Roch Voisine was born in Edmundston, New Brunswick, but grew up in Saint Basile. His parents are Réal Voisine, mayor of Notre-Dame-du-Lac, Québec and a former English teacher, and Zélande Robichaud, a former nurse.
Voisine's musical breakthrough came with his 1989 album Hélène which sold three million copies and became a major hit not only in Quebec but also in France, Belgium and Switzerland. In 1990, Hélène was awarded the Best Album prize at the the Victoires de la Musique, France's version of Grammys. After a highly successful European Tour in 1991, he was awarded France's Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.
In 1993, Voisine had his biggest English-language hit to date with the single and album both entitled I'll Always Be There, which he worked on with David Foster.
Over the years, he has continued to alternatively record both French and English-language albums. His French language work and concert tours have continued to enjoy success in Europe (especially France) and Quebec, while his English-language recordings are a frequent mainstay of Canadian Adult Contemporary radio.
Hélène
Roch Voisine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Les yeux dans l'eau
Mon rêve était trop beau
L'été qui s'achève, tu partiras
À cent mille lieues de moi
Comment oublier ton sourire?
Et tellement de souvenirs
Je n'ai vu le temps passer
L'amour sur la plage désertée
Nos corps brûlés, enlacés
Comment t'aimer si tu t'en vas
Dans ton pays loin là-bas, bas-bas-bas?
Hélène things you do
Make me crazy 'bout you
Pourquoi tu pars, reste ici
J'ai tant besoin d'une amie
Hélène things you do
Make me crazy 'bout you
Pourquoi tu pars si loin de moi
Là où le vent te porte, loin de mon cœur qui bat!
Hélène things you do
Make me crazy 'bout you
Pourquoi tu pars, reste ici
Reste encore juste une nuit!
Seul sur le sable
Les yeux dans l'eau
Mon rêve était trop beau
L'été qui s'achève, tu partiras
À cent mille lieues de moi
Comment t'aimer si tu t'en vas
Dans ton pays loin là-bas?
Dans ton pays loin là-bas
Dans ton pays loin de moi
"Helene" is a song by Roch Voisine that speaks of the agony of losing a loved one. The song starts with the singer standing alone on the sand, lost in his thoughts, looking at the waves. He reminisces over the summer that's about to end and how his lover, Helene, will be leaving him, feeling helpless because she'll be miles away. The first stanza sets the tone for the rest of the song, portraying sadness and longing. The singer wonders how he's supposed to forget the memories that they've shared, and how he'll ever stop missing her smile.
The second stanza describes the memories that the singer and Helene created together. They played by the beach, and time flew by. They made love on a deserted beach, and even though they're physically together right now, she will be leaving soon. The chorus speaks of how Helene makes him crazy and how he needs her. He begs her to stay, but she still chooses to leave, breaking his heart. The last stanza is similar to the first, with the singer alone on the beach, contemplating the distance between them, and how he cannot love her if she's not there with him.
Line by Line Meaning
Seul sur le sable
Alone on the sand
Les yeux dans l'eau
Eyes in the water
Mon rêve était trop beau
My dream was too beautiful
L'été qui s'achève, tu partiras
Summer ending, you'll leave
À cent mille lieues de moi
A hundred thousand leagues away from me
Comment oublier ton sourire?
How to forget your smile?
Et tellement de souvenirs
And so many memories
Nos jeux dans les vagues près du quai
Our games in the waves near the dock
Je n'ai vu le temps passer
I didn't see the time pass
L'amour sur la plage désertée
Love on the deserted beach
Nos corps brûlés, enlacés
Our bodies burning, intertwined
Comment t'aimer si tu t'en vas
How to love you if you're leaving
Dans ton pays loin là-bas, bas-bas-bas?
In your faraway country, far-far-away?
Hélène things you do
Helene, things you do
Make me crazy 'bout you
Make me crazy about you
Pourquoi tu pars, reste ici
Why do you leave, stay here
J'ai tant besoin d'une amie
I need a friend so much
Pourquoi tu pars si loin de moi
Why do you leave so far from me
Là où le vent te porte, loin de mon cœur qui bat!
Where the wind takes you, far from my beating heart!
Reste encore juste une nuit!
Stay just one more night!
Dans ton pays loin là-bas
In your faraway country
Dans ton pays loin de moi
In your faraway country, far from me
Lyrics © Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN)
Written by: Stephane Louis Lessard, Roch Voisine
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind