Ne Me Quitte Pas Lyrics in French ( With English Translation)

Are you curious what Ne Me Quitte Pas lyrics in French actually means and what’s the English translation of the song?

This song is one of the best French songs of all time and considered one of the best works of Jacques Brel.

RELATED READ: 24 Famous French Songs That You Must Listen To

Ne Me Quitte Pas Lyrics in French ( With English Translation)

About the song

“Ne me quitte pas” (Don’t leave me), one of the most popular French songs of all time,  was written by Belgian singer-songwriter Jacques Brel.  It was first released in 1959. It has been performed in its original French by a great number of performers, and it has also been translated into and performed in several other languages.

The song “Ne me quitte pas” is considered by some to be Brel’s “ultimate classic.” It was written in the aftermath of Brel’s former mistress “Zizou” (Suzanne Gabriello) breaking up with him.

Although Zizou was then pregnant with Brel’s child, he refused to recognize and take responsibility for it. Zizou ultimately decided to have an abortion as a direct result of Brel’s actions.

Brel first recorded the song on September 11, 1959, and it was included on his fourth studio album, titled La Valse à Mille Temps, which was published in 1960. “Ne me quitte pas” was re-recorded by Brel in 1972 and used as the title track for the album of the same name.

Brel stated during an interview in 1966  that “Ne me quitte pas” was not a love song but rather “a hymn to men’s cowardice. ” He said the dong was also about the extent to which men were willing to degrade themselves.

Still, Brel stated that he was okay with the fact that he doesn’t mind at all if people, particularly the females, thought it was a love song. He said that if that kind of interpretation made the listeners happy, then he wouldn’t argue against it. 

An interesting fact about the song is how it incorporated a melody from the second half of Franz Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6, which is titled Lassan (Andante). One may hear it in the part where Brel sings “Moi, je t’offrirai des perles de pluie destinations de pays où il ne pleut pas” (I will offer you pearls of rain  Coming from countries where it’s not raining).

Apart from the translations and versions by other artists, “Ne me quitte pas” was also featured in TV and film. Both the series finale of Mr. Robot and the nineteenth episode of the first season of the critically acclaimed Person of Interest used the song in their soundtracks.

The song also appeared in the season one finale of The Leftovers. “Ne Me Quitte Pas” is also the name of an episode of the Hulu series, Ramy. In the sixth film of Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar, titled “Law of Desire,” Brazilian singer Maysa Matarazzo gave a stirring performance of this song.

Gigi Proietti, an actor from Italy, performed a spoof of the song and the performer in the role of a traditional chansonnier. This song was utilized by Claudio Corneiro during his clown performance in the Cirque du Soleil production Varekai.

However, one of the most popular renditions of the song was by famous French singer Johnny Hallyday.

Ne Me Quitte Pas French Lyrics

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

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-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

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
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

Check out the video here.

Ne Me Quitte Pas English Lyrics and Translation

Don’t leave me
We must forget
All can be forgotten
That has already passed away
Forget the time
Of misunderstandings
And the time lost
Trying to know “how”
Forget those hours
That sometimes kill
With slaps of “why”
The heart of happiness
Don’t leave me
Don’t leave me
Don’t leave me
Don’t leave me

I will give to you
Pearls made of rain
From countries
Where it never rains
I will work the land
All my life and beyond
To cover your body
With gold and with light
I will make a land
Where love will be king
Where love will be law
Where you will be 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
Fanciful words
That you’ll understand
I will tell you
About those lovers
Who have twice seen
Their hearts set ablaze
I will tell you
The story of the king
Who died of not having
Ever met you
Don’t leave me
Don’t leave me
Don’t leave me
Don’t leave me

We’ve often seen
Fire flowing again
From an ancient volcano
Considered too old
It’s said that there are
Fire-scorched lands
That yield more wheat
Than the best April
And when evening comes
With a burning sky
The red and the black–
Are they not joined 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 talk anymore
I will hide over there
To watch you
Dance and smile
And to hear you
Sing and then laugh
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