In Memoriam - Jacques Brel

[Andres]

Exactly 30 years ago, one of the greatest, if not the greatest, Belgian artists ever, Jacques Brel, died of lung cancer, aged 49.

You can read his bio here.

Some of his greatest songs were:

a) Quand on n'a que l'amour

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Translation:
When one only has love
As a give and take
At the dawn of the great journey
Of this our great love

When one only has love
My love, you and I
To make burst with joy
Every hour of every day

When one only has love
To live up to our promises
Without any other riches
Then to believe in it always

When one only has love
To furnish with wonder
And cover with light
The blight of the suburbs

When one only has love
As a sole purpose
As a sole song
And sole recourse

When one only has love
To clothe at dawn
The poor and the criminal
In mantles of velvet

When one only has love
To offer in prayer
For the suffering world
As a modest minstrel

French lyrics:
Quand on n'a que l'amour
A s'offrir en partage
Au jour du grand voyage
Qu'est notre grand amour

Quand on n'a que l'amour
Mon amour toi et moi
Pour qu'éclatent de joie
Chaque heure et chaque jour

Quand on n'a que l'amour
Pour vivre nos promesses
Sans nulle autre richesse
Que d'y croire toujours

Quand on n'a que l'amour
Pour meubler de merveilles
Et couvrir de soleil
La laideur des faubourgs

Quand on n'a que l'amour
Pour unique raison
Pour unique chanson
Et unique secours

Quand on n'a que l'amour
Pour habiller matin
Pauvres et malandrins
De manteaux de velours

Quand on n'a que l'amour
A offrir en prière
Pour les maux de la terre
En simple troubadour

Quand on n'a que l'amour
A offrir à ceux-là
Dont l'unique combat
Est de chercher le jour

Quand on n'a que l'amour
Pour tracer un chemin
Et forcer le destin
A chaque carrefour

Quand on n'a que l'amour
Pour parler aux canons
Et rien qu'une chanson
Pour convaincre un tambour

Alors sans avoir rien
Que la force d'aimer
Nous aurons dans nos mains
Amis le monde entier

b) Ne me quitte pas

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Translation
Don’t leave me now
We must just forget
All we can forget
All we did till now
Let’s forget the cost
Of the breath we’ve spent
Saying words unmeant
And the times we’ve lost
Hours that must destroy
Never knowing why
Everything must die
At the heart of joy
Don’t leave me now
Don’t leave me now
Don’t leave me now
I’ll bring back to you
The clear pearls of rain
From a distant domain
Where rain never fell
And though I grow old
I’ll keep mining the ground
To deck you around
In sunlight and gold
I’ll build you a desmene
Where love’s everything
Where love is the king
And you are the queen
Don’t leave me now
Don’t leave me now
Don’t leave me now

Don’t leave me now
For you I’ll invent
Words and what they meant
Only you will know
Tales of lovers who
Fell apart and then
Fell in love again
Since their hearts stayed true
There’s a story too
That I can confide
Of that king who died
From not meeting you
Don’t leave me now
Don’t leave me now
Don’t leave me now

And often it’s true
That flames spill anew
From ancient volcanos
We thought were too old
When all’s said and done
Scorched fields of defeat
Could give us more wheat
Than the fine April sun
And when evening is nigh
With flames overhead
The black and the red
Aren’t they joined in the sky?
Don’t leave me now
Don’t leave me now
Don’t leave me now

Don’t leave me now
I will cry no more
I will talk no more
Hide myself somehow
And I’ll see your smile
And I’ll see you dance
And I’ll hear you sing
Hear your laughter ring
Let me be for you
The shadow of your shadow
The shadow of your hand
The dog at your command
Don’t leave me now
Don’t leave me now
Don’t leave me now

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 coeur 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 coeurs 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 de l'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 à 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

c) Le plat pays/M'n vlakke land. (version has english subtitles).

d) Marieke (version with english subtitles).

e) De nuttelozen van de nacht(Les paumés du petit matin) (with english subtitles).

f) L'Ivrogne (The Drunkard) (subtitles)

g) Bruxelles

h) Mathilde

i) Les Flamandes

A great artist.

[Fragony]

He put such emotion in his song, great artist indeed clone them when you can, but you still have Via con Dios

[Yoyoma1910]

Don't forget these gems:





Amsterdam

And his ode to the great Jean Jaures:

Jaures

[Louis VI the Fat]

Aaah, Brel.


Nice to remember him here, Andres. Belgium's greatest chansonnier. Ne me quitte pas is legendary.

I would want add what I wrote about Hugo claus here last year. Both men must be contemporaries.
Where are their successors?
Flemish artists who can move at will between several cultures. And, I guess, the reverse: Walloons, or French, who are listened to and read in Flanders. Europe is such the poorer for it.

Oh well. We still have timeless art like Brel's.

[Andres]

Don't forget these gems:





Amsterdam

And his ode to the great Jean Jaures:

Jaures

Amsterdam is really a gem indeed

And here's another example of just how great a performer he was:

Au suivant.

[Fragony]

And, I guess, the reverse: Walloons, or French, who are listened to and read in Flanders. Europe is such the poorer for it.

While it's perfectly possible to read in Flanders, all you need is bring a book, the language is still called 'dutch'

[Peasant Phill]

I'm a bit late but still, Brel, you'll be remembered for generations to come. Ne nous quite pas.

Aaah, Brel.


I would want add what I wrote about Hugo claus here last year. Both men must be contemporaries.
Where are their successors?
Flemish artists who can move at will between several cultures. And, I guess, the reverse: Walloons, or French, who are listened to and read in Flanders. Europe is such the poorer for it.

Oh well. We still have timeless art like Brel's.

We still have Axel Red and Arno who are appriciated and recognised in the french culture. But apparently I can't name one contempory French or Walloon artist with a lot of success in Flanders. I can't really say what that tells you about Flanders.