed far from the original words and the most visible vocal renditions came from the likes of Dean Martin, Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney. Perhaps as a result, the most enduring versions of the song in English-speaking lands were instrumentals with versiions by Les Baxter, Chet Atkins, and Eddie Cochran.
As it turned out, Jack Lawrence’s English lyrics strayed far from the original words and the most visible vocal renditions came from the likes of Dean Martin, Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney. Perhaps as a result, the most enduring versions of the song in English-speaking lands were instrumentals with versiions by Les Baxter, Chet Atkins, and Eddie Cochran.
Not only did Jack Lawrence craft a new song title (“The Poor People of Paris”)--he also proceeded to write an entirely new song. Basically, he redirects the original sad cautionary tale of one poor man named Jean to all the “poor people of Paris” and recasts the story from a tale of one man’s loveless debauchery and "high-life" to a tongue-in-cheek celebratory account of the carefree lives of all the "poor people of Paris." For the most part, the various US vocal interpretations do little to elevate the lyrics. The English version has four 7-line verses and a concluding 4-line verse. The repetitive rhyme scheme in the 7-line verses is a uniform AAABCAB.
Without enthusiasm, the video selection below is by Dean Martin.
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Verse 1 Just got back from Paris, France All they do is sing and dance All they've got there is romance What a tragedy Every boulevard has lovers Every lover's in a trance The poor people of Paree Verse 2 I feel sorry for the French Every guy has got a wench Every couple's got a bench Kissing shamelessly Night and day they're making music While they're making love in French The poor people of Paree Interlude |
Verse 3 Milk or water from the sink Make a true Parisian shrink Wine is all he'll ever drink And it worries me For with wine as cheap as water Oh, it makes one stop and think The poor people of Paree Verse 4 Sister met a boy named Pierre Had the craziest love affair And the day they parted there He cried bitterly Pierre was there to bid her farewell But he brought his new girl, Claire The poor people of Paree Outro So don't go to Paris, France Not unless you like to dance Not unless you want romance Like those poor inhabitants of Paree |