What are the lyrics to songs for old lovers by Jacques brel?

Answer 1

The song of old lovers

(La Chanson des vieux amants)

(Jacques Brel/engl. D. Kaiser © 2004)

THE FOLLOWING IS A TRANSLATION TO ENGLISH OF THE FRENCH. THERE HAVE BEEN A NUMBER OF OTHER ADAPTATIONS TO ENGLISH -- SOME BETTER THAN OTHERS -- NOTABLY BY SHUMAN/BLAU AND JOHNSON. AMANDA MCBROOM SINGS AN EXCELLENT VERSION ON HER BREL CD.

Of course we have had our tempests.

Twenty-years of love,

that's love full strength!

A thousand times

you packed your suitcase,

a thousand times

I flapped my wings.

And all the furniture can tell,

in this room lacking still the cradle,

the outbursts of those heavy tempests.

Nothing looked like it looked before,

you sure had lost the water's taste

and I forgot the way to conquests!

But love of mine,

my sweet, my tender love,

oh so divine.

From the clear dawn

till to the end of time,

I love you still, you know,

I love you!

I know all of your sortileges,

you know all of my magic charms.

I fell in your traps deep and deeper,

You went away from time to time.

Of course, you went for another love,

you needed once to pass the time.

Needs be, the body must exult!

And in the end, the very end

we needed a lot of talent

to become old but not adult.

But love of mine,

my sweet, my tender love,

oh so divine.

From the clear dawn

till to the end of time,

I love you still, you know,

I love you!

The more the time is our escorting,

the more the time is our torment.

But is it not a dangerous trapping

for lovers to live all in peace?

Of course, you cry a bit less soon,

and I tear up a bit less fast,

we stopped to protect our mysteries.

We now leave less to simple chance,

and we mistrust the water's course,

it's but a tender war between us!

But love of mine,

my sweet, my tender love,

oh so divine.

From the clear dawn

till to the end of time,

I love you still, you know,

I love you!