He adds words from an old song, a sort of nursery rhyme French children strangely learn :
Leonard Cohen repeats the words in French like we do in our childhood :
Il y a longtemps que je t’aime,
Jamais je ne t’oublierai
A la claire fontaine,
m'en allant promener
But the song goes on like this but Leonard do not say those words :
J’ai trouvé l’eau si belle
Que je m’y suis baigné
Chante, rossignol, chante,
Toi qui as le cœur gai.
Tu as le cœur à rire…
Moi je l’ai à pleurer.
Complete song in french and in english
À la claire fontaine,
M'en allant promener
J'ai trouvé l'eau si belle
Que je m'y suis baigné
:
Il y a longtemps que je t'aime
Jamais je ne t'oublierai
Sous les feuilles d'un chêne,
Je me suis fait sécher
Sur la plus haute branche,
Un rossignol chantait
Il y a longtemps que je t’aime,
Jamais je ne t’oublierai
Chante rossignol, chante,
Toi qui as le cœur gai
Tu as le cœur à rire,
Moi je l'ai à pleurer
Il y a longtemps que je t’aime,
Jamais je ne t’oublierai
J'ai perdu mon amie,
Sans l'avoir mérité
Pour un bouquet de roses,
Que je lui refusai.
Il y a longtemps que je t’aime,
Jamais je ne t’oublierai
Je voudrais que la rose,
Fût encore au rosier
Et que ma douce amie
Fût encore à m'aimer.*
Il y a longtemps que je t’aime,
Jamais je ne t’oublierai
At the clear spring,
As I was strolling by,
I found the water so nice
That I went in to bathe.
(Chorus)
It's so long I've been loving you,
That I'll never forget you.
Under an oak tree,
I dried myself.
On the highest branch
A nightingale was singing.
It's so long I've been loving you,
That I'll never forget you.
Sing, nightingale, sing,
Your heart is so happy.
Your heart feels like laughing,
Mine feels like weeping.
It's so long I've been loving you,
That I'll never forget you.
I lost my beloved
Without deserving it
Over a bouquet of roses
That I refused to give her.
It's so long I've been loving you,
That I'll never forget you.
I wanted the rose
To stay on the rosebush,
And for my sweet love
To be still loving me.
It's so long I've been loving you,
That I'll never forget you.
He adds words from an old song, a sort of nursery rhyme French children strangely learn : Leonard Cohen repeats the words in French like we do in our childhood :
Il y a longtemps que je t’aime, Jamais je ne t’oublierai
A la claire fontaine, m'en allant promener
But the song goes on like this but Leonard do not say those words :
J’ai trouvé l’eau si belle Que je m’y suis baigné
Chante, rossignol, chante, Toi qui as le cœur gai. Tu as le cœur à rire… Moi je l’ai à pleurer.
Complete song in french and in english
À la claire fontaine, M'en allant promener J'ai trouvé l'eau si belle Que je m'y suis baigné : Il y a longtemps que je t'aime Jamais je ne t'oublierai
Sous les feuilles d'un chêne, Je me suis fait sécher Sur la plus haute branche, Un rossignol chantait
Il y a longtemps que je t’aime, Jamais je ne t’oublierai
Chante rossignol, chante, Toi qui as le cœur gai Tu as le cœur à rire, Moi je l'ai à pleurer
Il y a longtemps que je t’aime, Jamais je ne t’oublierai
J'ai perdu mon amie, Sans l'avoir mérité Pour un bouquet de roses, Que je lui refusai.
Il y a longtemps que je t’aime, Jamais je ne t’oublierai
Je voudrais que la rose, Fût encore au rosier Et que ma douce amie Fût encore à m'aimer.*
Il y a longtemps que je t’aime, Jamais je ne t’oublierai
At the clear spring, As I was strolling by, I found the water so nice That I went in to bathe.
(Chorus) It's so long I've been loving you, That I'll never forget you.
Under an oak tree, I dried myself. On the highest branch A nightingale was singing.
It's so long I've been loving you, That I'll never forget you.
Sing, nightingale, sing, Your heart is so happy. Your heart feels like laughing, Mine feels like weeping.
It's so long I've been loving you, That I'll never forget you.
I lost my beloved Without deserving it Over a bouquet of roses That I refused to give her.
It's so long I've been loving you, That I'll never forget you.
I wanted the rose To stay on the rosebush, And for my sweet love To be still loving me.
It's so long I've been loving you, That I'll never forget you.