Serge Reggiani (May 2, 1922 - July 23, 2004) was an Italian-born French sin… Read Full Bio ↴Serge Reggiani (May 2, 1922 - July 23, 2004) was an Italian-born French singer, painter and actor. He was born in Reggio Emilia, Italy and moved to France with his parents at the age of eight. For many years, he struggled with alcoholism, caused in part by the 1980 suicide of his son Stephan.

After acting school he was discovered by Jean Cocteau and appeared in a wartime production of Les parents terribles ("The Terrible Parents"). His first feature film came in 1946 with his role in Les portes de la nuit ("The Doors of the Night"). He later went on to perform in 80 films including The Pianist (1998).

In 1965 he began a second career as a singer, with the help of Simone Signoret and her husband Yves Montand. Reggiani became one of the most acclaimed performers of French "Chanson" ("song") and although he was in his 40s, his bad-boy image made him popular with both young and older listeners. His best known songs include "Les loups sont entres dans Paris" ("The Wolves Have Entered Paris") and "La femme qui est dans mon lit." ("The Woman Who Is In My Bed").

In later life he became a painter and gave a number of exhibitions of his artwork.

Serge Reggiani died of a heart attack at the age of 82, one day after the death of another well known French singer Sacha Distel. He is interred in the Cimetière du Montparnasse.

Le temps qui reste
Serge Reggiani Lyrics

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Combien de temps...
Combien de temps encore
Des années, des jours, des heures, combien ?
Quand j'y pense, mon coeur bat si fort...
Mon pays c'est la vie.
Combien de temps...
Combien ?

Je l'aime tant, le temps qui reste...
Je veux rire, courir, pleurer, parler,
Et voir, et croire
Et boire, danser,
Crier, manger, nager, bondir, désobéir
J'ai pas fini, j'ai pas fini
Voler, chanter, parti, repartir
Souffrir, aimer
Je l'aime tant le temps qui reste

Je ne sais plus où je suis né, ni quand
Je sais qu'il n'y a pas longtemps...
Et que mon pays c'est la vie
Je sais aussi que mon père disait :
Le temps c'est comme ton pain...
Gardes-en pour demain...

J'ai encore du pain
Encore du temps, mais combien ?
Je veux jouer encore...
Je veux rire des montagnes de rires,
Je veux pleurer des torrents de larmes,

Je veux boire des bateaux entiers de vin
De Bordeaux et d'Italie
Et danser, crier, voler, nager dans tous les océans

J'ai pas fini, j'ai pas fini
Je veux chanter
Je veux parler jusqu'à la fin de ma voix...
Je l'aime tant le temps qui reste...

Combien de temps...
Combien de temps encore ?
Des années, des jours, des heures, combien ?
Je veux des histoires, des voyages...
J'ai tant de gens à voir, tant d'images..
Des enfants, des femmes, des grands hommes,
Des petits hommes, des marrants, des tristes,
Des très intelligents et des cons,
C'est drôle, les cons ca repose,
C'est comme le feuillage au milieu des roses...

Combien de temps...
Combien de temps encore ?
Des années, des jours, des heures, combien ?
Je m'en fous mon amour...
Quand l'orchestre s'arretera, je danserai encore...
Quand les avions ne voleront plus, je volerai tout seul...
Quand le temps s'arretera..
Je t'aimerai encore
Je ne sais pas où, je ne sais pas comment...
Mais je t'aimerai encore...
D'accord ?

Overall Meaning

In Le Temps Qui Reste, Serge Reggiani sings about time, pondering how much he has left and what he wants to do with it. He begins by asking, "How much time...how much time is left? Years, days, hours, how much?" This line suggests a sense of urgency and a desire to make the most of the time he has left. He mentions how his heart beats faster when he thinks about it, emphasizing the importance of time to him.

Reggiani goes on to express his love for the time that is left, saying that he wants to do many things before it's over. He wants to laugh, run, cry, talk, see, believe, drink, dance, shout, eat, swim, jump, disobey, fly, sing, leave, come back, suffer, and love. These are all things that he feels he hasn't finished doing yet and wants to experience more of before time runs out.

The song's chorus repeats the phrase "je l'aime tant, le temps qui reste" or "I love so much the time that is left." This line is the central theme of the song, emphasizing the importance of cherishing the time we have and making the most of it.

Overall, Le Temps Qui Reste is a beautiful and melancholic reflection on the passage of time and the desire to make the most of it. Reggiani's poignant lyrics and emotive delivery make it a timeless classic.

Le temps qui resteSerge Reggiani Lyrics

Le temps qui reste
Serge Reggiani Lyrics