Jacques Brel
Grand Jacques lyrics with English translation
- Language
- French
- Level
- Intermediate
- Released
- 1954
- Genre
- Ballad, French Pop
- Length
- 1:47
C'est trop facile d'entrer aux églises
It's too easy to enter the churches
De déverser toutes sa saleté
To spill all your dirt
Face au curé qui dans la lumière grise
In front of the priest who, in the gray light,
Ferme les yeux pour mieux nous pardonner
Closes his eyes to better forgive us
Tais-toi donc Grand Jacques
So be quiet, Great Jacques
Que connais-tu du Bon Dieu
What do you know of the Good Lord?
Un cantique une image
A hymn, an image,
Tu n'en connais rien de mieux
You know nothing better than that,
C'est trop facile quand les guerres sont finies
It's too easy when the wars are over
D'aller gueuler que c'était la dernière
To go yell that it was the last time
Ami bourgeois vous me faites envie
Bourgeois friend, you make me envious
Vous ne voyez donc point vos cimetières
Don't you see your own graveyards?
Tais-toi donc Grand Jacques
So be quiet, Grand Jacques
Et laisse-les donc crier
And let them scream
Laisse-les pleurer de joie
Let them cry with joy
Toi qui ne fus même pas soldat
You who were not even a soldier
C'est trop facile quand un amour se meurt
It's too easy when a love fades away
Qu'il craque en deux parce qu'on l'a trop plié
That it cracks in two because we've folded it too much
D'aller pleurer comme les hommes pleurent
To go and cry like men cry
Comme si l'amour durait l'éternité
As if love lasted for eternity
Tais-toi donc Grand Jacques
So be quiet, Grand Jacques
Que connais-tu de l'amour
What do you know of love?
Des yeux bleus, des cheveux fous
Blue eyes, wild hair
Tu n'en connais rien du tout
You don't know anything at all
Et dis-toi donc Grand Jacques
And tell yourself, Grand Jacques
Dis-le-toi bien souvent
Remind yourself often
C'est trop facile
It's too easy
C'est trop facile
It's too easy
De faire semblant
To pretend
Lyrics powered by www.musixmatch.com
Key vocabulary
- mieux
- betterA1
- parce
- becauseA1
- trop
- tooA1
- facile
- easyA1
- entrer
- enter
- églises
- churchesA1
- déverser
- spillB2
- toutes
- allB1
- saleté
- dirtB2
- curé
- priestB1
Test yourself
How much of Grand Jacques did you catch?
A quick quiz on the key words from this song.
About this song
Jacques Brel was a Belgian singer, songwriter, and actor associated with lyric-driven French-language chanson. He was known for theatrical vocal delivery and character-driven songs, and his work influenced artists such as David Bowie, Scott Walker, and Marc Almond.