Follow your nose towards Brive-la-Gaillarde’s famous market. The scents are tantalising, even for people who have lived here all their lives. As you approach the central market hall, look up. You will notice that it’s named after famous French singer-songwriter Georges Brassens. This is the place that inspired his song “Hécatombe”, which means something like “carnage”. The song came out in 1952 on his album La Mauvaise Réputation (Bad Reputation). It is an imaginary story about a street fight between housewives and the local police. The lyrics are somewhat lost in translation, but go a bit like this: “At the market of Brive-la-Gaillarde, after an argument at an onion stall, a few dozen local wenches started pulling at each other's hair.” Maybe you'll be similarly inspired by this atmospheric market to break out... into song, not fisticuffs.
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