From a series of minor parts, Pagny moved from cinema to TV. In 1985, he got co-writing credits for Michel Gerard's film "Blessure". Two years later, he recorded its first single "N'importe quoi". The success was immediate for this non-conformist.
He won a Victoire, a prestigious French music award, in 1989, yet the following year his second album bombed following a media boycott. "Don't bite the hand that feeds you"!
After a long period of reflection, he came back on top with his album "Rester Vrai" in 1994. In 1997, his album "Savoir aimer" brought him enormous popularity.
He now spends his time between France and Patagonia where he lives with his wife on a 4000 hectare farm pursuing his two passions: motor biking and fishing.
In 2004, Pagny took on an ambitious project: "Baryton", an album made up of titles of the traditional repertory with an amazing 70 member string orchestra and a 60 member choir under the direction of Yvon Cassar. This album was a true success.
In 2006 with the album "Abracadabra" Pagny returned to more of a pop style and delivered a superb album with poignant lyrics "Le Mur" or "Là où je t'emmènerai".
In 2007, "Pagny Chante Brel", launched a tribute album containing eleven songs by the great singer Jacques Brel.
In 2009, "C'est comme ça" came out as a spanish language album. Recorded in Miami with latin composers and musicians, this worthwhile effort showed the extend of his talent across language barriers.
On Nov 12th 2010, "Tout et son contraire" is Pagny's lucky 13th album. With a french album with songs penned by Grégoire, Calogéro, Pascal Obispo and Marc Lavoine, this album is more conventional fare for this now Miami Resident.
In 2010, Pagny also released Baryton. Gracias a la vida his first of two Spanish albums.
In 2013, Viellir avec toi, 2016 Habana his second spanish album, 2017 Le présent d'abord, 2018 Tout Simplement and 2019 Aime La vie.
Remarquably, since 1990 Pagny's albums have always reached the top 5 in the French market, a remarkable 30 year run.
Pagny is a recurring figure as a judge of the French version of the Voice.
Ne me quitte pas
Florent Pagny Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Il faut oublier
Tout peut s'oublier
Qui s'enfuit déjà
Oublier le temps
Des malentendus et le temps perdu
À savoir comment
Oublier ces heures
Le cœur du bonheur
Ne me quitte pas
Ne me quitte pas
Ne me quitte pas
Ne me quitte pas
Moi je t'offrirai
Des perles de pluie
Venues de pays où il ne pleut pas
Je creuserai la terre jusqu'après ma mort
Pour couvrir ton corps d'or et de lumière
Je ferai un domaine
Où l'amour sera roi, où l'amour sera loi
Où tu seras reine
Ne me quitte pas
Ne me quitte pas
Ne me quitte pas
Ne me quitte pas
Ne me quitte pas
Je t'inventerai
Des mots insensés
Que tu comprendras
Je te parlerai
De ces amants-la
Qui ont vu deux fois leurs cœurs s'embraser
Je te raconterai l'histoire de ce roi mort
De n'avoir pas pu te rencontrer
Ne me quitte pas
Ne me quitte pas
Ne me quitte pas
Ne me quitte pas
On a vu souvent
Rejaillir le feu
D'un ancien volcan
Qu'on croyait trop vieux
Il est, paraît-il
Des terres brûlées
Donnant plus de blé
Qu'un meilleur avril
Et quand vient le soir
Pour qu'un ciel flamboie
Le rouge et le noir ne s'épousent-ils pas?
Ne me quitte pas
Ne me quitte pas
Ne me quitte pas
Ne me quitte pas
Ne me quitte pas
Je ne vais plus pleurer
Je ne vais plus parler
Je me cacherai là
À te regarder danser et sourire et
À t'écouter chanter et puis rire
Laisse-moi devenir l'ombre de ton ombre
L'ombre de ta main
L'ombre de ton chien
Ne me quitte pas
Ne me quitte pas
Ne me quitte pas
Ne me quitte pas
In Florent Pagny's "Ne Me Quitte Pas", the singer pleads for his love not to leave him. He asks that they forget the past, including the misunderstandings and lost time. He promises to offer them pearls of rain from a place where it never rains, to dig the earth to cover their body with gold and light, and to create a love domain where their love will be the king and queen. He promises to invent nonsensical words that they will understand and speak about other great lovers who had their hearts on fire. The lover says that they should not leave because old flames can rekindle and burnt lands can produce more crops than anyone can expect. Finally, he pleads to become their shadow, the shadow of their hand and their dog, begging for them not to leave him.
The song is a timeless classic of French chanson that has endured from the first time it was released in 1959 by Jacques Brel. In its simplicity, the lyrics express a depth of emotion and desire that have transcended time and place. The song has been covered by many artists in different genres, including Nina Simone, Sting, Barbara Streisand, and Julio Iglesias. It has even been translated into many languages, including English, Russian, German, and Spanish.
Line by Line Meaning
Ne me quitte pas
Please don't leave me
Il faut oublier
We must forget
Tout peut s'oublier
Everything can be forgotten
Qui s'enfuit déjà
That's already slipping away
Oublier le temps
Forget about time
Des malentendus et le temps perdu
The misunderstandings and lost time
À savoir comment
Trying to figure out how
Oublier ces heures
Forget about those hours
Qui tuaient parfois à coups de pourquoi
That sometimes killed with the question of why
Le cœur du bonheur
The heart of happiness
Moi je t'offrirai
I will offer you
Des perles de pluie
Pearls of rain
Venues de pays où il ne pleut pas
From a land where it doesn't rain
Je creuserai la terre jusqu'après ma mort
I will dig the earth until after I die
Pour couvrir ton corps d'or et de lumière
To cover your body with gold and light
Je ferai un domaine
I'll make a domain
Où l'amour sera roi, où l'amour sera loi
Where love will be king, where love will be law
Où tu seras reine
Where you will be queen
Je t'inventerai
I will invent for you
Des mots insensés
Nonsensical words
Que tu comprendras
That you will understand
Je te parlerai
I will talk to you
De ces amants-la
About those lovers
Qui ont vu deux fois leurs cœurs s'embraser
Who saw their hearts ignite twice
Je te raconterai l'histoire de ce roi mort
I will tell you the story of that dead king
De n'avoir pas pu te rencontrer
For not being able to meet you
On a vu souvent
We've seen often
Rejaillir le feu
The fire rekindle
D'un ancien volcan
From an old volcano
Qu'on croyait trop vieux
That we thought was too old
Il est, paraît-il
It seems, it is said
Des terres brûlées
Burnt lands
Donnant plus de blé
That yield more wheat
Qu'un meilleur avril
Than even the best April
Et quand vient le soir
And when the evening comes
Pour qu'un ciel flamboie
So that a sky may burn
Le rouge et le noir ne s'épousent-ils pas?
Don't red and black marry?
Je ne vais plus pleurer
I'm not going to cry anymore
Je ne vais plus parler
I'm not going to talk anymore
Je me cacherai là
I will hide there
À te regarder danser et sourire et
Watching you dance and smile
À t'écouter chanter et puis rire
Listening to you sing and then laugh
Laisse-moi devenir l'ombre de ton ombre
Let me become the shadow of your shadow
L'ombre de ta main
The shadow of your hand
L'ombre de ton chien
The shadow of your dog
Lyrics © Tratore, WARNER CHAPPELL MUSIC FRANCE
Written by: Jacques Brel
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ryan McElwee
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