An anonymous 17th century songster from the Pont-Neuf in Paris, a cook for Louis XV (Joseph Lebas), a trio of 19th century Parisian chansonniers (Emile Debraux, Jules Jouy, Aristide Bruant), Left Bank singer Jean-Max Brua, and American country singer Bobby Gentry. Despite their different social, cultural and historical origins, all these artists have shared the same desire to tell stories that, beneath their anecdotal surface, portray the social (or even culinary, for J. Lebas) realities of their time. These are the lyrics that Roland Brou and Patrick Couton have chosen to highlight on their CD « Complaintes et chansons ».