Jacques Brel - Jef (live concert 1964)

The legendary INTENSE performer Jacques Brel !
(Live. Subtitles: rhyming translation in Dutch probably by Ernst van Altena).
(English translation : below here in description).

Jacques Brel was a Belgian singer, Flemish of origin, but French speaking & singing mostly.
He is widely considered a master of the modern 'chanson', and an influential singer-songwriter.
Brel had tremendous success in Europe and fans all over the world. He wrote a treasure of unforgettable melodies and lyrics, and was a brilliant performer.

His most famous song is "Ne me quitte pas", covered in several other languages, like in English as "If you go away" by many artists as Frank Sinatra, Nina Simone, Ray Charles, David Bowie, Sting, Shirley Horn (try hers!), Toots Thielemans, etc.

"Jef" is the name of a friend, the song is about friendship.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Brel

==== ENGLISH ====
No Jef, you aren't alone
But do stop this crying
Like this in front of everyone
Just because a semi-old woman
Just because a fake blond
Has let you down
No Jef, you aren't alone
But you know, this is shameful
Sobbing like this, it's silly,
In front of everyone
Just because a three-quarter whore
Slipped out of your fingers
No Jef, you aren't alone
But one feels ashamed looking at you
People are laughing at us
Let's go away from this damned pavement
Come on, Jef, come on...

Come on, I've got a few coins left
Let's go and drink them
At 'la Mère Françoise'
Come on, Jef, come on, I've got
a few coins left
And if that's not enough, well,
We'll leave the bill unpaid
Then we'll go and eat
Mussels and also chips
Chips and also Mussels
And some wine from the Moselle
And if you're still sad
We'll go and visit the girls
At that Madame Andrée's
They say there are new girls
We'll sing again as we used to
When we were young
When those were the days
When I had money

No Jef, you aren't alone
But stop pulling these faces
Lift up your two hundred pounds
Shake up your bones
I know your heart is heavy
But you've got to lift it up Jef
No Jef, you aren't alone
But stop all this sobbing
Stop wallowing
Stop going on and on
And saying you'll drown yourself
Or you'll hang yourself
No Jef, you aren't alone
But this is no longer a pavement
Now it's more like a scene from a drama
When people come and look at you
Come on, Jef, come on ...

Come on there's still my guitar
I'll set it on fire for you
And we'll become Spaniards,
Jef, come on, come on
Just like when we were kids
You'll make your nightingale impression, Jef
even if I never enjoy that
Then we'll find ourselves a bench
We'll talk about America
That's where we're gonna go you know
When we have more dough, Jef, come on
And if you're still feeling sad
Or even if just looking sad
I'll tell you how there
You'll become Rockefeller
We'll feel good you and I
We'll sing again as we used to
When we were good looking Jef
When those were the days
Before we became drunkards

Come on then, Jef, come on
Yes, Jef, yes, come on!

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Jacques
• Brel
• Jef
• live
• 1964
• chanson
• piaf
• jaques
• francais
• français
• flamand
• belg
• translation
• traduction
• vertaling
• concert
• actor
• theatrical
• theater

[labaiedalger]

It's about the "perpetual wound": No Jef, you aren't alone But do stop this crying Like this in front of everyone Just because a semi-old woman Just because a fake blond Has let you down No Jef, you aren't alone But you know, you make me feel ashamed Sobbing like this, it's silly, In front of everyone Just because a three-quarter whore Slipped out of your fingers No Jef, you aren't alone But one feels ashamed looking at you People are laughing at us Let's go away from this..etc

[wimpers]

@labaiedalger : Thanks for suggesting this English translation. Helpful for many Brel lovers.

NOW full translation in the description of this video !

[JuKimNina]

The translation in Dutch is really bad. He, nor we in Belgium for that matter, would never use such words. They have a completely different emotional connotation and come from a very different culture than the Belgian culture, with a different stance in and understanding of life and its emotions. The dutch slang is a complete disgrace to Brel, and completely a-Belgium.

[wimpers]

@JuKimNina : I know. It is not a litteral translation, these are the lyrics for a dutch (singable) version. Very un-Belgian, I agree.

But it helps for those who don't understand french well enough.

[yacine1701]

who cares about the dutch translation??

Brel is Brel , he doesn´t need translation.

[Xarcas]

@JuKimNina yeah man, like wimpers says. Als ge't beter kunt moedet ma zelf doen.

[dairyproducts]

@labaiedalger I interpret this song to be about losing Jef to insanity, watching Jef deteriorate, and urging him to return to his normal self, by reminding him of their dreams and experiences when they were younger. I feel like in a literary sense you may in fact be right about the meaning but i feel theres more to it then just urging him to get over some girl who dumped him, while Jef sobs in public.

[XxSongokaixX]

Unique Brel! Jeff t pas tt seul!

[jboulinguez1]

magnifique chanson, je viens d'etre plaqué par ma femme, alors oui cette chanson me donne envie d'avancé, nos vraix artiste sont là, jacques brel, serge lama, mano solo.... des chanson a texte... Maintenant en texte tu as deux phrase qui se repetent sans arret

[bettigyv]

Je trouve ca magnifique d'avoir réussi à déceller la poésie de la réconfortation d'un ami, celle qui se place dans la différence d'attitude entre celui qui est a terre et celui qui le lève, la constance des deux, le l'opposition des deux discours dans la structure même de la chanson.. "même que j'aimais pas ca, quand tu faisais le rossignol" ha l'amitié.

[bettigyv]

@labaiedalger very good, super traduction ;-)

[jfsabl]

for the english translation, Rossignol is rooster, not nightingale. 

[kolumb21]

<3

[legougou93]

@belgiangingerhair la belgique nous a offert de grands artistes et vous savez je suis tres franchouiarde mais quand j'ecoute BREL je voudrais etre belge ..............................­.. idem pour MAURANE

[Frankizzia]

OH MY GOD!! IT'S THOMAS PYNCHON!!!!!!!!!!