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BRASSENS, Georges (1921-1981)
Autograph manuscript of La Ballade des gens qui sont nés quelque part
N.p.n.d. [Paris, c. 1976?], 3 oblong folio pp. (30 x 40 cm), in black felt-tip pen
« Maudits soient ces enfants de leur mère patrie / Empalés une fois pour toutes sur leur clocher »
EUR 15.000,-
Fact sheet
BRASSENS, Georges (1921-1981)
Autograph manuscript of La Ballade des gens qui sont nés quelque part
N.p.n.d. [Paris, c. 1976?], 3 oblong folio pp. (30 x 40 cm), in black felt-tip pen
Squared paper leaves, in excellent condition apart from a small stain in the lower right corner of the first leaf
Binder holes without loss to the text, typographic annotations in pencil
Precious manuscript of this famous song by the poet from Sète, featured on the iconic album Fernande, recorded in 1972
A satirical and deeply humanist text by Brassens, denouncing hatred of the foreigner disguised as love of one’s homeland
Georges Brassens opens fire from the very first verse, immediately revealing a finely targeted text, crafted with great finesse:
« C’est vrai qu’ils sont plaisants tous ces petits villagesTous ces bourgs, ces hameaux, ces lieux-dits, ces citésAvec leurs châteaux forts, leurs églises, leurs plagesIls n’ont qu’un seul point faible et c’est d’être habités »
Brassens delivers a biting satire of chauvinism and « esprit de clocher ». Behind the ironic refrain « Les imbéciles heureux qui sont nés quelque part », the poet from Sète denounces those who derive a sense of superiority from the mere accident of their birth. He multiplies references to « Paris », « Rome », « Sète », « Zanzibar » or « Montcuq » to show that this vanity exists everywhere. The writing, nourished by popular humour and burlesque imagery, ridicules such pretensions: some even come to believe that « le crottin fait par / Leurs chevaux, même en bois, rend jaloux tout le monde ».
Yet the song goes beyond simple regional mockery to become a critique of the rejection of others and of nationalist excesses. The « autruches » that « enfouissent la tête » symbolise the wilful blindness of those who refuse openness to the world, while the line « Contre les étrangers tous plus ou moins barbares » shows how chauvinism breeds mistrust and hatred. Brassens thus highlights the tragic absurdity of exalted belonging: « Ils sortent de leur trou pour mourir à la guerre ». Faithful to his libertarian humanism, he opposes to these mental borders a more fraternal vision of « la terre des hommes ».
Georges Brassens carefully transcribed the complete lyrics. He omits the full refrain once, « Les imbéciles heureux qui sont nés quelque part », at the end of the third verse, retaining only its incipit in the first (« Les imbéciles heureux ») and in the fourth (« Les imbéciles »).
This manuscript may have served as a prompter for Georges Brassens (accompanied by guitarist Joël Favreau) during the Numéro Un broadcast, presented by his friend Marcel Amont on 10 January 1976.
The song is mentioned by Pierre Desproges in his sketch from Le Tribunal des flagrants délires, during the broadcast featuring Jean-Marie Le Pen as guest (Réquisitoires du Tribunal des flagrants délires, Paris, Points, 2006, p. 124).
Provenance: Estate of Sophie Duvernoy (1930–2025)
A discreet yet essential figure within Georges Brassens’s inner circle, Sophie Duvernoy entered his service in 1969 after having worked for the illustrator Raymond Peynet. She referred to Brassens as “the good master” (le bon maître), a nickname he himself had mischievously suggested when they first met. Born in Poland and nine years younger than the singer-songwriter, she was recruited almost by chance when Peynet moved to the South of France. At the time, Brassens was living in the Le Méridien building on Rue Émile-Dubois, alongside neighbours and friends such as Jacques Brel. Sophie subsequently accompanied Brassens when he moved to Rue Santos-Dumont, quickly becoming a stable presence within an environment shaped by the constant visits of friends and figures from the artistic world. A relationship grounded in trust and mutual understanding gradually emerged between these two reserved personalities. At the heart of this domestic space, which had become a place of artistic creation, Sophie Duvernoy assumed a central role, ensuring the conditions necessary for the work of the poet from Sète. Guardian of silence, manager of household affairs, and intermediary with the outside world, she moved in close proximity to Brassens’s creative process without ever disturbing its equilibrium. Her closeness to the artist also found expression in a limited direct participation in his work. She joined the chœur des copains alongside, among others, Claudine Caillart, Fred Mella, Joël Favreau, Pierre Nicolas, and André Tavernier, contributing backing vocals to two songs: “Tempête dans un bénitier” and “Le Roi.” Following the death of her “good master,” she lived in an apartment purchased by Brassens, who had guaranteed her lifetime use of it — a testament to the singular place she occupied both in his daily life and in the immediate orbit of his artistic creation.
