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hamlet
Joined: 05 Jan 2006 Posts: 456
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Posted: Fri May 26, 2006 10:40 pm Post subject: L'Addition |
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Ema, or somebody. I need a one line summary of this poem for some CD liner notes I am writing.. I'm afraid I don't understand what's being added, subtracted and multiplied here. I don't get the point of this. Can you help again? Thanks so much!
Yves Montand
L'addition Paroles: J.L.Dabadie. Musique: M.Légrand
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Des jours heureux, une colombe
Des soirs qui tombent, un regard bleu
Plus un sanglot, plus un violon
La vie et tout ce temps cassé
Que l' on appelle le passé
Plus l' avenir en dix leçons
De nos prophètes bénévoles
Plus une bombe sur une école
Et les oiseaux qui chantent après
L' avion ne l' a pas fait exprès
Plus les amis dans la maison
Moins ceux qui pour toujours s' en vont
Les enfants sont déjà devant
Ôté de nous, ôté de moi
Il ne nous reste pas beaucoup
Plus les combats, le cœur qui bat
Les défaites souvent secrètes
Et tous les doutes qu' on redoute
Mas quand on a perdu le nôtre
Il y a encore l' espoir des autres
Multiplié par les idées
Divisé par tous les mots d' ordre
Certains finissent par confondre
Certains ne peuvent pas répondre
Bouche sans cri au bout d' une corde
Et plus la pluie et le bon temps
Et l' herbe qui pousse entre-temps
Plus tous les désobéissants
Qui ne veulent plus se mettre en rang
Les enfants sont déjà devant
Moins ceux qui sont encore à naître
Plus l' inconnu dans la fenêtre
Et plus l' amour de quelques-uns
Et plus ou moins de quelques-unes
Je pose tout, je retiens une
Égale...
Égale un homme en équilibre
Sur trois vers
De Prévert
Mais ce sont des vers libres
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[10307] http://www.paroles.net - Texte soumis aux Droits d'Auteur - Réservé à un usage privé ou éducatif.
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ema
Joined: 31 Oct 2005 Posts: 1074 Location: france
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Posted: Sat May 27, 2006 1:39 pm Post subject: |
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wow! this song is even more difficult to translate than the first one!!! but i'll try as soon as i can!
Montand used to quote Prévert to introduce this song live:
Embauché malgré moi dans l'usine à idées
j'ai refusé de pointer
Mobilisé de même dans l'armée des idées
j'ai déserté
Je n'ai jamais compris grand-chose
Il n'y a jamais grand-chose
ni petite chose
Il y a autre chose.
Autre chose
c'est ce que j'aime qui me plaît
et que je fais.
maybe it can help you! _________________
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hamlet
Joined: 05 Jan 2006 Posts: 456
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Posted: Sat May 27, 2006 2:21 pm Post subject: |
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Indeed it's autre chose. Metaphor upon metaphor. Image upon image. I only need a one line summation. What's added up here? Life? If no-one knows, I can say anything! Thanks for the help ema! |
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ema
Joined: 31 Oct 2005 Posts: 1074 Location: france
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Posted: Sat May 27, 2006 5:53 pm Post subject: |
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Des jours heureux, une colombe
Des soirs qui tombent, un regard bleu
Plus un sanglot, plus un violon
La vie et tout ce temps cassé
Que l' on appelle le passé
i think i'll need to listen the song first, cuz you prolly know that, but "plus" has several meanings, comparatif de supériorité, superlatif de supériorité and adverbe de négation and for the third lines, i don't really know if he means errr "no more" or a addition..... i'd say "no more", but i'm not sure
well, i think that dove has the same meaning for everyone, i mean, peace, spirit etc..
the first verse is about life and time mostly.
Plus l' avenir en dix leçons
De nos prophètes bénévoles
Plus une bombe sur une école
Et les oiseaux qui chantent après
L' avion ne l' a pas fait exprès
there's an addition there, future, religion (kinda ironic about the subject btw).... bombs killing kids at school....the plane didn't do it on purpose....and still birds sing just after...so yeah, still about lives
Plus les amis dans la maison
Moins ceux qui pour toujours s' en vont
Les enfants sont déjà devant
Ôté de nous, ôté de moi
Il ne nous reste pas beaucoup
plus the friends at home, less the ones who are gone forever (died)....i don't really get "les enfants sont déjà devant" if he's talking about the kids killed by the bombs or not....but i think they're already dead......take us off, take me off and there's not much left....
Plus les combats, le cœur qui bat
Les défaites souvent secrètes
Et tous les doutes qu' on redoute
Mais quand on a perdu le nôtre
Il y a encore l' espoir des autres
add the fights.....heart beats, secret defeat, fearsome doubts....even when you're lost, there's still others's hope..... cuz if there's no hope, life doesn't worth it
Multiplié par les idées
Divisé par tous les mots d' ordre
Certains finissent par confondre
Certains ne peuvent pas répondre
Bouche sans cri au bout d' une corde
multiplied by ideas, divided by orders, some of us end up confused, some cannot answer, mouth without any scream with a rope around the neck....life without freedom leads to death
Et plus la pluie et le bon temps
Et l' herbe qui pousse entre-temps
Plus tous les désobéissants
Qui ne veulent plus se mettre en rang
Les enfants sont déjà devant
plus the rain, the good ol' days....and the grass grows meanwhile(life), plus all the disobedients, who don't wanna line up anymore...and the kids are already at the front.......time, freedom, life.....again
Moins ceux qui sont encore à naître
Plus l' inconnu dans la fenêtre
Et plus l' amour de quelques-uns
Et plus ou moins de quelques-unes
Je pose tout, je retiens une
not counting those who are still to be born, plus the unknown in the window ( and not at the window) and add the love of some men ..... and more or less the love of few women...i put everything down, carry one (female)
Égale...
Égale un homme en équilibre
Sur trois vers
De Prévert
Mais ce sont des vers libres
equal....a man on a tightrope...on 3 Prévert's verses.....but these are free verses
hope it can help you! i'd say it talks about life, time and freedom mostly....it makes me think to our motto "liberté, égalité, fraternité"....which of course, is not topical anymore nowadays , at least totally never-never. _________________
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hamlet
Joined: 05 Jan 2006 Posts: 456
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Posted: Sun May 28, 2006 1:49 pm Post subject: |
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Here were are chipping away at the language barrier from both sides and the poetry barrier as well. I think you're right about liberty, equality and fraternity,and I think he is saying, "Everything and its opposite added to/ subtracted from life equals a man in balance (en equilibre)." I will see Jeff doing his Punk History of the Lower East side on the Lower East Side tonight. He's easier than Prevert. |
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Dav Site Admin
Joined: 30 Oct 2005 Posts: 2890 Location: Rennes, France
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Posted: Sun May 28, 2006 2:46 pm Post subject: |
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hamlet wrote: | I will see Jeff doing his Punk History of the Lower East side on the Lower East Side tonight. |
Awwww lucky guy ! _________________ http://uberaffe.bandcamp.com |
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ema
Joined: 31 Oct 2005 Posts: 1074 Location: france
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Posted: Mon May 29, 2006 1:01 am Post subject: |
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hamlet wrote: | Here were are chipping away at the language barrier from both sides and the poetry barrier as well. I think you're right about liberty, equality and fraternity,and I think he is saying, "Everything and its opposite added to/ subtracted from life equals a man in balance (en equilibre)." I will see Jeff doing his Punk History of the Lower East side on the Lower East Side tonight. He's easier than Prevert. |
have fun, then you lucky chap!
as for the "en equilibre" yeah you're right....but when you say in balance, it doesn't mean a balanced man, right? mmmm lost in translation, hehe...how could i explain that....well a balanced man would be translated in french by " homme equilibré" and "un homme en équilibre" is like a funambulist....someone who can fall at a moment...we never use "un homme en equilibre" for "a balanced man" it doesn't have the same meaning in french.hope you can understand what i'm trying to say, sorry it's late, so instead of trying to help you i should go to bed! don't waist your time reading that! *
*and i should have put that at the beginning! _________________
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hamlet
Joined: 05 Jan 2006 Posts: 456
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Posted: Mon May 29, 2006 2:38 pm Post subject: |
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So it would mean a man on a tightrope who can fall any minute? Interesting. Incidentally, I'm a female,just using the name hamlet because it's the letters of my name scrambled (Thelma). I saw Jeff and Jack last night at a Lower East side Festival doing their punk history and they were great. Tremendous applause. I got some video for my friend's cable TV show but can't upload it because my camera (Sony) is not compatible with my computer (Mac). Jeff said it would be OK to send Dav or somebody a disc and maybe he could figure out how to up load it. PM a mailing address in Franc or England if you can do this . |
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Dav Site Admin
Joined: 30 Oct 2005 Posts: 2890 Location: Rennes, France
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Posted: Mon May 29, 2006 4:04 pm Post subject: |
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héhé that's great ! I'll pm you my maling adress, i'm sure you had a great time ! _________________ http://uberaffe.bandcamp.com |
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Dav Site Admin
Joined: 30 Oct 2005 Posts: 2890 Location: Rennes, France
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Posted: Mon May 29, 2006 4:11 pm Post subject: |
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If you're into la chanson française d'antan, i suggest you to look for Boris Vian stuff, he was great with lyrics, he imported jazz music to france and he is/was the best french writer in my opinon, i own almost all his book and lyrics so if you need anything, well, you know what to do ! _________________ http://uberaffe.bandcamp.com |
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Dav Site Admin
Joined: 30 Oct 2005 Posts: 2890 Location: Rennes, France
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hamlet
Joined: 05 Jan 2006 Posts: 456
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Posted: Tue May 30, 2006 2:14 am Post subject: |
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We heard Le Deserteur over here. He translated Brecht Weil's Bilbao song for Montand. I should really check him out. Thats for the info. |
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ema
Joined: 31 Oct 2005 Posts: 1074 Location: france
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Posted: Tue May 30, 2006 6:00 pm Post subject: |
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hey, good to see that you had fun, chapette ! ; )
mmmm a vid sounds great! _________________
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hamlet
Joined: 05 Jan 2006 Posts: 456
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Posted: Wed May 31, 2006 3:49 am Post subject: |
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Yes we all had fun thanks to Jeff ,J ack and Dave. Found an Engish translation of L'Addition which ends with a man being balanced on 2 or 3 verses by Prevert but the verses are free ( pun--unrhymed verse and don't cost anything or add to 'addition). The lyrics are not by Prevert but by J.L Dabadie, music by Michel Legrand. |
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ema
Joined: 31 Oct 2005 Posts: 1074 Location: france
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Posted: Wed May 31, 2006 12:41 pm Post subject: |
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hehhe, well i know that, actually Montand esp asked to Dabadie to write the lyrics.....and i don't think i ever said that the lyrics were from Prévert, what i said is just below:
ema wrote: |
Montand used to quote Prévert to introduce this song live:
Embauché malgré moi dans l'usine à idées
j'ai refusé de pointer
Mobilisé de même dans l'armée des idées
j'ai déserté
Je n'ai jamais compris grand-chose
Il n'y a jamais grand-chose
ni petite chose
Il y a autre chose.
Autre chose
c'est ce que j'aime qui me plaît
et que je fais.
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on stage, Montand used to say those words from Prévert before starting to sing l'addition!
and as for the balanced thingy, see....i'm only french,.... so if you think that " un homme en équilibre" means "a stable, well balanced man"..... well, it's up to you dear! i just ask you this....if he was that stable...why would he says "MAIS/BUT" those are free verses?? _________________
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