La Chanson des Vieux Amants

The first Jacques Brel song I ever heard was “La Chanson des vieux Amants” This was in ’68 or thereabouts and it was on Judy Collins “Wildflowers “ album (or indeed L.P. as we called them then, and as I still do, occasionally, to my children’s hilarity.)
I instantly loved it.

I still have the album and am still moved by the song. I learned the words, more or less, phonetically, from Judy’s version and at moments of reverie have been known to start singing the same for no apparent reason.

A couple of years ago, in a Nouvelles Galleries, I was waiting outside a dressing room for Sile to try on some clothes. (I do this quite often so can no longer remember what town in France we were in)
The background music slowly crept into my subconscious and I began to realise that I knew the tune. I was charmed to recognise it as the same “Chanson” and was transported as my version of the the words came flooding back to me. When Sile came , at last, out of the dressing room she shot me an embarassed look. “ What did you think you were doing!” she said.

It appears that all unbeknownst to my self I had been singing away the words of the song like some weird in-store kareoke artist,and embarrasing both of us in the process. My principal cause of embarrasment was the knowledge that I had been singing, and out loud, my own phonetic version of the song. Other than realising that it was a love song of sorts I had never bothered to ponder the meaning of the words let alone translate them into English.

As soon as I got back to Ireland I decided that, if I was going to spend my declining years singing Jacques Brel songs in department stores I could at least do him the justice of singing the correct words. The blessing of the Internet gave me access to the these and furthermore I even found an English translation but one I didn’t like at all.

Nothing daunted I got out Dictionaries and Thesauri and eventually came up with my own translation, not brilliant I know, and I only managed the first verse and the chorus ( and even that took me ages) but it does sing reasonably well and at last I got to understand exactly what the words were about. (and to know the words of this song is to love it more.)

The original and my attempt of translation of same follow, who knows if you hang about ladies changing rooms in provincial France you may even get to hear me sing it too.

La Chanson des vieux amants

Bien sûr, nous eûmes des orages
Vingt ans d’amour, c’est l’amour fol

Mille fois tu pris ton bagage
Mille fois je pris mon envol

Et chaque meuble se souvient
Dans cette chambre sans berceau
Des éclats des vieilles tempêtes

Plus rien ne ressemblait à rien
Tu avais perdu le goût de l’eau
Et moi celui de la conquête

Refrain :
Mais mon amour
Mon doux mon tendre mon merveilleux amour
De l’aube claire jusqu’à la fin du jour
Je t’aime encore tu sais je t’aime

The Song Of Old Lovers
(translation dedicated to Sile )

Of course we’ve lived through stormy weather
With foolish love for twenty years

We’ve packed to go yet stayed together
And battled on through all the tears

Yet all the trappings of our past
That lie within our childless room
Bear scars of wars long finished

The winner now is often last
And simple things don’t lift our gloom
But if we loose we’re not diminished

Chorus:
And Oh My Love
My soft and tender sweet amazing love
From break of day until stars shine above
I love you still, you know I love you