Non, Je ne regrette rien – Bilingual Lyrics French/English

• By: Edith Piaf

Lyrics & Translation

[French]

[English]

Non, rien de rien

No, nothing at all

Non, je ne regrette rien

No, I regret nothing

Ni le bien, qu'on m'a fait

Neither the good that was done to me

Ni le mal, tout ça m'est bien égal

Nor the bad, it all means nothing to me

Non, rien de rien

No, nothing at all

Non, je ne regrette rien

No, I regret nothing

C'est payé, balayé, oublié

It's paid for, swept away, forgotten

Je me fous du passé

I don't care about the past

Avec mes souvenirs

With my memories

J'ai allumé le feu

I lit the fire

Mes chagrins, mes plaisirs

My sorrows, my pleasures

Je n'ai plus besoin d'eux

I no longer need them

Balayer les amours

Sweep away the loves

Avec leurs trémolos

With their tremolos

Balayer pour toujours

Sweep away forever

Je repars à zéro

I start from scratch

Non, rien de rien

No, nothing at all

Non, je ne regrette rien

No, I regret nothing

Ni le bien, qu'on m'a fait

Neither the good that was done to me

Ni le mal, tout ça m'est bien égal

Nor the bad, it all means nothing to me

Non, rien de rien

No, nothing at all

Non, je ne regrette rien

No, I regret nothing

Car ma vie, car mes joies

For my life, for my joys

Aujourd'hui, ça commence avec toi

Today, it starts with you

...

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
rien /ʁjɛ̃/ A1	noun - nothing
regretter /ʁəɡʁɛte/ B1	verb - to regret
bien /bjɛ̃/ A1	noun - good
mal /mal/ A1	noun - bad
souvenirs /su.və.niʁ/ B1	noun - memories
chagrins /ʃa.ɡʁɛ̃/ B2	noun - sorrows
plaisirs /plɛ.ziʁ/ B2	noun - pleasures
amours /a.muʁ/ B2	noun - loves
trémolos /tʁe.mɔ.lo/ C1	noun - tremolos (musical term)
repars /ʁə.paʁ/ B1	verb - to leave again
zéro /ze.ʁo/ A1	noun - zero
vie /vi/ A1	noun - life
joies /ʒwa/ B1	noun - joys
aujourd'hui /o.ʒuʁ.dɥi/ A2	adverb - today
commence /kɔ.mɑ̃s/ A2	verb - to begin
avec /a.vɛk/ A1	preposition - with

Key Grammar Structures

• Non, rien de rien

  ➔ Use of "rien de + noun"

  ➔ "Rien de rien" means "nothing of nothing", emphasizing the absolute absence of something. It functions as an emphatic negation.

• Ni le bien, qu'on m'a fait

  ➔ Use of "ni" (neither/nor) and the relative pronoun "que" with an antecedent

  ➔ "Ni le bien, qu'on m'a fait" means "Neither the good that was done to me". "Ni" introduces another negative element, and "que" refers back to "le bien". The structure "qu'on m'a fait" is a relative clause defining the noun "le bien".

• tout ça m'est bien égal

  ➔ Subject-Verb Inversion with "égal" and the use of "bien" as an intensifier

  ➔ The normal word order would be "Tout ça est bien égal pour moi". Inverting to "Tout ça m'est bien égal" is more poetic. "Bien" here intensifies the meaning of "égal" (equal/indifferent).

• C'est payé, balayé, oublié

  ➔ Use of past participles as adjectives

  ➔ "Payé", "balayé", and "oublié" are all past participles used here as adjectives to describe the state of the past. They are all in the masculine singular form, agreeing with the implied subject (the past).

• Je me fous du passé

  ➔ Reflexive verb "se foutre de" meaning "not to care about something"

  ➔ "Se foutre de" is an informal reflexive verb. It indicates a strong lack of concern or indifference about something. The pronoun "me" is the reflexive pronoun referring back to "Je".

• J'ai allumé le feu

  ➔ Passé composé with auxiliary verb "avoir"

  ➔ "J'ai allumé le feu" is in the *passé composé* tense, which is used to express completed actions in the past. It's formed using the auxiliary verb *avoir* in the present tense (j'ai) + the past participle of the main verb (allumé).

• Je n'ai plus besoin d'eux

  ➔ Use of "ne...plus" (no longer) and the preposition "de" after "besoin"

  ➔ "Ne...plus" expresses the cessation of a state or action. "Avoir besoin de" means "to need". Therefore, "Je n'ai plus besoin d'eux" means "I no longer need them".

• Je repars à zéro

  ➔ The verb "repartir" (to start again) and the preposition "à" indicating a state or condition.

  ➔ "Repartir à zéro" is an idiomatic expression meaning "to start over from scratch". The preposition "à" in this context denotes the state of being "at zero".

• Car ma vie, car mes joies

  ➔ Repetition of "car" for emphasis

  ➔ Normally, "car" is used once to introduce a reason. Repeating it emphasizes the strong causal link between the lack of regret and the fact that her life and joys are now starting with someone else. It’s used here for dramatic effect and to elevate the tone.