Valentine – Maurice Chevalier

This is a 1925 cabaret song from Maurice Chevalier.

A tongue-in-cheek little number as the singer fondly reminisces about his first lover. She was pretty and petite, and he met her as they walked on the street, and they fancied each other.
He grabbed her hand and ….
(J’lui pris tout enfin: I eventually took all of her)

The chorus is a little osé but mostly as metaphors: Valentine’s little feet (de tous petits petons) and little breasts (de tout petit Tetons) have changed in other versions. To “elle avait un tout petit python”: She had a tiny little snake. The singer was feeling in the dark. (Que je tâtais à tâtons).
She was curly as a sheep (Elle était frisée comme un mouton); I doubt the singer is talking about the hair on her head.

Later in the story, the singer reveals that whilst Valentine was pretty and petite, she wasn’t the sharpest tool (Elle n’était pas une grande intelligence) and could be difficult to handle as she was jealous and bossy (Elle était jalouse et même autoritaire), but those traits do not matter as much to young love.

The song ends a few years later with the singer bumping into a plump lady who recognises him …. to the horror of the singer, this plump lady is Valentine, and he reminisces about her petite figure and the time they spent together.

On se rappelle toujours sa première amie
J’ai gardé d’la mienne un souvenir plein d’ivresse
Un jour qu’il avait plu,
Tous deux on s’était plu
Et puis on se plut de plus en plus

J’lui demandai son nom,
elle me dit Valentine
Et comme elle prenait chaque jour la rue Custine
Je pris le même chemin
et puis j’lui pris la main
je lui pris tout enfin

Elle avait de tout petits petons, Valentine, Valentine
Elle avait de tout petits tétons
que je tâtais à tâtons
Tonton tontaine
Elle avait un tout petit menton, Valentine, Valentine
Outre ses petits petons, ses p’tit tétons, son p’tit menton
Elle était frisée comme un mouton

Elle n’était pas d’une grande intelligence
Mais dans un plumard, ça n’a pas d’importance
Quand on a 18 ans
On en demande pas tant
Du moment qu’on s’aime
on est content

Elle n’avait pas non plus bon caractère
Elle était jalouse et même autoritaire
Pourtant j’en étais tout fou
Elle me plaisait beaucoup
Parce que surtout

Elle avait de tout petits petons, Valentine, Valentine
Elle avait de tout petits tétons
que je tâtais à tâtons
Tonton tontaine
Elle avait un tout petit menton, Valentine, Valentine
Outre ses petits petons, ses p’tit tétons, son p’tit menton
Elle était frisée comme un mouton

Hier sur le boulevard je rencontre

une grosse dame
Avec de grands pieds, une taille d’hippopotame
Vivement elle m’saute au cou, me crie “Bonjour mon loup”
J’lui dis “Pardon madame, mais qui êtes-vous?”
Elle me répond “Mais c’est moi, Valentine”
Ah son double menton, sa triple poitrine
J’pensais rempli d’effroi
qu’elle a changé ma foi
Dire qu’autre fois

Elle avait de tout petits petons, Valentine, Valentine
Elle avait de tout petits tétons que je tâtais à tâtons
Tonton tontaine
Elle avait un tout petit menton, Valentine, Valentine
Outre ses petits petons, ses p’tit tétons, son p’tit menton
Elle était frisée comme un mouton

We always remember our
first lover
I have kept blissful memories of mine
On a rainy day
We fancied each other
and then we liked each other more and more,
I asked her name
she said Valentine
and as each day she passed in
Rue Custine,
I took the same way
and then I held her hand,
and eventually took all of her

She had teeny weeny feet.
Valentine, Valentine
She had teeny weeny tits
that I was feeling in the dark
ton ton tontaine
She had a very small chin.
Valentine, Valentine
Besides her little feet, her tiny
tits, her weeny chin
She was curly as a sheep.

She didn’t have much upstairs

But on a bunk, who cares

When you are 18 years of age,
You don’t ask for so much.
As long as you love each other,
You are happy

She didn’t have a great character either.
She was jealous and even bossy.

Yet, I was crazy about her.
I was smitten by her
especially since

She had teeny weeny feet
Valentine (x2)
She had teeny weeny tits
that I felt in the dark
tonton tontaine
She had a very small chin
Valentine (x2)
Besides her little feet, her teeny tits, her weeny chin
She was curly as a sheep.

On the Boulevard yesterday, I bumped
into a fat lady
with huge feet, the waist
of a hippo
She rushes to jump at my neck.
Bellowing, “Hello, Honey”
I said “Sorry, my lady, but who
Are you?”
She replied, “but it’s me,
Valentine”
Ah, her double chin, her triple chest.
I thought, horrified,
“Christ, she’s changed!”
to think that once …

She had teeny weeny feet
Valentine (x2)
She had teeny weeny tits
that I was feeling in the dark
tatontaine
She had a very small chin
Valentine (x2)
beside her little feet, below her teeny tits, her weeny chin
she was curly as a sheep.


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