Oh dear, poor old Jacques. A genius, passed away far too young, who wrote and performed his chansons struggling with life, drink and being Belgian. In the video accompanying this podcast he performs the deeply tragic chanson ‘Ne me quitte pas’ in his typical intense way, while the camera ruthlessly captures his desperation, moving in ever closer to his perspiring skin. Anyway, we’re here to honour Jacques Brel, of course, but also to discuss his song and to extract a few words and phrases in the hope that we’ll remember them better because Brel sang them to us.
Before listening to the podcast at the top of this post (it can take 10 – 20 seconds to load), please play the video below and read the written-out texts, which I have put underneath in French and English. I made the translation for direct accuracy rather than poetic effect. Play the clip a few times and listen carefully to Brel’s pronunciation of the individual words! In the podcast, I will comment on the text and discuss specific words and turns of phrases in more detail. Hopefully this will help you remember them better and pick them out more easily in spoken French. Enjoy!
| Ne me quitte pas Il faut oublier Tout peut s’oublier Qui s’enfuit déjà Oublier le temps Des malentendus Et le temps perdu À savoir comment Oublier ces heures Qui tuaient parfois À coups de pourquoi Le coeur du bonheur Ne me quitte pas Ne me quitte pas Ne me quitte pas Ne me quitte pas |
Don’t leave me We have to forget Everything can be forgotten That is already fleeting Forget the time Of the misunderstandings And the time lost To know how Forget those hours That sometimes killed With hits of why The heart of happiness Don’t leave me Don’t leave me Don’t leave me Don’t leave me |
| Moi, je t’offrirai Des perles de pluie Venues de pays Où il ne pleut pas Je creuserai la terre Jusqu’après ma mort Pour couvrir ton corps D’or et de lumière Je ferai un domaine Où l’amour sera roi Où l’amour sera loi Où tu seras reine Ne me quitte pas |
Me, I will offer you Pearls of rain Come from a country Where it doesn’t rain I will dig the earth Until after my death To cover your body With gold and light I’ll create a country Where love will be king Where love will be law Where you will be queen Don’t leave me |
| Ne me quitte pas Je t’inventerai Des mots insensés Que tu comprendras Je te parlerai De ces amants-là Qui ont vu deux fois Leurs cœurs s’embraser Je te raconterai L’histoire de ce roi Mort de n’avoir pas Pu te rencontrer Ne me quitte pas |
Don’t leave me I’ll invent for you Nonsense words That you will understand I’ll will speak to you About those lovers Who have seen two times Their hearts start burning I’ll tell you The story of that king Dead from not having been Able to encounter you Don’t leave me |
| On a vu souvent Rejaillir le feu D’un ancien volcan Qu’on croyait trop vieux Il est parait-il Des terres brûlées Donnant plus de blé Qu’un meilleur avril Et quand vient le soir Pour qu’un ciel flamboie Le rouge et le noir Ne s’épousent-ils pas Ne me quitte pas |
We’ve often seen The fire jump up from an ancient volcano That we thought was too old There are so it seems fields that have burnt Giving more wheat Than a very best April And when the evening comes If a sky burst in flames Red and black Don’t they join in marriage Don’t leave me |
| Je n’vais plus pleurer Je n’vais plus parler Je me cacherai là À te regarder Danser et sourire Et à t’écouter Chanter et puis rire Laisse-moi devenir L’ombre de ton ombre L’ombre de ta main L’ombre de ton chien Ne me quitte pas |
I will not cry anymore I will not talk anymore I’ll hide here To watch you Dancing and smiling And to listen to you Singing and then laughing Let me become The shadow of your shadow The shadow of your hand The shadow of your dog Don’t leave me |
Lyrics ‘Ne me quitte pas’ by Jacques Brel with translation and comments.pdf