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This song came to America in 1956 as “The Poor People of Paris,“ a number one instrumental hit for Les Baxter. titles was a mishearing of “La Goualante du Pauvre Jean“ as “La Goualante des pauvres gens“ which sounded the same. It always made me think the poor people of Paris were very happy because the song was so kitschy English adaptation by Dean Martin was unknown to me before YouTube:_ original “Goualante“, many of its words in old French argot, was a major hit for Edith Piaf, in 1954, words by René Rouzaud, music by Marguerite Monnot, the ballad of a petty criminal who learns the hard way that love is more important than money. Thanks to philpchek of YouTube and Paris for his patience with many revisions of translating old French argot into contemporary English .
