Ne Me Quitte Pas (Don't Leave Me)

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I have counted quite a few of my posts that were rather depressing and dull this month of August (not on vacation and alone with my kids).  But don't leave me y'all!

No just kidding.  Last night as Mr. Welcome was checking the radio to make sure the alarm was set, I yelled "stop!" because I heard this song (video above, words below - make sure you read the words first before you listen).  I think this was the song that made me really fall in love with the poetry of the French language.  And since this blog is sometimes about all things french (although Jacques Brel was Belgian), I thought I'd share it for all of you who don't yet know Mr. Brel.  My rough translation of the song is below.

Oh, and while we're talking about French, some of you have asked why we don't just go out and buy a new charger, and the answer is that we are radin (rad-dan (don't pronounce the "n").  It means cheap.  Chargers cost about twice as much here as in the States!  Not that we can do anything about that as it's a different current as well.

Actually, truth be told we are more fauchés (foe-shay, which means "broke") than radin.  With the construction, the tickets to the States, a huge tax bill .... yikes!  We're eating plain rice these days.  So we managed to get a weak charge after Mr. Welcome banged the head of the cord and got the prongs out, and we have propped it up with a carton of soy milk.  Voila!

But one can (almost) live on love alone, right?  So without further ado, here's my favorite french song:

Ne Me Quitte Pas (updated by my husband 6 hours after my first post)

Hi Honey,

Here's an updated translation.

Sorry I couldn't resist, hope it's ok.

 Ne me quitte pas – Don't leave me

Il faut oublier – We have to forget

Tout peut s'oublier – Everything can be forgotten

Qui s'enfuit deja -(the memories) that have already fled

Oublier le temps – Forget the time

Des malentendus – of misunderstandings

Et le temps perdu – And the wasted time

A savoir comment – Spent trying to know why

Oublier ces heures – to forget these hours

Qui tuaient parfois – that sometimes killed

A coups de pourquoi – with strokes of 'why'

Le coeur du bonheur – the heart of joy

Ne me quitte pas (4 fois) – Don't leave me.

Moi je t'offrirai – As for me, I'll give you

Des perles de pluie – pearls of rain

Venues de pays – coming from countries

Où il ne pleut pas – where it doesn't rain.

Je creuserai la terre – I'll dig into the earth

Jusqu'apres ma mort – until after I'm dead

Pour couvrir ton corps – to cover your body

D'or et de lumière – with gold and light.

Je ferai un domaine – I'll create a land

Où l'amour sera roi – where love will be king

Où l'amour sera loi – where love will be law

Où tu seras reine – where you will be queen

Ne me quitte pas (4 fois) – Don't leave me

Ne me quitte pas – Don't leave me

Je t'inventerai – I'll invent for you

Des mots insensés – words with no meaning

Que tu comprendras – that you'll understand.

Je te parlerai – I'll tell you about

De ces amants là - These two lovers

Qui ont vu deux fois – Who saw twice

Leurs coeurs s'embraser – Their hearts aflame

Je te racont'rai – I'll tell you

L'histoire de ce roi – The story of this king

Mort de n'avoir pas – who died

Pu te rencontrer – because he couldn't meet you.

Ne me quitte pas (4 fois) – Don't leave me.

On a vu souvent – We have often seen

Rejaillir le feu – the rekindling of the fire

De l'ancien volcan – from an ancient volcano

Qu'on croyait trop vieux – we thought was too old.

Il est paraît-il – There apparently are

Des terres brûlées – burnt lands

Donnant plus de blé - that give out more wheat

Qu'un meilleur avril – than the best April

Et quand vient le soir – And when the evening comes

Pour qu'un ciel flamboie – and the sky is in flames

Le rouge et le noir – the red and the black,

Ne s'épousent-ils pas – don't they marry well together?

Ne me quitte pas (4 fois) – Don't leave me.

Ne me quitte pas – Don't leave me.

Je ne vais plus pleurer – I'm not going to cry anymore

Je ne vais plus parler – I'm not going to speak anymore

Je me cacherai là - I'll stay here hidden

à te regarder – to look at you

Danser et sourire – dancing and smiling

Et à t'écouter – To listen to you

Chanter et puis rire – Singing and laughing

Laisse-moi devenir – Let me become

L'ombre de ton ombre – the shadow of your shadow

L'ombre de ta main – the shadow of your hand

L'ombre de ton chien – the shadow of your dog

Ne me quitte pas (4 fois) - Don't leave me.