Brel was born on 8th April 1929 in Schaarbeek, a district of Brussels, and lived half of his life in Paris. He died of lung cancer on 9th October 1978 in Bobigny in the suburbs of Paris, and is buried in the Marquesas Islands.
Although the Brels spoke French, they were of Flemish descent, with some of the family originating from Zandvoorde, near Ieper. Brel's father was co-owner of a cardboard factory and Brel started his professional life at that firm, apparently destined to follow in his father's footsteps. However he had no interest in it, showing instead an interest in the arts, having joined the Catholic-humanist youth organisation Franche Cordée, where he did some singing and acting. At Franche Cordée he met Thérèse Michielsen ('Miche'), and they married in 1950.
In the early 1950s Brel achieved some minor success in Belgium, singing his own songs. A 78rpm record ("La foire"/"Il y a") was released as a result. From 1954 Brel seriously pursued a singing career. He quit his job and moved to Paris, writing music and singing in the city's cabarets and music-halls.. In January 1955 he supported in the Ancienne Belgique in Brussels the performances of the Belgian pop and variety pioneer Bobbejaan Schoepen. After some success his wife and daughters joined him from Belgium. By 1956 he was touring Europe and he recorded the song "Quand on n'a que l'amour", which brought him his first major recognition. He appeared in a show with Maurice Chevalier and Michel Legrand.
By the end of the 1950s Miche and Brel's three daughters moved to Brussels. He and his family led separate lives from then on. Under the influence of his friend Georges Pasquier ('Jojo') and pianists Gérard Jouannest and François Rauber, Brel's style changed. He was no longer a Catholic-humanist troubadour, but sang grimmer songs about love, death, and the struggle that is life. The music became more complex and his themes more diverse, exploring love ("Je t'aime", "Litanies pour un retour"), society ("Les singes", "Les bourgeois", "Jaurès") and spiritual concerns ("Le bon Dieu", "Dites, si c'était vrai", "Fernand"). His work is not limited to one style. He was as proficient in comic compositions ("Le lion", "Comment tuer l'amant de sa femme...") as in more emotional ones ("Voir un ami pleurer", "Fils de...", "Jojo"). He composed and recorded his songs almost exclusively in French, and is widely recognised in French-speaking countries as one of the best French-language composers of all time.
Brel himself occasionally included parts of his songs in Flemish (Dutch), one of the three official languages of Belgium, as in Marieke. He also recorded eight other Flemish versions of songs, such as Mijn vlakke land (Le plat Pays), Laat Me Niet Alleen (Ne me quitte pas), Rosa, De Burgerij (Les Bourgeois), and De Nuttelozen van de Nacht (Les paumés du petit matin). Since his own command of the language was poor, these were translated by Ernst van Altena, renowned translator of French song. Although France was Brel's "spiritual home" and he expressed contradictory statements about his native Belgium, some of his best compositions pay tribute to Belgium.
A very successful theatrical review of his songs, "Jacques Brel is Alive and Living in Paris," was launched in 1968. It featured English translations of his songs, and it was late made into a film.
To English-speaking listeners, Brel's best-known song is probably "Seasons in the Sun," a hit for Terry Jacks in 1973. Its English lyrics are a translation by Rod McKuen of Brel's "Le Moribond."
For twenty years he was a major star gaining recognition beyond French audiences. In 1973 he retreated to French Polynesia, remaining there until 1977 when he returned to Paris and recorded his well-received final album.
A heavy smoker, it was discovered in 1973 that Brel had lung cancer. He died in 1978 and was buried in Calvary Cemetery in Atuona, Hiva Oa, Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia only a few yards away from painter Paul Gauguin.
Je Ne Sais Pas
Jacques Brel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Quitte là-haut ses oripeaux
Que sont les lourds nuages gris
Pour se coucher sur nos coteaux
Je ne sais pas pourquoi le vent
S'amuse dans les matins clairs
A colporter les rires d'enfants
Carillons frêles de l'hiver
Mais je sais que je t'aime encore
Je ne sais pas pourquoi la route
Qui me pousse vers la cité
A l'odeur fade des déroutes
De peuplier en peuplier
Je ne sais pas pourquoi le voile
Du brouillard glacé qui m'escorte
Me fait penser aux cathédrales
Où l'on prie pour les amours mortes
Je ne sais rien de tout cela
Mais je sais que je t'aime encore
Je ne sais pas pourquoi la ville
M'ouvre ses remparts de faubourgs
Pour me laisser glisser fragile
Sous la pluie parmi ses amours
Je ne sais pas pourquoi ces gens
Pour mieux célébrer ma défaite
Pour mieux suivre l'enterrement
Ont le nez collé aux fenêtres
Je ne sais rien de tout cela
Mais je sais que je t'aime encore
Je ne sais pas pourquoi ces rues
S'ouvrent devant moi une à une
Vierges et froides, froides et nues
Rien que mes pas et pas de lune
Je ne sais pas pourquoi la nuit
Jouant de moi comme guitare
M'a forcé à venir ici
Pour pleurer devant cette gare
Je ne sais rien de tout cela
Mais je sais que je t'aime encore
Je ne sais pas à quelle heure part
Ce triste train pour Amsterdam
Qu'un couple doit prendre ce soir
Un couple dont tu es la femme
Et je ne sais pas pour quel port
Part d'Amsterdam ce grand navire
Qui brise mon cœur et mon corps
Notre amour et mon avenir
Je ne sais rien de tout cela
Mais je sais que je t'aime encore
Mais je sais que je t'aime encore
In Jacques Brel's song "Je Ne Sais Pas," the lyrics speak of a sense of not knowing the reasons behind the natural world and human behavior. The lyrics express a sense of wonder about why the rain leaves the clouds and falls on the hills or why the wind carries the sounds of children’s laughter on clear mornings. The song also speaks about the singer's travels through the city, reflecting on the bleakness of the surroundings and the love that he still feels for someone who is leaving him.
The song's lyrics appear to draw on existential themes, as they seek to understand the nature of human existence and the world and universe around them. The lyrics show an appreciation for the beauty and mystery of nature, as well as the sadness and pain of loss and departure. The repetition of "Je ne sais pas" ("I don't know") throughout the song emphasizes the singer's sense of confusion and uncertainty about the world and his own feelings.
Overall, "Je Ne Sais Pas" is a song that embodies the spirit of questioning and exploring the unknown, evoking powerful emotions and touching on universal human experiences, such as love and loss.
**Interesting Facts about "Je Ne Sais Pas"**
Line by Line Meaning
Je ne sais pas pourquoi la pluie
Quitte là-haut ses oripeaux
Que sont les lourds nuages gris
Pour se coucher sur nos coteaux
I don't know why rain leaves its robes up there, heavy gray clouds, to lie down on our hills.
Je ne sais pas pourquoi le vent
S'amuse dans les matins clairs
A colporter les rires d'enfants
Carillons frêles de l'hiver
I don't know why the wind plays in the clear mornings, carrying children's laughter, like the frail chimes of winter.
Je ne sais rien de tout cela
Mais je sais que je t'aime encore
I don't know any of this, but I know I still love you.
Je ne sais pas pourquoi la route
Qui me pousse vers la cité
A l'odeur fade des déroutes
De peuplier en peuplier
I don't know why the road that pushes me towards the city smells faintly of failure, lined with poplars.
Je ne sais pas pourquoi le voile
Du brouillard glacé qui m'escorte
Me fait penser aux cathédrales
Où l'on prie pour les amours mortes
I don't know why the veil of icy fog that accompanies me makes me think of cathedrals where we pray for dead loves.
Je ne sais pas pourquoi ces gens
Pour mieux célébrer ma défaite
Pour mieux suivre l'enterrement
Ont le nez collé aux fenêtres
I don't know why these people jam their noses against the windows to better celebrate my defeat, to better follow the funeral procession.
Je ne sais pas pourquoi ces rues
S'ouvrent devant moi une à une
Vierges et froides, froides et nues
Rien que mes pas et pas de lune
I don't know why these streets open up one by one, blank and cold, without a moon, just for my steps.
Je ne sais pas pourquoi la nuit
Jouant de moi comme guitare
M'a forcé à venir ici
Pour pleurer devant cette gare
I don't know why the night plays me like a guitar, but it forced me to come here to cry in front of this station.
Je ne sais pas à quelle heure part
Ce triste train pour Amsterdam
Qu'un couple doit prendre ce soir
Un couple dont tu es la femme
I don't know what time the sad train for Amsterdam leaves, the one a couple, you as the woman, will take tonight.
Et je ne sais pas pour quel port
Part d'Amsterdam ce grand navire
Qui brise mon cœur et mon corps
Notre amour et mon avenir
Je ne sais rien de tout cela
Mais je sais que je t'aime encore
And I don't know which port this great ship leaving Amsterdam is bound for, the one that breaks my heart and my body, our love and my future. I don't know anything about any of this, but I know I still love you.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, EDITIONS METROPOLITAINES, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JACQUES ROMAIN G. BREL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mary M. Brandes
on La Valse à Mille Temps
I love Jacques Brel songs.