...and of course 'Je T'Aime...Moi Non Plus' by Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin
Oh, of course. And I had the little sky blue 45 rpm at one time (now
I have this on CD);
always forgetting things right under my nose. The lyrics don't sounds
as poetical translated into English, but since no one blushed anymore,
Harold Groot supplied a good translations a couple of years ago.
[note: anyone familiar with foreign languages knows how ham-handed it
can be to translate words literally, and people "never get" it unless
they have reached the level of thinking in another language, then and
only then do they know how to translate something;....imagine a
foreigner brought up in another tongue trying to understand what "back
in the day" means for the first time, without benefit of understanding
how idiomatic and idiosyncratic vernacular and regional English can
be]. Okay, first the original words in French, and then a better (but
dead on center, English translation):
Jane Birkin & Serge Gainsbourg studio version:
Je t'aime je t'aime
Oh oui je t'aime!
- Moi non plus.
- Oh mon amour...
- Comme la vague irrésolue
Je vais je vais et je viens
Entre tes reins
Je vais et je viens
Entre tes reins
Et je Me retiens
- Je t'aime je t'aime
- Oh oui je t'aime!
- Moi non plus.
- Oh mon amour...
Tu es la vague, moi l'île nue
Tu vas tu vas et tu viens
Entre mes reins
Tu vas et tu viens
Entre mes reins
Et je Te re-joins
Je t'aime je t'aime
Oh oui je t'aime!
- Moi non plus.
- Oh mon amour...
- Comme la vague irrésolue
Je vais je vais et je viens
Entre tes reins
Je vais et je viens
Entre tes reins
Et je Me re-tiens
Tu vas et tu viens
Entre mes reins
Et je Te re-joins
- Je t'aime je t'aime
- Oh oui je t'aime!
- Moi non plus.
- Oh mon amour...
L'amour physique est sans issue
Je vais je vais et je viens
Entre tes reins
Je vais et je viens
Entre tes reins
Je me retiens
- Non! main-Tenant
Viens!
and The English:
From: Harold Groot - view profile
Date: Tues, Jun 8 2004 1:50 pm
Email: ***@infionline.net (Harold Groot)
Groups: alt.music.lyrics
Not yet ratedRating:
show options
Although this Serge Gainsbourg classic has been covered several times in
English (notably by Nick Cave with various collaborators), I couldn't find
English lyrics anywhere on the web.
The English version is literally titled "I Love You - Nor Do I" if that
helps.
Can anybody give me a hand?
Using a google search on ["I Love You Nor Do I" lyrics] led to this:
========================================================================
I recommend anyone seeking a good English translation of the beautiful
song, Je T'Aime (Moi Non Plus), to check out Mick Harveys version
featuring Nick Cave and Anita Lane. Not a perfect translation but it
is one of the best I've come across. The lyrics (not printed in the
sleeve but posted on a Mick Harvey mailinglist);
<----------------------------------------------> I love you I love you
Oh yes I love you
Nor do I
Oh my love
Like the wave Irresolute
I go I go and I come Inside you my love I go and I come Inside you my
love And then I hold on
I love you I love you Oh Yes I love you
Nor do I
You are the wave And I the naked island You go you go and you come you
go and you come inside me my love and then we are one
I love you I love you Oh yes I love you Nor do I
Oh my love
Like the wave irresolute
I go I go and I come Inside you my love I go and I come Inside you my
love And then I hold on
(orgasms--universal, i think, in any language)
I love I love you my love Inside me my love I love you my love Deep
inside me my love And then we are one
I love you I love you Oh yes I love
Nor do I
Oh my love
Physical love is a dead end*
I go I go and I come Inside you my love I go and I come And I hold on
Now...come
(orgasms again)
..........................................................................................................................
*another translation says "physical love is without exit" I think Mick
Harvey's translation is good, but it is still a bit rough. You should
check out the song--Anita Lane and Nick Cave (from the Bad seeds--"red
right hand")
[end quote of Groot post of 2004]