Au bois de mon coeur - the opening sequence of a film

This is a song that Brassens wrote for “Porte des Lilas” the only film that he ever acted in. René Clair directed the film and in the You Tube clip that I have posted after the text of the song we see its opening sequence. The words of the song had no connection with the plot of the film except for the mention of flowers.

This is another of Brassens songs, where he pays tribute to the circle of buddies who support him throughout life. Their friendship is tireless, undemanding and endless. Sentimentality is destroyed by Brassens’ humour: he says that his friends embellish his life just as the flowers embellish the various woods around Paris. – the analogy between his sturdy friends and little flowers is deliberately incongruous. His choice of situations to illustrate when they have been faithfully at his side is also not too serious- at his many marriages and his many deaths!

Au bois de mon cœur Au bois d' Clamart y' a des petit's fleurs, Y' a des petit's fleurs, Y' a des copains au, au bois d' mon coeur, Au, au bois d' mon coeur. Au fond de d' ma cour j' suis renommé, Au fond de d' ma cour j' suis renommé, J'suis renommé Pour avoir le coeur mal famé, Le coeur mal famé. Au bois d' Vincennes, y' a des petit's fleurs, Y' a des petit's fleurs, Y' a des copains au, au bois d' mon coeur, Au, au bois d' mon coeur.  Quand y' a plus d' vin dans mon tonneau, Quand y' a plus d' vin dans mon tonneau, Dans mon tonneau, Ils n'ont pas peur de boir' mon eau, De boire mon eau.  Au bois d' Saint-Cloud y' a des petit's fleurs, Y' a des petit's fleurs, Y' a des copains au, au bois d' mon coeur, Au, au bois d' mon coeur. Ils m'accompagnent à la mairie, Ils m'accompagnent à la mairie, À la mairie, Chaque fois que je me marie, Que je me marie. Au bois d' Meudon y' a des petit's fleurs, Y' a des petit's fleurs, Y' a des copains au, au bois d' mon coeur, Au, au bois d' mon coeur. Chaqu' fois qu' je meurs, fidèlement 33Chaqu' fois qu' je meurs, fidèlement Fidèlement Ils suivent mon enterrement, Mon enterrement. Des petites fleurs Des petites fleurs Au, au bois d' mon coeur... Au, au bois d' mon coeur... 1957 - Je me suis fait tout petit,

Down in the woods of my heart In the woods of Clamart are little flowers, There are little flowers. There are good mates in the woods of my heart, In the woods of my heart Down in my backyard, I am  well-known, Down in my backyard, I am  well-known, I am most well-known For having an infamous heart, An infamous heart. In the woods of Vincennes are little flowers, There are little flowers, There are good mates in the woods of my heart, In the woods of my heart. When there’s no wine left in my barrel, When there’s no wine left in my barrel, In my barrel, They are not scared to drink my water, To drink my water. In the woods of Saint-Cloud are little flowers, There are little flowers, There are good mates in the woods of my heart, In the woods of my heart They go off with me to the town-hall, They go off with me to the town-hall, Go to the town-hall, Each time that I get myself wed, I get myself wed. In the woods of  Meudon are little flowers, There are little flowers, There are good mates in the woods of my heart, In the woods of my heart. Each time that I die, faithfully Each time that I die, faithfully So faithfully They are there at my funeral, At my funeral. Some little flowers, Some little flowers, In the woods of my heart. In the woods of my heart.

This is the clip from the film:

  Appearing with Georges Brassens in the bar are;  Pierre Brasseur as the drunkard, Raymond Buissières, as the barman, and the half Vietnamese actress, Dany Carrel, peeps in as the pretty barmaid.

Footnote

Some commentators assume that the little flowers that Brassens describes in the woods of Paris are hookers.  Historians have corrected them by noting that it was a number of years after the date of the song that the Paris woods became the haunts of prostitutes.  

Please click here toreturn to the alphabetical list of my Brassens selection