Le moribond - Jacques Brel - 1961 - Live with English Subtitles

See other Best French Songs playlist by different decades with English Subtitles/ Lyrics/Translation:
LE MORIBOND:
The song express Jacques Brel thoughts on major contacts or love that one can acquired in a life time and how he would say goodbye to all when he dies.
A good guy whom he can trust, a priest with whom he has different belief, a wife lover who saddens him to still be strong and alive and a wife who is unfaithful.
But the things he wants more to remember is the good time he had, repeated in the chorus.
"Seasons in the Sun" is an English-language adaptation of the song "Le Moribond".
JAQUES BREL:
Jacques Romain Georges Brel was born on 8 April 1929 in, Brussels. Jacques and his older brother Pierre grew up in an austere household, and attended a Catholic primary school. Brel did well in reading and writing, but struggled through arithmetic and Dutch. Brel was close to his mother, fascinated by her generosity and sense of humour, which he inherited. In 1942 he attended the Institut Saint-Louis. There he helped set up the school's drama club, taking on his first stage roles with great enthusiasm. He wrote short stories, poems, and essays. In 1944, at the age of 15, Brel began playing the guitar. The following year he formed his own theatre group with friends and began writing plays. Despite his growing talent for writing, Brel was not a good student, and failed many of his exams. With an academic career not in his future, the 18-year-old Brel went to work at his father's cardboard factory in August 1947. The work was not very inspiring. In 1952 Brel began writing songs and performing them at family gatherings and on Brussels' cabaret circuit. That year he performed on a local radio station for the first time. He left for Paris in 1953 where he worked hard to get his career off the ground. In 1954 Brel made his first appearance at the prestigious Olympia Theatre in Paris and released his first album: Jacques Brel et ses Chansons ("Jacques Brel and His Songs") He performed in many venues and by 1962 he was so popular he returned to the Olympia music hall in Paris with star billing, after Marlene Dietrich cancelled at the last minute. Many critics point to these inspired performances as the turning point in his career. The audiences responded with rapturous applause and the critics proclaimed him as the new star of French chanson.
In 1972 Brel re-recorded 11 of the better-known songs from the early years of his music career. The result was the album Ne me quitte pas (Don't leave me), which contained the title track, "Marieke", "Les Flamandes" (Flemish women), "Quand on n'a que l'amour" (When you only have love), "Les Biches" (The does), "Le Moribond" (The dying man), "La Valse à mille temps" (The waltz in thousand time), and "Je ne sais pas" (I don't know).
In the Francophone world, Brel left an enduring influence on music and culture. Further afield his influence has been somewhat tempered by differences in language, though he has influenced many artists globally. And more than 50 top international artists have covered his songs.

[Geoduck.]

So powerful to hear this by the artist who wrote it and sang it for us here.
We know the American adaptation of the song but this is much more emotional.

[Franzie]

Cet accordéon comme un point d'exclamation après chaque paroles de Brel trop fort ❤❤❤

[mithrasenkidu]

Jacques Brel était génialissime ! Non seulement il l'était dans l'écriture de ses chansons mais également dans l'interprétation de celles-ci. Or je trouve cette performance en direct plus intéressante que la version enregistrée en studio. Merci donc pour le partage !

Merci également pour la traduction en anglais. En effet, grâce à cette vidéo les anglophones peuvent désormais accéder aux paroles originales de cet air qui, repris aux États-Unis sous le titre de "Seasons in the Sun", connut un certain succès dans ce pays dans les années 70.
Je reste persuadé que lorsque Nirvana a "jammé" sur ce titre en 1993, le groupe ne savait probablement pas que la version originale avait été interprétée en français par un artiste belge !

[samdamon]

Le Moribond - by Jacques Brel
(Translation by Google)

Goodbye Émile, I loved you
Adieu l'Émile, je t'aimais bien

Goodbye Émile, I loved you, you know
Adieu l'Émile, je t'aimais bien tu sais

We sang the same wines
On a chanté les mêmes vins

We sang the same girls
On a chanté les mêmes filles

We sang the same sorrows
On a chanté les mêmes chagrins
Goodbye Émile, I'm going to die
Adieu l'Émile, je vais mourir

It's hard to die in spring you know
C'est dur de mourir au printemps tu sais

But I go to the flowers with peace in my soul
Mais j'pars aux fleurs la paix dans l'âme

Because since you're as good as white bread
Car vu qu't'es bon comme du pain blanc

I know you will take care of my wife
Je sais qu'tu prendras soin d'ma femme
And I want us to laugh, I want us to dance
Et j'veux qu'on rie, j'veux qu'on danse

I want us to have fun like crazy
J'veux qu'on s'amuse comme des fous

I want us to laugh, I want us to dance
J'veux qu'on rie, j'veux qu'on danse

When will I be put in the hole
Quand c'est qu'on m'mettra dans l'trou
Goodbye Curé, I loved you
Adieu Curé, je t'aimais bien

Goodbye Curé, I loved you, you know
Adieu Curé, je t'aimais bien tu sais

We weren't on the same side
On n'était pas du même bord

We weren't on the same path
On n'était pas du même chemin

But we were looking for the same port
Mais on cherchait le même port
Goodbye Priest, I'm going to die
Adieu Curé, je vais mourir

It's hard to die in spring you know
C'est dur de mourir au printemps tu sais

But I go to the flowers with peace in my soul
Mais j'pars aux fleurs la paix dans l'âme

Because since you were his confidant
Car vu qu't'étais son confident

I know you will take care of my wife
Je sais qu'tu prendras soin d'ma femme
And I want us to laugh, I want us to dance
Et j'veux qu'on rie, j'veux qu'on danse

I want us to have fun like crazy
J'veux qu'on s'amuse comme des fous

I want us to laugh, I want us to dance
J'veux qu'on rie, j'veux qu'on danse

When will I be put in the hole
Quand c'est qu'on m'mettra dans l'trou
Goodbye Antoine, I didn't like you very much
Adieu l'Antoine, j't'aimais pas bien

Goodbye Antoine I didn't like you very well you know
Adieu l'Antoine j't'aimais pas bien tu sais

I'm dying to die today
J'en crève de crever aujourd'hui

While you are alive and well
Alors que toi, tu es bien vivant

And even stronger than boredom
Et même plus solide que l'ennui
Goodbye Antoine, I'm going to die
Adieu l'Antoine, je vais mourir

It's hard to die in spring you know
C'est dur de mourir au printemps tu sais

But I go to the flowers with peace in my soul
Mais j'pars aux fleurs la paix dans l'âme

Because since you were her lover
Car vu qu't'étais son amant

I know you will take care of my wife
Je sais qu'tu prendras soin d'ma femme
And I want us to laugh, I want us to dance
Et j'veux qu'on rie, j'veux qu'on danse

I want us to have fun like crazy
J'veux qu'on s'amuse comme des fous

I want us to laugh, I want us to dance
J'veux qu'on rie, j'veux qu'on danse

When will I be put in the hole
Quand c'est qu'on m'mettra dans l'trou
Goodbye my wife I loved you
Adieu ma femme je t'aimais bien

Goodbye my wife I loved you very much you know
Adieu ma femme je t'aimais bien tu sais

But I take the train for the Good Lord
Mais je prends l'train pour le Bon Dieu

I'm taking the train before yours
Je prends le train qu'est avant l'tien

But we all take the train we can
Mais on prend tous le train qu'on peut
Goodbye my wife I'm going to die
Adieu ma femme je vais mourir

It's hard to die in spring you know
C'est dur de mourir au printemps tu sais

But I go to the flowers with my eyes closed, my wife
Mais j'pars aux fleurs les yeux fermés ma femme

Because since I often closed them
Car vu qu'j'les ai fermés souvent

I know you will take care of my soul
Je sais qu'tu prendras soin d'mon âme
And I want us to laugh, I want us to dance
Et j'veux qu'on rie, j'veux qu'on danse

I want us to have fun like crazy
J'veux qu'on s'amuse comme des fous

I want us to laugh, I want us to dance
J'veux qu'on rie, j'veux qu'on danse

When will I be put in the hole
Quand c'est qu'on m'mettra dans l'trou

[TheLocalZeroChannel]

Well the original lyrics have WAY more bite and personality than the Terry Jacks version.

[TakoK_Puzzle-RK]

This is the first time I've heard it in its original version, and I didn't know that its meaning is very different from the English version.

[Hal]

Wow. So original, emotionally powerful, and with just enough melody to make something beautiful.

[markosborne]

It’s absolute recognisable as the same song. Terry Jacks made a good American Pop version - but Brel’s song is the kind of poetry no one writes any more.
He says ‘I want you to dance, I want you to laugh’…
Terry says ‘we HAD joy we had fun..’

[Timba-wf]

Glad to hear Jacques Brel on YouTube. His original artistry deserves attention. In the realm of emotional interpretation though, I prefer Johnny Ray. 👍 ❤

[CarlosRobertoRibeirodeAndrade]

Il s'agit de la version originale (magnifique, soit dit en passant) que Rod McKuen a réécrite en anglais en 1963, donnant naissance à « Seasons in the Sun ». En 1973, Terry Jacks a adapté et enregistré « Seasons in the Sun », qui est devenu un immense succès intemporel.

[powtwn]

these subtitles are not perfect. but it’s good to have some Brel subtitled in english on here. there used to be loads but it all got taken down a few years ago. cheers!

[kyawkyawwin]

What an artist and so sad as he knew he really was dying.

[ChrisBakerauthor]

If you listen to this song and to "Seasons in the Sun, " you wouldn't even know that the second is a cover of the first. They are so different that I wouldn't call "Seasons in the Sun" a cover.

[danguid]

It's not goodbye but farewell, for the rest the translation is quite faithful, even if there are some expressions to understand.

[mdhealy]

The English version "Seasons in the Sun" is much less interesting because it lacks the sardonic humor of the original French.

[amiblueful]

I always wondered why Rod McKuen changed the lyrics so drastically for his version. But looking at the subtitles, I see that none of that would rhyme in English!

[Travis_DeGee]

I dont care what people say, the nirvana cover is the best

[ScottBaker-tz]

Aline, did you mean "soul" where you put "saul" in the lyrics? It's an interesting song delivery, very non-traditional in its lack of meter and spoken word-like ranting style, like a pre-hip hop rap style, not much like it then. It's clearly less sentimental precursor to "Seasons in the Sun", which made my cry as a little boy. It actually scared me a bit, making me realize I could die even though I was not old. The emotions are there, just different ones. It's quite matter-of-fact, almost like an outwardly-turned self-eulogy. Maybe a worldly French person can tell me how it came to be that a largely Catholic country can be so accepting of married people having lovers/mistresses on the side. Statistically, it's probably more common in the U.S., but we pretend it's not happening. So, perhaps the French trade one virtue for another, preferring honesty to feeling guilty over the charade of a universal monogamous ethos. Maybe this is not the right place to focus on that topic.

[regmunday]

Rerecorded as Seasons in the Sun by Rod Mckuen in 1963, different title and lyric.

[lennon]

Terry Jack's version much better than this original. The English lyrics were written by Rod McKuen but Terry Jacks changed the lyrics for his friend Roger who was dying from leukemia