Jean-Jacques Goldman is a French singer-songwriter who started his career singing as a back up singer before starting in a rock band Taï Phong before starting his solo career. A number of years later he founded the trio Fredericks - Goldman - Jones, with the British Michael Jones and American Carole Fredericks.
Extremely popular in French-speaking countries, he is a well-known songwriter, composing a number of albums for Céline Dion. He has also collaborated with Johnny Hallyday, Patricia Kaas, Garou, Marc Lavoine, Khaled (Aïcha), Lorie and Florent Pagny
He is also well known in France for getting involved in the homeless charity "Les Restos du Coeur" for which he wrote the main anthem.
Il me restera
Jean-Jacques Goldman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Il me restera de l'eau, du vent
Des rêveries sucrées, d'autres amères
Et le mal au c?ur de temps en temps
Il me restera des souvenirs
Des visages et des voix et des rires
Il me restera du temps qui passe
Et la vie, celle qui fait mourir
Il me restera ces choses qu'on amasse
Sans y penser, sans y compter, sans savoir
Quand on vit fort, on vit sans mémoire
Mais elle prend des photos sans qu'on sache
Il me restera de longs silences
Longues secondes au passé, tristesse
Il me restera aussi Valence
Ici, naquit un peu de tendresse
Il me restera deux, trois bricoles
Une épingle, un parfum oubliés
Un disque, un vieux bouquin, des babioles
Mais que je ne pourrai pas jeter
Il me restera ces choses qu'on amasse
Sans y penser, sans y compter, sans savoir
Quand on vit fort, on vit sans mémoire
Mais elle prend des photos sans qu'on sache
The lyrics to Jean-Jacques Goldman's song Il me restera (translated to "What will remain of me") capture the essence of life's fleeting nature and the residue it leaves behind. The singer ponders what will be left of them after they are gone, what memories and tangible objects will endure, and what they will eventually succumb to. The singer muses on the simplicity of life by listing things like light, water, and wind, and the bittersweet memories like the ones that cause a heartache. They also mention the importance of reminiscence as objects and people are slowly forgotten. Some of these objects come to represent weight without meaning, taking up space in the physical and mental realms. The song ends poignantly by acknowledging how the memories and objects that are left behind are what make us who we are, and they will continue on without us.
Line by Line Meaning
Il me restera de la lumière
There will be light left for me, a glimmer of hope and positivity that I can hold onto.
Il me restera de l'eau, du vent
There will be the elements of nature left for me, the sound of water and wind that I can take comfort in.
Des rêveries sucrées, d'autres amères
There will be sweet and bitter memories left for me, moments of joy and pain that have shaped who I am.
Et le mal au cœur de temps en temps
There will be moments of heartache left for me, reminders of the pain that I have felt and the love that I have lost.
Il me restera des souvenirs
There will be memories left for me, the faces and voices and laughter of the people who have touched my life.
Des visages et des voix et des rires
There will be the faces and voices and laughter of the people who have made a lasting impact on me.
Il me restera du temps qui passe
There will be the passing of time left for me, the moments that add up to a lifetime of experiences.
Et la vie, celle qui fait mourir
There will be life left for me, the inevitable end that comes for us all.
Il me restera ces choses qu'on amasse
There will be the things that we accumulate left for me, the possessions that we acquire without truly thinking about their significance.
Sans y penser, sans y compter, sans savoir
Without really thinking, counting, or knowing the true value of these possessions.
Quand on vit fort, on vit sans mémoire
When we live fiercely, we live without memory, focusing on the present moment rather than dwelling on the past.
Mais elle prend des photos sans qu'on sache
But life takes pictures of us, capturing moments that we never realized were significant until they have passed.
Il me restera de longs silences
There will be long periods of silence left for me, moments of stillness in between the chaos of life.
Longues secondes au passé, tristesse
Seconds that seem to stretch into eternity, filled with sadness and regret.
Il me restera aussi Valence
There will be memories of Valence left for me, the place where a little bit of tenderness was born.
Ici, naquit un peu de tendresse
Here, in this place, a small seed of love was planted and grew.
Il me restera deux, trois bricoles
There will be a few odds and ends left for me, small mementos to remind me of the past.
Une épingle, un parfum oubliés
A forgotten pin, a scent that brings back memories long forgotten.
Un disque, un vieux bouquin, des babioles
A record, an old book, and other trinkets that hold sentimental value.
Mais que je ne pourrai pas jeter
But I could never bring myself to throw them away, even if they serve no practical purpose.
Contributed by Hannah K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.