“Ne Me Quitte Pas” is Belgian singer Jacques Brel’s single most famous song. Brel first released the song in 1959 and released an album with the same title in 1972. The meaning of “Ne Me Quitte Pas” is “Don’t leave me” or “Do not leave me”. At the bottom of the post we’ve included the French lyrics with English translation as well as listening on YouTube and Spotify.
The song’s lyrics are sorrowful in nature. In the lyrics, Brel begs for his lover not to leave him by repeatedly crying “Don’t leave me!” and creating poetic images of attracting forces in nature.
Brel wrote the song after a breakup with his lover Zizou (Suzanne Gabriello) following the disagreement over a pregnancy. The song has been performed by countless other artists in many other languages.
Lyrics analysis
French verb quitter meaning
The French verb quitter has two main definitions: to leave a place and to leave a person. For example, ‘Je quitte Paris’ means ‘I am leaving Paris’. ‘Je quitte ma femme’ means ‘I am leaving my wife’.
In the context of the song title, the meaning of ‘Ne me quitte pas’ is ‘Don’t leave me’. The phrase is in the imperative (commanding tense).
Il faut tout oublier
Translations of ‘il faut + infinitive’ include it’s necessary to, you have to, one has to. In this context of of these songs lyrics, ‘Il faut tout oublier’ can translate to either ‘you / we have to forget everything’.
This page covers the meanings of il faut in detail with example sentences.
Je creuserai la terre
‘Je creuserai la terre’ translates literally to ‘I will dig the earth’. The translation of creuser is to dig. However, creuser translates loosely to ‘work the land or earth’ in the context of these song lyric as Brel expresses that he’ll ‘work the land until after his death to cover her body in gold and light’.
In the above lyrics translation, we translated ‘Je t’inventerai des mots insensés’ to ‘For you I will make up incredible words’.
The French adjective insensé translates to insane, mad or crazy. However, a French-to-French definition is ‘incroyable’. Hence, we feel that ‘incredible’ works well with our translation.
Le rouge et le noir ne s’épousent-ils pas?
The line, ‘Le rouge et le noir ne s’épousent-ils?’ translates literally to ‘The red and the black, don’t they marry or mold to each other’.
Using the definition of épouser on wordreference.com, we translated s’epouser to ‘fuse’: The red and the black, do they not fuse together?’
Je ne vais plus pleurer, je ne vais plus parler
The lines, ‘Je ne vais plus pleurer, je ne vais plus parler’ translate to ‘I am not going to cry anymore, I am not going to speak anymore’.
The most basic rule for French negation is to wrap ne…pas around the verb. For example, ‘Je ne mange pas’ means I don’t eat.
In this situation, ‘ne + verb + plus’ means ‘anymore. This page covers the French negation rules in detail.
Speed up your learning with the right audio course
My friend, Camille, at Frenchtoday.com has helped thousands of students to build a solid base in their French speaking since 1999. She is now offering all of her audio courses at 20% off until September 4th. Click here to learn more!
Ne me Quitte Pas Lyrics French lyrics & English translation
Ne me quitte pas Il faut oublier Tout peut s’oublier Qui s’enfuit déjà Oublier le temps Des malentendus Et le temps perdu A savoir comment Oublier ces heures Qui tuaient parfois A coups de pourquoi Le cœur du bonheur Ne me quitte pas Ne me quitte pas Ne me quitte pas Ne me quitte pas
Don’t leave me We must forget All can be forgotten That has already disappeared Forget the time Of misunderstandings And the wasted time To know how To forget these hours Which sometimes killed The blows of why, The heart of happiness Do not leave me Do not leave me Do not leave me Do not leave me
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
I will give you Pearls of rain Coming from countries Where it doesn’t rain I will work the land Until after my death To cover your bosom With gold and light I will create an area Where love will be king Where love will be the law Where you will be queen Do not leave me Do not leave me Do not leave me Do not leave me
Ne me quitte pas Je t’inventerai Des mots insensés Que tu comprendras Je te parlerai De ces amants-là 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
Don’t leave me For you I will make up Incredible words That you’ll understand And I’ll tell you About lovers Who saw their Hearts embrace two twice I’ll tell you about The story of a king Who died from from having not been able to meet you you. Don’t leave me Don’t leave me Don’t leave me Don’t leave me
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
We’ve often seen Flames flowing from an Ancient volcano That one thought to be too old There exists, it seems Scorched fields That yield more wheat Than the best of April And when the evening comes A fiery sky The red and the black Do they not fuse together Don’t leave me Don’t leave me Don’t leave me Don’t leave me
Ne me quitte pas Je ne vais plus pleurer Je ne vais plus parler Je me cacherai là A 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 I won’t cry anymore I won’t speak anymore Will hide Watching you Dancing and smiling And listening to you Singing and then laughing Let me become The shadow of your shadow The shadow of your hand The shadow of your dog Don’t leave me Don’t leave me Don’t leave me Don’t leave me
Listen to Ne Me Quitte Pas On YouTube & Spotify
Listen to the song and follow along with the French and English lyrics above.
Listen on Spotify
Here you can listen on Spotify if you have an account.
In addition to this song, you may also enjoy the following other top French songs: “La Vie en Rose” (Edith Piaf). “Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien” (Edith Piaf), Les Champs Eleysées (Joe Dassin) and “C’est Si Bon” (Yves Montand).
More French song lyrics:
C’est Si Bon
Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien
La Vie En Rose
Alouette
Recommended courses from Frenchtoday.com
À Moi Paris French Method – All Levels
French Verb Drills – Bundle Package
Beginner French Ultimate Pack
Intermediate French Ultimate Pack
Author
Recent Posts
David Issokson
David Issokson is a lifelong language enthusiast. His head is swimming with words and sounds as he speaks over six languages. Of all the languages he speaks, he's the most passionate about French! David has helped hundreds of students to improve their French in his private online lessons. When procrastinating working on his site, FrenchLearner.com, David enjoys his time skiing and hiking in Teton Valley, Idaho.
Latest posts by David Issokson (see all)
Bonne journée (Song by Stromae) Lyrics, Translation, Meaning - November 8, 2022
French Beer Brands: Complete Guide To “La Bière” in France - November 7, 2022
"Ne me quitte pas" is considered by some as "Brel's ultimate classic". It was written after Brel's mistress "Zizou" (Suzanne Gabriello) threw him out of her life. Zizou was pregnant with Brel's child, but Brel refused to acknowledge the child as his own. Zizou later had an abortion due to Brel's actions.
NE ME QUITTE PAS (DON'T LEAVE ME): SUNG BY NINA SIMONE
In honor of Bastille Day, we offer the following song, Ne me quitte pas ("Don't leave me"), written in 1959 by the singer-songwriter Jacques Brel. This version is sung by the incomparable Nina Simone.
Brel married Thérèse "Miche" Michielsen in 1950, and the couple had three children. He also had a romantic relationship with actress and dancer Maddly Bamy from 1972 until his death in 1978.
Jacques Brel, in full Jacques Romain Georges Brel, (born April 8, 1929, Schaerbeeck, Belgium—died October 9, 1978, Bobigny, near Paris, France), Belgian singer and songwriter whose literate, passionate songs made him one of the most popular French-language musicians in Europe and gained him a worldwide following.
The pronunciation of “Je ne sais pas” [ʒə n(ə) sɛ pɑ] is easy to learn. The word “je” (I) rhymes with the world “le”, as in “le, la, les”, which mean “the”. The word “ne” rhymes with “je” so just change the -j to an -n. The word “sais” (know) sounds like the English word “say” as in “What did you say”?”
BREL stands for British Rail Engineering Limited, which was the engineering division for British Rail until the design and building trains in the United Kingdom went private.
"Wrap Me In Plastic" is an English collaboration single by MOMOLAND and CHROMANCE. It was released on February 5, 2021. The song is a new version of the song originally released by CHROMANCE and includes English and Korean lyrics.
The three Xs (XXX) are actually the three Saint Andrew's crosses. St. Andrew was a fisherman who was martyred on an X-shaped cross in the 1st century AD, which is relevant to Amsterdam as the city's symbol dates back to 1505 when it was a fishing town and all ships registered in Amsterdam flew this flag.
Not a decoration, the hook is there to enable residents to pull large, bulky objects up and into a window at the proper floor. Most homes in Amsterdam have narrow, steep, often winding staircases that make it difficult to bring large, bulky objects upstairs. Voila, the hook.
David O. Russell's Amsterdam retells the almost-forgotten Business Plan: a shadowy operation that attempted coup d'etat on American soil. Most American history is ambiguous.
If you say something has a certain je ne sais quoi, you'll sound fancy instead of inarticulate. In French, je ne sais quoi literally means "I don't know what." It's used to capture an indescribable, special distinguishing feature, or to name some unnamable quality.
Where does je ne sais quoi come from? The French phrase je ne sais quoi was borrowed into English as early as the 1650s to characterize some inexpressible, indefinable, or ineffable quality, such as some element that makes an engaging work of art or charismatic person special.
In French, a negative sentence is constructed as follows: subject + ne + verb + pas + complement. Example: “Je ne parle pas français.” = “I do not speak French.” So in English, “pas” is not and there is no work for “ne”. Example : Ils chantent bien.
neighbor. Examples. Examples have not been reviewed. Estimado vecino, yo estaba tan feliz cuando te mudaste. Dear Neighbor, I was so happy when you moved in.
It was composed by Jeff Halavacs, Ryan Ogren, Michael Gazzo, Nate Cyphert, Sean Foreman, and RM, featuring the vocals of RM and Jungkook. The song has a moderate tempo and is 96BPM.
"Lean on Me" is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Bill Withers. It was released in April 1972 as the first single from his second album, Still Bill. It was a number one single on both the soul singles and the Billboard Hot 100; the latter chart for three weeks in July 1972.
Mary J. Blige is booked and busy. On Thursday (June 30), the 2022 Billboard Music Awards Icon of the Year recipient released a summery music video for her collaborative track “Come See About Me” featuring fellow hip-hop veteran Fabolous.
During an interview, Starr commented on the songwriting process, saying: "I wrote Don't Pass Me By when I was sitting round at home. I was fiddling with the piano – I just bang away – and then if a melody comes and some words, I just have to keep going. It was great to get my first song down, one that I had written.
Accounts differ as to who was offered the song after Simple Minds. Michelle Manning, who co-produced The Breakfast Club, has said it was sent to Billy Idol, who turned it down, though Forsey, who had worked with Idol on his Rebel Yell album, says it never happened.
"Don't You (Forget About Me)" was written by the producer Keith Forsey and the guitarist Steve Schiff while they were scoring the 1985 film The Breakfast Club. Forsey and Schiff were inspired by the scene in which an introvert and a school bully bond while no one else is watching.
Despite doing poorly in Dutch in high school, Brel recorded a few of his songs in Dutch. Some of these include 'Burgerij' (Les bourgeois), 'Marieke,' 'Laat me niet aleen' (Ne me quitte pas), and 'Mijn vlakke land' (Le plat pays). The Dutch singer Liesbeth List also released an album of Brel's songs in Dutch in 1972.
Sayer married Janice Lisseter in 1973 but after eleven years of marriage they divorced in 1985. The musician then moved to Australia to live with wife Donatella Piccinetti.
Jacques is a smug bird villager in the Animal Crossing series. He first appeared in Animal Crossing: New Leaf and has appeared in all subsequent games.
And it appears he certainly does that as in the teaser, where narrator Iain Stirling teases: "There's passion and pain...", it sees Jacques share a passionate kiss with Cheyanne.
At first listen, the song appears to be a simple story about cherishing time spent with a love one but it took on a darker tone when critics interpreted it as Reed singing about his battle with drug addiction.
She also studied singing. Though she attended a Catholic middle school, Instituto Anglo Español, Lafourcade spent several years living with her mother in Coatepec, Veracruz, Mexico, where they both studied music. Some of her cited contemporary influences are Fiona Apple, Björk, Café Tacuba, and Zuco 103.
“I Put A Spell On You” was the second 45 rpm single John Fogerty, Tom Fogerty, Stu Cook and Doug Clifford recorded as Creedence Clearwater Revival. It also opens their self-titled debut album. The song was originally written and put on vinyl by Screamin' Jay Hawkins in 1957.
Diane Warren, who wrote the song (and others for artists like Cher, Aerosmith, Monica, and Lady Gaga), said the song was a tribute to her father. "Because You Loved Me" won Warren a Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television, or Other Visual Media.
Perfect Day is written in the key of B♭ Major. According to the Theorytab database, it is the 8th most popular key among Major keys and the 14th most popular among all keys. Major keys, along with minor keys, are a common choice for popular songs.
1. Once you wake up, just stay in bed for a couple of minutes and relax. 2. Always have a book with you, we never know when boredom might decide to appear.
Drawing strength from her roots, Hasta La Raíz, meaning "to the root," was released in 2015 and won Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album at the 58th GRAMMY Awards.
Natalia Lafourcade Explains The Roots Of 'Hasta La Raíz' The Mexican musician revisits the creation of the title track from her Grammy-winning album Hasta La Raíz. "I wanted to sing about something that would remind me of Mexico and home," she says.
Introduction: My name is Saturnina Altenwerth DVM, I am a witty, perfect, combative, beautiful, determined, fancy, determined person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
