Ne Me Quitte Pas – Bilingual Lyrics French/English

• By: Jacques Brel

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the raw emotion and poetic power of Jacques Brel's iconic "Ne me quitte pas." This song, a masterpiece of French chanson, offers a profound exploration of heartbreak and vulnerability, making it a powerful way to connect with the emotional depth of the French language.

[English]

Don't leave me

You must forget

Everything can be forgotten

That already flees

Forget the time

Of misunderstandings

And the time lost

Trying to figure out how

Forget those hours

That sometimes killed

With blows of "why"

The heart of happiness

Don't leave me

Don't leave me

Don't leave me

Don't leave me

I, I will offer you

Pearls of rain

Come from countries

Where it doesn't rain

I will dig the earth

Until after my death

To cover your body

With gold and light

I will make an estate

Where love will be king

Where love will be law

Where you will be queen

Don't leave me

Don't leave me

Don't leave me

Don't leave me

...

Don't leave me

I will invent for you

Nonsensical words

That you will understand

I will tell you

About those lovers

Who saw twice

Their hearts ignite

I will tell you

The story of that king

Who died from not having

Been able to meet you

Don't leave me

Don't leave me

Don't leave me

Don't leave me

We have often seen

The fire flare up again

From the old volcano

That we thought too old

It is said that there are

Burned lands

Yielding more wheat

Than a better April

And when evening comes

So that a sky may blaze

Don't red and black

Get married?

Don't leave me

Don't leave me

Don't leave me

Don't leave me

...

Don't leave me

I will no longer cry

I will no longer speak

I will hide there

To watch you

Dance and smile

And to listen to you

Sing and then laugh

Let me become

The shadow of your shadow

The shadow of your hand

The shadow of your dog

Don't leave me

Don't leave me

Don't leave me

Don't leave me

...

[French]

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 cœur du bonheur

Ne me quitte pas

Ne me quitte pas

Ne me quitte pas

Ne me quitte pas

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

Ne me quitte pas

Ne me quitte pas

Ne me quitte pas

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

Ne me quitte pas

Ne me quitte pas

Ne me quitte pas

On a vu souvent

Rejaillir le feu

De l'ancien volcan

Qu'on croyait trop vieux

Il est, paraît-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

Ne me quitte pas

Ne me quitte pas

Ne me quitte pas

Ne me quitte pas

Je ne vais plus pleurer

Je ne 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

Ne me quitte pas

Ne me quitte pas

Ne me quitte pas

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
quitte /kit/ B1	verb - to leave or abandon
oublier /ublije/ A2	verb - to forget
temps /tɑ̃/ A1	noun - time
cœur /kœʁ/ B1	noun - heart
bonheur /bɔnœʁ/ B2	noun - happiness
mots /mo/ A2	noun - words
lumière /lymjɛʁ/ B2	noun - light
danser /dɑ̃se/ A2	verb - to dance
sourire /suʁiʁ/ A2	verb - to smile
rire /ʁiʁ/ A1	verb - to laugh
mort /mɔʁ/ B1	noun - death
roi /ʁwa/ A2	noun - king
ombre /ɔ̃bʁ/ B2	noun - shadow
feu /fø/ B1	noun - fire
pays /pe/ A2	noun - country
pluie /plɥi/ A2	noun - rain

Key Grammar Structures

• Il faut oublier

  ➔ Using the impersonal construction with 'il faut' to express necessity or obligation.

  ➔ 'Il faut' means 'it is necessary to' or 'must'.

• Je t'inventerai

  ➔ Future tense of the verb 'inventer' with the pronoun 'te' indicating 'you' as the indirect object.

  ➔ 'Je t'inventerai' means 'I will invent for you'.

• On a vu souvent

  ➔ The expression 'on a vu' is a passé composé with 'avoir' indicating 'we/one has seen'.

  ➔ It means 'we/people have seen often'.

• Je ne vais plus pleurer

  ➔ Using 'ne plus' before the verb to mean 'no longer' or 'not anymore' in the present tense.

  ➔ 'Je ne vais plus pleurer' means 'I will no longer cry'.

• À te regarder

  ➔ The preposition 'à' followed by an infinitive verb used to express purpose or in this case, 'while watching you'.

  ➔ 'À te regarder' means 'while watching you'.

• L'ombre de ta main

  ➔ Noun phrase with 'de' indicating possession or relation, meaning 'the shadow of your hand'.

  ➔ 'L'ombre de ta main' means 'the shadow of your hand'.