OpenMic 65: "Ne me quitte pas" by Jacques Brel a capella
This song means so much to me and probably to a lot of french speaking people as well. While in Lisbon I mentioned my plan to record this song for OpenMic to @Roxane, to whom I promised to sing it escpecially for her and her partner, what I do now...
This is a late Xmas present for you!
This was probably the most difficult recording I ever made, no way being sloppy about it, like in almost all my previous vids. It feels like I made around 200 takes to get it near right and only the switch to monochrome made the deal for me.
The song is about insane love, always on the brink of madness, doing "everything" for your loved one, walking on the edge of making a fool or worse out of yourself.
Here are the Original lyrics and a translation into English, that I found, coming closer to the meaning than everything, that I found so far online:
Ne me quitte pas
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-la
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
D'un 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
Don't leave me
Dont' leave me
You have to forget
Everything can be forgotten
That is flying away already
Forget the time
of misunderstandings
And the time that was lost
Trying to understand how
These hours can be forgotten
Those that are killing sometimes
With punches of "why"
The heart of happiness
Don't leave me
Don't leave me
Don't leave me
Don't leave me
I will offer you
Pearls made of rain
Coming from countries
Where it never rains
I will work the earth
Until I die
To cover your body
With gold and light
I will create a kingdom for you
Where love will be the king
Where love will be the law
Where you will be the 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
Meaningless words
That you will understand
I will speak to you
Of these lovers
That we've seen twice
Their hearts embracing each other
I will tell you
The story of this king
Who died of not being able
To get to know you
Don't leave me
Don't leave me
Don't leave me
Don't leave me
We have often seen
Fire flowing again
From an ancient vulcano
That we considered to be too old
It seems like
Burned earth
Produces more wheat
Than a warm month of april
And when the night comes
And the sky is on fire
The black and the red
Won't go together
Don't leave me
Don't leave me
Don't leave me
Don't leave me
Don't leave me
I won't cry anymore
I won't speak anymore
I will hide right there
To see you
Dancing ad smiling
And to listen to you
Sing and then laugh
Let me become
The shadow of yor shadow
The shadowof you hand
The shadow of your dog
Don't leave me
Don't leave me
Don't leave me
Don't leave me
Thanks to @pfunk and @luzcypher for organizing and sponsoring this great opportunity!
And Thanks for reading / listening
this is wonderfull!
Oh this is totally wonderful song.
Really lovely song. Thanks for sharing your song.
@pollux.one
don't leave me ... i was singing along :)
Ohhh this is WONDERFUL @pollux.one !!! Thank you so much, I love the song (I know, you know :-))) Thank for singing it for us and the whole Stee community !!! Many many hugs from Belgium
this is amazing and heart touching song, have a nice day..
this song is really wonderful to hear mind blowing
wonderful its a pleasure to see this wow i had a great time :)
wow... and A capella... respect man!
(just missing Jacques' sweat ;-)
wow much anticipated gift of the year :D thanks for sharing
this is amazing