Regarding the pronunciation of "Bic": "You say it Bec, rather than Bic", she explains. "It's Chinese, it's a strange vowel sound which doesn't seem to translate in English. It means the colour of jade, which I suppose is just green."
Runga was born in Christchurch. Her mother, Sophia Tang, was a Chinese Malaysian lounge singer in Malaysia when she met Joseph Runga, a Māori soldier on leave from Vietnam. They both moved to New Zealand to live.
Runga grew up in Hornby, Christchurch surrounded by a musically-inclined family, and started recording songs with her sisters, Boh and Pearl, when she was only four years old. Runga's older sister Boh is now a vocalist in the New Zealand rock group Stellar*, while Pearl is a session singer.
She learned how to play drums at the age of eleven, and guitar at about fourteen. Runga also learnt to play the keyboard at around this time. She attended Cashmere High School, joining high school bands and performing with local jazz groups by her mid-teens.
Singles
* "Bursting Through" (1996)
* "Sway" (1997) #10 Australia (re-issue Ireland in 2004 went to #26)
* "Suddenly Strange" (1997)
* "Roll into One" (1997)
* "Hey" (1998)
* "Sorry" (1999)
* "Get Some Sleep" (2002) #75 United Kingdom #3 New Zealand #27 Ireland
* "Something Good" (2002) #4 New Zealand
* "Listening for the Weather" (2003) #14 New Zealand
* "Winning Arrow" (2005) #23 New Zealand
* "Say After Me" (2006)
Belle
Bic Runga Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Qu'en te voyant je t'ai aimée
Belle, que j'aime tant
Depuis longtemps je t'attendais
Souviens-toi du temps où tu venais
Chaque soir pour me rencontrer
Tu passais si belle que j'en rêvais
Belle, oh ma si belle
Tu t'en allais sans m'écouter
Belle je t'attendrai
Pendant longtemps, tu es si belle
Belle que j'aime tant
Je t'attendrai en te rêvant
Puis un jour, un jour tu passeras
Près de moi, ma belle tu viendras
Nous ferons alors si tu le veux
Ce jour-là le beau voyage à deux
Belle si tu le veux
Nous serons deux
Nous serons deux
The lyrics to Bic Runga's song Belle are in French, and they talk about the singer's enduring love for someone named Belle. The opening line states, "Belle, tu es si belle," meaning "Belle, you are so beautiful." The singer goes on to express how they have loved Belle for a long time and have been waiting for her. The lyrics also reference a time when Belle used to visit the singer every night, and the singer admired her beauty so much that they dreamt about her.
The second verse of the song reveals that Belle would often leave without listening to the singer. However, despite this, the singer promises to wait for Belle and continues to dream about her. The final lines of the song offer a hopeful outlook for the future. The singer states that one day, Belle will come back to them, and they will embark on a beautiful journey together.
Overall, the song Belle is a tale of unrequited love and longing. The singer is deeply enamored with Belle's beauty and has been waiting for her for a long time without receiving any reciprocation. However, the singer remains hopeful that one day, they will be able to embark on a journey together.
Line by Line Meaning
Belle, tu es si belle
You are beautiful, my love
Qu'en te voyant je t'ai aimée
I fell in love with you the moment I saw you
Belle, que j'aime tant
You are the one I adore
Depuis longtemps je t'attendais
I have been waiting for you for so long
Souviens-toi du temps où tu venais
Remember the time when you used to come
Chaque soir pour me rencontrer
Every evening to meet me
Tu passais si belle que j'en rêvais
You looked so beautiful that I dreamt of you
Tu le sais, mon amie, je t'aimais
You know, my friend, I loved you
Belle, oh ma si belle
Oh beautiful, beautiful girl
Tu t'en allais sans m'écouter
You left without listening to me
Belle je t'attendrai
I'll wait for you, beautiful
Pendant longtemps, tu es si belle
For a long time, you remain beautiful
Belle que j'aime tant
You are the one I love so much
Je t'attendrai en te rêvant
I will wait for you while dreaming of you
Puis un jour, un jour tu passeras
Then one day, you will come
Près de moi, ma belle tu viendras
Near me, my beautiful, you will come
Nous ferons alors si tu le veux
We will then do what you want
Ce jour-là le beau voyage à deux
On that day, the beautiful journey for two
Belle si tu le veux
Beautiful if you want it
Nous serons deux
We will be two
Nous serons deux
We will be two
Contributed by Landon M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
OzDakster
So in love with this song!
Daniel Monteath
loving the french theme and 'slice of life' style short films
#TEAM JESTER
Belle, tu es si belle
Qu'en te voyant je t'ai aimée
Belle, que j'aime tant
Depuis longtemps je t'attendais
Souviens-toi du temps où tu venais
Chaque soir pour me rencontrer
Tu passais si belle que j'en rêvais
Tu le sais, mon amie, je t'aimais
Belle, oh ma si belle
Tu t'en allais sans m'écouter
Belle je t'attendrai
Pendant longtemps, tu es si belle
Belle que j'aime tant
Je t'attendrai en te rêvant
Puis un jour, un jour tu passeras
Près de moi, ma belle tu viendras
Nous ferons alors si tu le veux
Ce jour-là le beau voyage à deux
Belle si tu le veux
Nous serons deux
Nous serons deux
eng translate
Beautiful, you are so beautiful
That seeing you I loved you
Beautiful, whom I love so much
I've been waiting for a long time
Remember the time you came
Every night to meet me
You spent so beautiful that I dreamed
You know it, my friend, I loved you
Beautiful, oh my so beautiful
You were leaving without listening to me
I'll wait for you
For a long time, you are so beautiful
Beautiful that I love so much
I'll wait for you dreaming
Then one day, one day you will pass
Close to me, my beautiful you will come
We will do if you want
That day the beautiful trip to two
Beautiful if you want
We will be two
We will be two