| Edith Piaf – Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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Some context: While one can assume you know the life-story of Piaf, its basic trajectory at least, it seems relevant to mention that this was offered to her and subsequently famously adopted by her in late 1960. She continued to perform it regularly throughout the rest of her famous series of gigs at The Olympia (1959-63) that continued till her year of death 1963. Through this time, her health was in rapid decline, and she was also under public scrutiny (even disapproval) and simultaneous sympathy (not empathy, but the concern that goes with such a condition approaching any international icon) for her (what proved to be) fatal morphine addiction in addition to her longtime alcoholicism. If you listen to the song in this context, the words come to acquire a whole new dimension of meaning and it becomes her affirmation of her whole life, how she had spent her time on earth. |
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| Edith Piaf – Milord Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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Note: "Vous avez l'air d'un môme!" (You have the air of a kid!) Here, there's a double meaning involved. Air is often used in French, and less commonly but definitely in English too, in the sense of a 'melody,' a 'tune.' This is exactly how it's used in, say, that other famous Piaf song "Padam...Padam..." where it's used to refer to the song itself. If you read 'air' as 'melody' here, then the line might come to mean "You (that is the guy being referred to as Milord) have the tune (song) of... not just a kid, but Piaf herself! (Piaf having been known in her early performing days as La Môme Piaf which means The Kid/Little Sparrow) |
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| Edith Piaf – Milord Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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MILORD Paroles: Georges Moustaki, musique: Marguerite Monnot, enr. 5 juin 1959 Allez, venez, Milord! Vous asseoir à ma table; Il fait si froid, dehors, Ici c'est confortable. Come on, come, Milord! Sit at my table; It’s so cold outside, And it’s pleasant here. Laissez-vous faire, Milord Et prenez bien vos aises, Vos peines sur mon coeur Et vos pieds sur une chaise Let it all be, Milord And take it easy, Lay your sorrows on my heart And your feet on a chair Je vous connais, Milord, Vous ne m'avez jamais vue Je ne suis qu'une fille du port, Qu'une ombre de la rue... I know you, Milord, You’ve never seen me I am not a girl from the port, or a shade of the street… Pourtant je vous ai frôlé Quand vous passiez hier, Vous n'étiez pas peu fier, Dame! Le ciel vous comblait: Yet I touched you lightly When you passed yesterday, You were not proud, Mother of God! You filled the whole sky: Votre foulard de soie Flottant sur vos épaules, Vous aviez le beau rôle, On aurait dit le roi... Your silk scarf floating on your shoulders, You had a beautiful presence, One would have said that of a king… Vous marchiez en vainqueur Au bras d'une demoiselle Mon Dieu!... Qu'elle était belle... J'en ai froid dans le coeur... You walked in like a winner holding hands with a young girl My God! … She was beautiful… And it chilled my heart… Allez, venez, Milord! Vous asseoir à ma table; Il fait si froid, dehors, Ici c'est confortable. Come on, come, Milord! Sit at my table; It’s so cold outside, And it’s pleasant here. Laissez-vous faire, Milord Et prenez bien vos aises, Vos peines sur mon coeur Et vos pieds sur une chaise Let it all be, Milord, And take it easy, Lay your sorrows on my heart, And your feet on a chair Je vous connais, Milord, Vous ne m'avez jamais vue Je ne suis qu'une fille du port, Qu'une ombre de la rue... I know you, Milord, You’ve never seen me, I am not a girl who walks the port, or the shades of the street… Dire qu'il suffit parfois Qu'il y ait un navire Pour que tout se déchire Quand le navire s'en va... Say it’s enough sometimes to have a ship, So that everything gets torn apart when the ship goes off… Il emmenait avec lui La douce aux yeux si tendres Qui n'a pas su comprendre Qu'elle brisait votre vie He took them along with him, Those soft eyes so tender, Which had no understanding, Which broke your life L'amour, ça fait pleurer Comme quoi l'existence Ça vous donne toutes les chances Pour les reprendre après... To love is to cry, To exist is like that, You’re given all the chances To take them once more in days to come… Allez, venez, Milord! Vous avez l'air d'un môme! Laissez-vous faire, Milord, Venez dans mon royaume: Come on, come, Milord! You have the air of a kid! , Let it all be Milord, Come into my kingdom: Je soigne les remords, Je chante la romance, Je chante les milords Qui n'ont pas eu de chance! I look after the remorses, I sing songs of romance, I sing to milords Who did not have a chance! Regardez-moi, Milord, Vous ne m'avez jamais vue... ...Mais vous pleurez, Milord? Ça je l'aurais jamais cru! Look at me, Milord, You’ve never seen me… … But you cry, Milord? That I'd never have believed! Eh bien, voyons, Milord! Souriez-moi, Milord! ...Mieux que ça! Un petit effort... Oh well, let us see, Milord! Smile at me, Milord! … Better than that! A small effort… Voilà, c'est ça! Allez, riez, Milord! There, like that! Come on, laugh, Milord! Allez, chantez, Milord! La-la-la... Come on, sing, Milord! La-la-la… Mais oui, dansez, Milord! La-la-la... But of course, dance, Milord! La-la-la… Bravo Milord! La-la-la... Bravo Milord! La-la-la… Encore Milord!... La-la-la... Once more, Milord! … La-la-la… |
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| Edith Piaf – La Foule Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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This is as yet a somewhat imperfect translation. It needs a degree of phrasal and rhythmic finessing. But this will do for now I guess for anyone looking for some help in appreciating the song in French, 'cause even as it stands now, it's quite accurate and I'd say more or less faithful even in its tone to the original. However, once I've finalized this into a something better, I'll post the updated version here. LA FOULE Paroles: Michel Rivgauche, musique: Angel Cobral, enr. 28 février 1957 Je revois la ville en fête et en délire Suffoquant sous le soleil et sous la joie Et j'entends dans la musique les cris, les rires Qui éclatent et rebondissent autour de moi Et perdue parmi ces gens qui me bousculent Étourdie, désemparée, je reste là Quand soudain, je me retourne, il se recule, Et la foule vient me jeter entre ses bras... I review the city in feast and in delirium Choking under the sun and under joy And I hear in music the screams, the laughters That explode and rebound around me And lost among these people who jostle me Lightheaded, distressed, I remain there When suddenly, I turn around, he moves back, And the crowd comes to throw itself between his arms... Emportés par la foule qui nous traîne Nous entraîne Écrasés l'un contre l'autre Nous ne formons qu'un seul corps Et le flot sans effort Nous pousse, enchaînés l'un et l'autre Et nous laisse tous deux Épanouis, enivrés et heureux. Taken away by the crowd which drags us Crushed one against the other We form only one body And we are effortlessly pushed by the flow, Linked one and the other And we let ourselves full bloom, inebriate and happy. Entraînés par la foule qui s'élance Et qui danse Une folle farandole Nos deux mains restent soudées Et parfois soulevés Nos deux corps enlacés s'envolent Et retombent tous deux Épanouis, enivrés et heureux... Driven by the crowd springing and dancing A mad farandole Our two hands remain welded And raised sometimes Our bodies in embrace fly off And fall again, the two of us In full bloom, inebriate and happy... Et la joie éclaboussée par son sourire Me transperce et rejaillit au fond de moi Mais soudain je pousse un cri parmi les rires Quand la foule vient l'arracher d'entre mes bras... And the joy splashed by his smile transfixes me and rebounds to my core But suddenly I utter a scream among the laughters When the crowd comes to throw itself among my arms... Emportés par la foule qui nous traîne Nous entraîne Nous éloigne l'un de l'autre Je lutte et je me débats Mais le son de ma voix S'étouffe dans les rires des autres Et je crie de douleur, de fureur et de rage Et je pleure... Taken away by the crowd who drags us and moves us away One from the other I fight and I struggle But the sound of my voice Is drowned in laughters of others And I cry out in pain, fury and rage And I start crying... Entraînée par la foule qui s'élance Et qui danse Une folle farandole Je suis emportée au loin Et je crispe mes poings, maudissant la foule qui me vole L'homme qu'elle m'avait donné Et que je n'ai jamais retrouvé... Driven by the crowd springing and dancing A mad farandole I am taken far away And I tense my fists, cursing the crowd which steals from me The man that it had given to me And whom I never recovered... |
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| Edith Piaf – Padam Padam Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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Errata: First CHORUS Line 2: It makes me the stroke/blow/strike/wound of MY (and obviously not 'your') remembering you. |
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| Edith Piaf – Padam Padam Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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This is as yet a somewhat imperfect translation. It needs a degree of phrasal and rhythmic finessing. But this will do for now I guess for anyone looking for some help in appreciating the song in French, 'cause even as it stands now, it's quite accurate and I'd say more or less faithful even in its tone to the original. However, once I've finalized this into a something better, I'll post the updated version here. PADAM... PADAM... Paroles: Henri Contet, musique: Norbert Glanzberg, enr. 15 octobre 1951 [The "cet air" of the original refers to a melody, a musical air, as should be clear when you read the whole thing. It's a song that is basically about itself, it talks about its own haunted, mystical and tortured spirit. Now, there is an equivalent use of the English word 'air' (say: as in 'Londonderry Air') meaning a tune. And hence, I've preserved this noun as one more faithful to the French original and haven't reverted to the more commonly used 'tune' or 'melody'] Cet air qui m'obsède jour et nuit Cet air n'est pas né d'aujourd'hui Il vient d'aussi loin que je viens Traîné par cent mille musicians This air that haunts me day and night This air isn’t born of today It comes from as far back as where I come from Dragged by a hundred thousand musicians Un jour cet air me rendra folle Cent fois j'ai voulu dire pourquoi Mais il m'a coupé la parole Il parle toujours avant moi Et sa voix couvre ma voix One day this air will drive me mad. A hundred times I’ve wanted to ask why But it interrupts my words, it always speaks before me, and its voice overwhelms mine. Padam... padam... padam... Il arrive en courant derrière moi Padam... padam... padam... Il me fait le coup du souviens-toi Padam... padam... padam... C'est un air qui me montre du doigt Et je traîne après moi comme une drôle d'erreur Cet air qui sait tout par coeur Padam... padam... padam... It arrives running behind me Padam... padam... padam... It makes me the stroke of your remembering you Padam... padam... padam... It is an air that shows me the finger And I drag it after me like a funny mistake, this air that knows the heart of everything. Il dit: "Rappelle-toi tes amours Rappelle-toi puisque c'est ton tour Y a pas de raison pour que tu ne pleures pas Avec tes souvenirs sur les bras..." It says: "Remember your loves, Recall since it’s your tour If there’s a reason for you not to cry With your memories in your hands... " Et moi je revois ceux qui restent Mes vingt ans font battre tambour Je vois s'entrebattre des gestes Toute la comédie des amours Sur cet air qui va toujours And I meet again those that remain, My twenty years of beating the drum I see my own gestures between the beats, the whole comedy of those loves, on this air that always goes Padam... padam... padam... Des "je t'aime" de quatorze-juillet Padam... padam... padam... Des "toujours" qu'on achète au rabais Padam... padam... padam... Des "veux-tu" en voilà par paquets Et tout ça pour tomber juste au coin de la rue Sur l'air qui m'a reconnue Padam... padam... padam... Of the "I love you"s of July the fourteenth Padam... padam... padam... Of the "forever" that one buys at a discount... Padam... padam... padam... Of the “I want you”s in here by packets And all that to fall deservedly to the corner of the street, on the air that has recognized me. Écoutez le chahut qu'il me fait Comme si tout mon passé défilait Faut garder du chagrin pour après Listen to the uproar that it causes in me / As if it’s necessary to have all my past paraded / to preserve the grief for the days to come J'en ai tout un solfège sur cet air qui bat... Qui bat comme un coeur de bois... I have a whole musical theory on this air that beats... That which beats like a wooden heart... |
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| Edith Piaf – Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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Oh and I also notice that a few typos have crept into these hurriedly typed-out missives. But I'm not adding to the burden of words by typing out individual errata, in the belief that none of the typos are so gross that you might not be able to figure out from the context what the intended error-free word was. But apologies nonetheless :) |
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| Edith Piaf – Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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Note#2: There are a few other instances where I've found it absolutely necessary to deviate from popularly accepted translations. Again, I give my reasons below: Je ne regrette rien: This has become an iconic phrase in popular culture, not only in its French original but also in English traditionally translated as I don't regret anything. There are a million Piaf posters and wall graffiti and stuff out there with these words with her face. The problem with this is that when it comes to extreme/superlative negatives like nothing, no more, never (rien, jamais) French employs double-negatives unlike English. A literal English translation of the line would be the American colloquialism I don't regret nothing, you use the negative twice. One could argue that for all such cases of extreme negatives, the French double negative stands for every instance practically where an English speaker would use a single negative. So why consider this specific case at all? I do that because I see this as an Edith Piaf song, and given the weight and savage clarity of how she takes care in articulating this line, I can't consider this as an ordinary instance of the double negative. She is digging deep into the grammar of her language, bringing out the potential weight of using a double negative, great actor/interpreter of words that she was. And we all remember this line from how she sang it, we can't hear this line as a normal French line, but only in her voice right? If so, in that case, this weight of the negative articulation has to be respected when you translate such an iconic phrase. Now one couldn't actually use the American colloquial alternative, for the French original isn't colloquial in tone. So I've settle for "I don't regret anything AT ALL" as the best option open. Ni le bien qu'on m'a fait: I hadn't seen this recent biopic till this week. On seeing it, I noticed they'd translated this line as Nor the good times that I had. Now that's not even simplifying the meaning, its basically misreading the French syntax. The original line means, as it has been observed here, "the good that was done to me." Now the deal is I couldn't really accept this because, not only does it sound flat and colorless in English, it also gives the line an additional sense of someone or someones doing good to her. Do is a very active verb in English. The original line's sense is closer to the notion of the good that life gave her, that fate reserved for her, the good things that came her way. This is possibly why the translators of the film subtitles went to the other extreme of paraphrasing it as the good times she had. But I've tried to strike a middle ground with "The good that was given me" which gets rid of the active agency of the 'do' verb, while not losing track of the original grammar and syntax and meaning. Balayés mes amours: The zense of 'amours' here is not 'loves' but rather 'lovestories'. It's not her loves that have been erased, rather their stories, their narratives (among all the other things that the song also mentions) that have been rejected by her memory and by her consciousness to effect a regeneration of her spirit (within the song, that is). Now 'love stories' is what Aurore had used in the very first translation offered on this page. However, I offer 'romances', again, not only because it works better in English, but also because it has the additional benefit of separating this from the all-consuming love that she offers at the very end of the song. I know many would object to this, since the original isn't 'romances' but 'amours'. And I admit that the reasons for my personal preference here is less watertight than the previous ones. There are arguments for both sides here. But in the end, my personal feeling was this choice outweighed the others, but it remains linguistically a less justified decision than the previous cases of deviation. Car ma vie/Car mes joies/Aujourd'hui/Ça commence avec toi...: Now the translations on this page use for the last line "Everything begins with you." The word everything is nowhere even alluded to in the song in that line. I guess the reason they bring it in is if you literally translate those 4 lines you end up with My life/My joys/Today/It begins with you. Which is what is used more commonly, but which is even more unacceptable for the simple reason that after saying life and joys, you end up with a single singular pronoun "It" to stand for all the life and joys. Now to correct that one could either make it a plural pronoun and say "They begin with you" which would deviate form the peculiar French character of bringing in that singular to stand for the sense of the absolute. And this sense of the absolute is very well brought out by "Everything" but my only problem with that is it involves replacing the original pronoun "It" altogether with something completely different and uncalled for by the original. So to preserve the characteristic use of the singular absolute I have chosen to settle for "It ALL begins with you." And I guess that's it for this song folks :) |
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| Edith Piaf – Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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Note: As has already been observed before me by English Geek in this thread, tremolo is a metaphorical use, even in the French original. Literally, it would refer to a rhythmic wavering of sound, where the sound goes up and down equally from the central/main note. Reading this literal meaning into the context of the song, you'd figure it'd therefore mean ups and downs in the life/loves/whatever-else of the speaker - you know, trials, troubles and tribulations. Now while translating one has to pay attention to two major elements: the meaning and the sound. Now ups and downs really isn't aurally effective, so we may discard this right away. Troubles (as many have translated it here), trials, tribulations all go close to the original sound, but the metaphorical meaning is lost, we reduce the French metaphor to its English literal paraphrase. The english speaking audience loses out on the whole pleasure of figuring out from the song's context what tremolo might mean. The whole beauty of the line operates around this metaphor, so breaking it down into its literal meaning can't work in my book. Hence i went for tremblings, which is as close if not closer soundwise to the original. And while tremblings doesn't mean a musical tremolo, they both literally refer to vibrations from where you have to extract the meaning from the context of the song - you know, that these vibrations again refer to ups and downs in the speaker's life. So even the metaphor is more or less preserved. |
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| Edith Piaf – Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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NON, JE NE REGRETTE RIEN Paroles: Michel Vaucaire, musique: Charles Dumont, enr. 10 novembre 1960 Non, rien de rien No, nothing at all Non, je ne regrette rien No, I don't regret anything at all Ni le bien qu'on m'a fait Nor the good that was given me ni le mal, Tout ça m'est bien égal Nor the evil. They’re all the same Non, rien de rien No, nothing at all Non, je ne regrette rien I don't regret anything at all C'est payé, balayé, oublié It’s all paid for, wiped out, and forgotten Je me fous du passé And I don't care for what’s gone by Avec mes souvenirs With my memories J'ai allumé le feu I’ve lit a fire Mes chagrins, mes plaisirs My sorrows, my pleasures Je n'ai plus besoin d'eux I don’t need them anymore Balayés mes amours My romances wiped out Avec leurs tremolos With the tremblings they braught Balayés pour toujours Wiped out forever Je repars à zéro I set out once more from zero Non, rien de rien No, nothing at all Non, je ne regrette rien I don't regret anything at all Ni le bien qu'on m'a fait Nor the good that was given me ni le mal, Tout ça m'est bien égal Nor the evil. They’re all the same Non, rien de rien No, nothing at all Non, je ne regrette rien I don't regret anything at all Car ma vie Because my life Car mes joies Because my joys Aujourd'hui Today Ça commence avec toi... It all begins with you… |
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