Heavily influenced by American rock & roll, Mitchell (who went solo in 1963) has often recorded outside France, at first in London, but later in Memphis and Nashville, Tennessee. Guitarist Jimmy Page and drummer Bob Graham were among the British session musicians who regularly supported him in London.
Les feuilles mortes
Eddy Mitchell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Des jours heureux où nous étions amis
En ce temps-là la vie était plus belle
Et le soleil plus brûlant qu'aujourd'hui.
Les feuilles mortes se ramassent à la pelle
Tu vois, je n'ai pas oublié
Les feuilles mortes se ramassent à la pelle
Et le vent du Nord les emporte,
Dans la nuit froide de l'oubli.
Tu vois je n'ai pas oublié,
La chanson que tu me chantais...
C'est une chanson qui nous ressemble,
Toi tu m'aimais,et je t'aimais
Et nous vivions, tous deux ensemble,
Toi qui m'aimais, moi qui t'aimais.
Mais la vie sépare ceux qui s'aiment,
Tout doucement, sans faire de bruit
Et la mer efface sur le sable
Les pas des amants désunis.
C'est une chanson qui nous ressemble,
Toi tu m'aimais et je t'aimais
Et nous vivions tous deux ensemble,
Toi qui m'aimais, moi qui t'aimais.
Mais la vie sépare ceux qui s'aiment,
Tout doucement, sans faire de bruit
Et la mer efface sur le sable
Les pas des amants désunis
Et la mer efface sur le sable
Les pas des amants désunis
Eddy Mitchell's song "Les Feuilles Mortes" (The Dead Leaves) is a nostalgic and emotional ballad that recounts a lost love and the happy memories of the past. In the first stanza, the singer longs for his former lover to remember their happier times as friends when life was more beautiful and the sun was hotter than it is today. The second stanza utilises the metaphor of dead leaves that are being collected with a shovel. The singer reflects that just as dead leaves can't be brought back to life, he can't forget the memories and regrets of their past love.
The third stanza brings a shift in tone and introduces the idea of separation. The wind from the north carries away the memories of the past, leaving only the coldness of forgetting. Yet, the singer has not forgotten the melody of the song that his former lover used to sing to him. In the fourth and final stanza, the singer highlights the loss of love and warmth that had once existed between the two of them. He uses a metaphor comparing their love to footprints in the sand that are slowly fading away with the tide. Despite their separation, the love that they shared still connects them, even if only through memories and melancholy.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, je voudais tant que tu te souviennes
I wish so much that you remember
Des jours heureux où nous étions amis
Of the happy days when we were friends
En ce temps-là la vie était plus belle
At that time, life was more beautiful
Et le soleil plus brûlant qu'aujourd'hui
And the sun hotter than today
Les feuilles mortes se ramassent à la pelle
The dead leaves are gathered up with a shovel
Tu vois, je n'ai pas oublié
You see, I haven't forgotten
Les souvenirs et les regrets aussi
The memories and the regrets as well
Et le vent du Nord les emporte
And the North wind carries them away
Dans la nuit froide de l'oubli
In the cold night of forgetfulness
La chanson que tu me chantais...
The song that you used to sing to me...
C'est une chanson qui nous ressemble
It's a song that resembles us
Toi tu m'aimais,et je t'aimais
You loved me, and I loved you
Et nous vivions, tous deux ensemble
And we lived, both of us together
Toi qui m'aimais, moi qui t'aimais
You who loved me, me who loved you
Mais la vie sépare ceux qui s'aiment
But life separates those who love each other
Tout doucement, sans faire de bruit
Very gently, without making a sound
Et la mer efface sur le sable
And the sea erases on the sand
Les pas des amants désunis
The footsteps of the separated lovers
Contributed by Eva A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.