Un jour – Bilingual Lyrics French/English

• By: Damien Sargue

Lyrics & Translation

Experience the emotional depth of Damien Sargue's "Un Jour." This song, a staple of French musical theater, offers a powerful exploration of love, loss, and enduring hope. Through its heartfelt lyrics and melodic expression, "Un Jour" allows listeners to connect with universal themes of remembrance and longing, making it a special piece for understanding the nuances of human emotion.

[English]

Where do those we love go

When they suddenly disappear

Someone who leaves us

Someone who hurts you

When they go too far from us

They are within ourselves

Within reach of our memories

Not a word too many, just the right gesture

To hold them one last time

No one is forgotten if

Someone is still waiting here

A friend is always missed

We always think of their return

One day all hopes are allowed

That the past comes back to life

The present, the absent reunited

One day it will be good to fall asleep

And stop thinking of the worst

We also live on memories

What do those who stay do

When their pain is stronger than everything

When they hate themselves for staying

Those who must see it through to the end

No one is forgotten if

Someone is still waiting here

A friend is always missed

We always think of their return

One day all hopes are allowed

That the past comes back to life

The present, the absent reunited

One day it will be good to fall asleep

And stop thinking of the worst

We also live on memories

...

One day all hopes are allowed

That the past comes back to life

The present, the absent reunited

One day it will be good to fall asleep

And stop thinking of the worst

We also live on memories

One day all hopes are allowed

That the past comes back to life

The present, the absent reunited

One day it will be good to fall asleep

And stop thinking of the worst

We also live on memories

...

[French]

Où vont ceux qu'on aime

Quand ils disparaissent tout à coup

Quelqu'un qui nous laisse

Quelqu'un qui vous blesse

Quand il s'en va trop loin de nous

Ils sont en nous mêmes

À portée de nos souvenirs

Pas un mot de trop, que le geste qu'il faut

Pour une dernière fois les retenir

Personne ne finit dans l'oubli si

Quelqu'un l'attend encore ici

Un ami manque toujours

On pense toujours à son retour

Un jour tous les espoirs sont permis

Que le passé reprenne vie

Le présent, les absents réunis

Un jour il fera bon s'endormir

Et ne plus penser au pire

On vit aussi de souvenirs

Que font ceux qui restent

Quand leur peine est plus forte que tout

Quand ils se détestent d'être ceux qui restent

Ceux qui doivent aller jusqu'au bout

Personne ne finit dans l'oubli si

Quelqu'un l'attend encore ici

Un ami manque toujours

On pense toujours à son retour

Un jour tous les espoirs sont permis

Que le passé reprenne vie

Le présent, les absents réunis

Un jour il fera bon s'endormir

Et ne plus penser au pire

On vit aussi de souvenirs

Un jour tous les espoirs sont permis

Que le passé reprenne vie

Le présent, les absents réunis

Un jour il fera bon s'endormir

Et ne plus penser au pire

On vit aussi de souvenirs

Un jour tous les espoirs sont permis

Que le passé reprenne vie

Le présent, les absents réunis

Un jour il fera bon s'endormir

Et ne plus penser au pire

On vit aussi de souvenirs

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
aime /ɛm/ A1	verb - to love, to like
disparaissent /dis.pa.ʁɛs/ B1	verb - to disappear, vanish
blesse /blɛs/ B1	verb - to wound, hurt
souvenirs /suv.niʁ/ A2	noun - memories
geste /ʒɛst/ B1	noun - gesture
retenir /ʁə.tə.niʁ/ B2	verb - to hold back, retain
attend /a.tɑ̃/ A1	verb - to wait for, expect
manque /mɑ̃k/ A2	verb - to be missing, to lack noun - lack, shortage
pense /pɑ̃s/ A1	verb - to think
espoirs /ɛs.pwaʁ/ B1	noun - hopes
permis /pɛʁ.mi/ B1	adjective - allowed, permitted
passé /pa.se/ A2	noun - past adjective - past
vie /vi/ A1	noun - life
présent /pʁe.zɑ̃/ A2	noun - present adjective - present
absents /ap.sɑ̃/ B1	adjective - absent noun - absent people
bon /bɔ̃/ A1	adjective - good
endormir /ɑ̃.dɔʁ.miʁ/ B1	verb - to fall asleep
pire /piʁ/ A2	adjective - worse noun - worst
peine /pɛn/ B1	noun - sorrow, grief
forte /fɔʁt/ A2	adjective - strong
détestent /de.tɛst/ B2	verb - to hate, detest

Key Grammar Structures

• Où vont ceux qu'on aime

  ➔ Relative pronoun 'que' as object

  ➔ The relative pronoun "que" refers back to "ceux" (those), acting as the object of the verb "aime" (love). Literally: Where do those "whom" we love go?

• Quand ils disparaissent tout à coup

  ➔ Adverbial phrase of time; use of 'tout à coup'.

  ➔ "tout à coup" means "suddenly". The sentence indicates when they disappear. This emphasizes the unexpected nature of their disappearance.

• À portée de nos souvenirs

  ➔ Prepositional phrase indicating proximity/reachability.

  ➔ "À portée de" means "within reach" or "within the scope of". Here, it implies that the loved ones are still accessible through memories.

• Que le geste qu'il faut

  ➔ Subjunctive mood (implied), relative clause. Emphasis on correct action.

  ➔ This implies 'Only the necessary gesture'. The full form would be 'Il faut seulement que ce soit le geste qu'il faut'. There's a sense of necessity and precision in the action.

• Pour une dernière fois les retenir

  ➔ Infinitive of purpose with indirect object pronoun

  ➔ "Pour" indicates purpose (in order to). "Les" refers to the people who are gone (implied). The sentence means: In order to hold them back one last time.

• Personne ne finit dans l'oubli si

  ➔ Negative pronoun 'Personne'; conditional clause 'si'

  ➔ "Personne" means "nobody". "Si" introduces a condition. "Nobody ends up forgotten IF..."

• Que le passé reprenne vie

  ➔ Subjunctive mood after 'que' expressing a wish/possibility

  ➔ Here, 'que' introduces a clause expressing a desire or a possibility. The subjunctive 'reprenne' indicates this. The sentence translates to: May the past come back to life.

• On vit aussi de souvenirs

  ➔ Use of 'on' as a general subject; Preposition 'de' indicating what one 'lives on'.

  ➔ "On" is used as a general pronoun, similar to 'one' or 'we' in a general sense. "De" indicates the source or sustenance. We also live *on* memories.