It was also recorded by Vera Lynn in 1967. Hardy heard an American instrumental version of the song and her manager asked Serge Gainsbourg to provide suitable lyrics for it. Gainsbourg's French adaptation was recorded on Hardy's album of the same name, released in 1968. Hardy also recorded the song in Italian ("Il pretesto", 1968) and German ("Was mach' ich ohne dich", 1970)
In 1989 it was covered by Jimmy Somerville in a single featuring June Miles-Kingston. The song was a hit in the UK, reaching #14 on the UK singles chart, and helping Somerville's solo career take off.
Comment te dire adieu
Jimmy Somerville Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Je ne veux
Avoir de reflexes
Malheureux
Il faut que tu m' explique un peu mieux
Comment te dire adieu
Mon coeur de silex
Ton coeur de pyrex
Resiste au feu
Je suis bien perplexe
Je ne veux
Me resoudre aux adieus
Je sais bien qu'un ex
Amour n'as pas de chance ou si peu
Mais pour moi une explication voudrait mieux
Sous aucun pretexte
Je ne veux
Devant toi surexposer mes yeux
Derriere un kleenex je saurais mieux
Comment te dire adieu
Comment te dire adie
Tu a mis a l'index
Nos nuits blanches nos matins gris-bleu
Mais pour moi une explication voudrait mieux
Sous aucun pretexte
Je ne veux
Devant toi surexposer mes yeux
Derriere un kleenex je saurais mieux
Comment te dire adieu
Comment te dire adie
The lyrics to Jimmy Somerville's song "Comment Te Dire Adieu" speak of a difficult task - saying goodbye. The singer asserts that he doesn't want any unhappy reflexes or negative reactions when he tries to explain himself to the other person. He needs a clearer understanding of how to say goodbye without causing any hurt or offense. The next few lines compare the two hearts - one of silex (flint) that quickly takes fire, and one of pyrex (heat-resistant glass) that resists the heat. The singer is left feeling perplexed and uncertain, not wanting to give into a final goodbye. Despite knowing that past loves usually have little chance of survival, the singer wishes for a better explanation for the breakup.
The singer expresses that he doesn't want to show any vulnerability in front of the other person. He wants to find a way to say goodbye without tears or heartbreak in front of the other person. He mentions how the other person has excluded him from their life, cutting away their shared nights and mornings. The singer still desires an explanation, but also wants to find a way to say goodbye that doesn't compromise his dignity. The repeated refrain of "Comment te dire adieu" adds to the intensity of the song's theme, as it feels like the singer is struggling to find a way to express himself properly.
Line by Line Meaning
Sous aucun pretexte
Under no circumstances
Je ne veux
I don't want
Avoir de reflexes
To have unhappy reactions
Malheureux
Unhappy
Il faut que tu m' explique un peu mieux
You must explain it to me better
Comment te dire adieu
How to say goodbye to you
Mon coeur de silex
My heart of flint
Vite prend feu
Quickly catches fire
Ton coeur de pyrex
Your heart of pyrex
Resiste au feu
Resists the fire
Je suis bien perplexe
I am very perplexed
Je ne veux
I don't want
Me resoudre aux adieus
To resign myself to goodbyes
Je sais bien qu'un ex
I know very well that a former
Amour n'as pas de chance ou si peu
Love has no chance, or so little
Mais pour moi une explication voudrait mieux
But for me an explanation would be better
Tu a mis a l'index
You have put on the index
Nos nuits blanches nos matins gris-bleu
Our sleepless nights, our blue-gray mornings
Derriere un kleenex je saurais mieux
Behind a Kleenex I would know better
Comment te dire adieu
How to say goodbye to you
Comment te dire adie
How to say adieu to you
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Arnold Goland, Jack Gold, Serge Gainsbourg
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@AlexanderTsurkan-wu4yc
Lyrics:
Sous aucun prétexte
Je ne veux
Avoir de réflexes
Malheureux
Il faut que tu m'expliques un peu mieux
Comment te dire adieu
Mon coeur de silex
Vite prend feu
Ton coeur de Pyrex
Résiste au feu
Je suis bien perplexe
Je ne veux
Me résoudre aux adieux
Je sais bien qu'un ex
Amour n'a pas de chance ou si peu
Mais pour moi une explication voudrait mieux
Sous aucun prétexte
Je ne veux
Devant toi surexposer mes yeux
Derrière un Kleenex je saurais mieux
Comment te dire adieu
Comment te dire adieu
Tu a mis a l'index
Nos nuits blanches nos matins gris-bleu
Mais pour moi une explication voudrait mieux
Sous aucun prétexte
Je ne veux
Devant toi surexposer mes yeux
Derrière un Kleenex je saurais mieux
Comment te dire adieu
Comment te dire adieu
@nikkifarrington-clarke9995
Oooh how lovely to hear this again...25 and at a house party and everything kicking off...romance, community, maturity in late 1989. can't help smiling..just brilliant!!
@weirdalfan1980
I do not understand one word. It doesn't stop me from loving this tune!
@Daniel-px8xg
You don’t know what Pyrex or cleanex is?
@racineurr.8924
Maybe learning some French. What do you think?
@hellohjbgjh
Not even adieu , kleenex? ^^
@richardphillips1971
Comment te dire adieu - how do I say goodbye to you
@kd8199
Haven’t heard this in decades. Loved Jimmy back in the day, dancing in the bars.
@Antonio_Gallego
Around the time this song came out I went to Paris with my highschool mates on our great graduation trip ¡Good times!
@Optusys
Невероятный клип, светлый и искренний. Из года в год он прекрасен 👍👍👍
@chahid1053
De la bonb