Her independently released second album "Monday's Ghost" (2008) stayed at the top of the swiss charts for several weeks and caught the attention of critics abroad. The Guardian described her as "Laura Marling, Beth Orton and Björk in one folk-rocking package".
The Swiss singer spent parts of her youth abroad, living in England and Germany. Her cosmopolitan biography is reflected in her multilingual songwriting. While most songs are in English or German language, each album contains one song in a Swiss German dialect. Her third studio album 1983 (2010) also includes a cover version of Noir Désir's Le Vent Nous Portera in French language.
Hunger has always worked in a collaborative spirit, and her many musical interests have led her to a fascinating geographic and personality mix. While she had recorded her solo début "Sketches On Sea" at home in just a few days, her latest album "The Danger Of Light" evolved over three sessions abroad. In Los Angeles she was joined by Josh Klinghoffer (Red Hot Chilli Peppers, PJ Harvey), Nathaniel Walcott (Bright Eyes) and Steven Nistor (Danger Mouse); in Montréal Howard Bilerman (Arcade Fire), singer/songwriter Mark Bérubé, Brad Barr (The Barr Brothers) und David Payant (A Silver Mt. Zion) jammed along. That last session from Hotel2Tango-Studio in Montréal is included on the Deluxe Edition of her latest release.
Rapidly gaining a reputation as an electrifying live performer, Hunger has been sharing stages with some of Switzerlands’s most successful artists, like Erik Truffaz, The Young Gods, Kutti MC or Stephan Eicher and appearing at locations such as Olympia in Paris, Miles Davis Hall at the Montreux Jazz Festival or the John Peel Stage at Glastonbury Festival.
The musical directions of Sophie Hunger are limitless, from traditional folk songwriting bathed in jazzy moods to soul balladry. Her musical universe is very flourished, nourished by an exceptionally fragile yet mature voice as well as an ability to cross genres. For Sketches On Sea, she collaborated with a great number of musicians, from a trombone player to a flamenco guitarist. Sophie’s technical prowesses can lead her anywhere and allow her to do things that nobody else could get away with.
Sophie Hunger also contributed the soundtrack to the documentary "Zimmer 202" and the movie "Der Freund" by Micha Lewinsky.
Sites: SoundCloud, Vimeo and Facebook.
Ne me quitte pas
Sophie Hunger Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tout peut s'oublier
Qui s'enfuit déjà
Oublier le temps
Des malentendus
Et le temps perdu
A savoir comment
Oublier ces heures
A coups de pourquoi
Le cœur du bonheur
Moi je t'offrirai
Des perles de pluie
Venues de pays
Où il ne pleut pas
Je creuserai la terre
Jusqu'après ma mort
Pour couvrir ton corps
D'or et de lumière
Je ferai un domaine
Où l'amour sera roi
Où l'amour sera loi
Où tu seras reine
Moi je t'offrirai
Des perles de pluie
Venues de pays
Où il ne pleut pas
Je creuserai la terre
Jusqu'après ma mort
Pour couvrir ton corps
D'or et de lumière
Je ferai un domaine
Où l'amour sera roi
Où l'amour sera loi
Où tu seras reine
Je ne vais plus pleurer
Je ne vais plus parler
Je me cacherai là
A te regarder
Danser et sourire
Et à t'écouter
Chanter et puis rire
Laisse-moi devenir
L'ombre de ton ombre
L'ombre de ta main
L'ombre de ton chien
The lyrics to Sophie Hunger's version of the classic song "Ne me quitte pas" are filled with longing and desperation. The song is a plea to a lover not to leave, to forget the misunderstandings and wasted time, and to create a new world where love is king and the beloved is queen. The first verse urges forgetting everything that has passed and focusing on the present and future. The second verse promises to offer gifts of rain pearls from a land where it never rains and to devote one's life to creating a paradise where the beloved can reign as queen. The final verse expresses the singer's resignation to not being able to keep the lover from leaving but wanting to be a part of the lover's life even as a shadow or an echo.
The song has been interpreted in many different ways, with some seeing it as a metaphor for the desire to escape an oppressive social system, while others see it as a lament for lost love. Sophie Hunger's version of the song is particularly haunting, with her plaintive vocals and sparse instrumentation emphasizing the song's emotional impact.
Overall, the lyrics to "Ne me quitte pas" are a plea for love, a desire to hold onto something precious and not let it slip away. They are a reminder that love is fragile and that it is worth fighting for, even if the odds seem insurmountable.
Line by Line Meaning
Il faut oublier
It is necessary to forget
Tout peut s'oublier
Everything can be forgotten
Qui s'enfuit déjà
That which is already leaving
Oublier le temps
Forget about the past
Des malentendus
Misunderstandings
Et le temps perdu
And the time that was lost
A savoir comment
To know how to forget
Oublier ces heures
To forget those hours
Qui tuaient parfois
That sometimes killed
A coups de pourquoi
With endless whys
Le cœur du bonheur
The heart of happiness
Moi je t'offrirai
I will offer you
Des perles de pluie
Rain pearls
Venues de pays
That come from lands
Où il ne pleut pas
Where it doesn't rain
Je creuserai la terre
I will dig the earth
Jusqu'après ma mort
Until after my death
Pour couvrir ton corps
To cover your body
D'or et de lumière
With gold and light
Je ferai un domaine
I will create a domain
Où l'amour sera roi
Where love will be king
Où l'amour sera loi
Where love will be law
Où tu seras reine
Where you will be queen
Je ne vais plus pleurer
I will no longer cry
Je ne vais plus parler
I will no longer speak
Je me cacherai là
I will hide there
A te regarder
Watching you
Danser et sourire
Dancing and smiling
Et à t'écouter
And listening to you
Chanter et puis rire
Singing and then laughing
Laisse-moi devenir
Let me become
L'ombre de ton ombre
The shadow of your shadow
L'ombre de ta main
The shadow of your hand
L'ombre de ton chien
The shadow of your dog
Contributed by Eli P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@nissi.k
Do not leave me
Ne me quitte pas
You must forget
Il faut oublier
everything can be forgotten
Tout peut s'oublier
That already fled
Qui s'enfuit déjà
Forget time
Oublier le temps
Misunderstandings
Des malentendus
And lost time
Et le temps perdu
To know how
À savoir comment
Forget these hours
Oublier ces heures
Sometimes killing
Qui tuaient parfois
A shots why
À coups de pourquoi
The heart of happiness
Le cœur du bonheur
Do not leave me
Ne me quitte pas
Do not leave me
Ne me quitte pas
Do not leave me
Ne me quitte pas
Do not leave me
Ne me quitte pas
I will offer you
Moi, je t'offrirai
Pearls of rain
Des perles de pluie
Coming from countries
Venues de pays
Where it doesn't rain
Où il ne pleut pas
I'll dig the earth
Je creuserai la terre
Until after I die
Jusqu'après ma mort
To cover your body
Pour couvrir ton corps
Gold and light
D'or et de lumière
I will make a domain
Je ferai un domaine
Where love will be king
Où l'amour sera roi
Where love will be law
Où l'amour sera loi
Where you will be queen
Où tu seras reine
Do not leave me
Ne me quitte pas
Do not leave me
Ne me quitte pas
Do not leave me
Ne me quitte pas
Do not leave me
Ne me quitte pas
Do not leave me
Ne me quitte pas
I will invent you
Je t'inventerai
Foolish words
Des mots insensés
That you will understand
Que tu comprendras
I will talk to you
Je te parlerai
Of these lovers
De ces amants-là
Who have seen twice
Qui ont vu deux fois
Their hearts are set ablaze
Leurs cœurs s'embraser
I will tell you
Je te raconterai
The story of this king
L'histoire de ce roi
Death of not having
Mort de n'avoir pas
Could meet you
Pu te rencontrer
Do not leave me
Ne me quitte pas
Do not leave me
Ne me quitte pas
Do not leave me
Ne me quitte pas
Do not leave me
Ne me quitte pas
We have often seen
On a vu souvent
Rebound Fire
Rejaillir le feu
From the ancient volcano
De l'ancien volcan
That we thought was too old
Qu'on croyait trop vieux
He is it seems
Il est, paraît-il
Scorched lands
Des terres brûlées
Giving more wheat
Donnant plus de blé
Than a better April
Qu'un meilleur avril
And when evening comes
Et quand vient le soir
So that a sky blazes
Pour qu'un ciel flamboie
The Red and the Black
Le rouge et le noir
Don't they marry?
Ne s'épousent-ils pas?
Do not leave me
Ne me quitte pas
Do not leave me
Ne me quitte pas
Do not leave me
Ne me quitte pas
Do not leave me
Ne me quitte pas
Do not leave me
Ne me quitte pas
I won't cry anymore
Je ne vais plus pleurer
I'm not going to speak anymore
Je ne vais plus parler
I will hide there
Je me cacherai là
Looking at you
À te regarder
Dance and smile
Danser et sourire
And listening to you
Et à t'écouter
Sing and then laugh
Chanter et puis rire
Let me become
Laisse-moi devenir
The shadow of your shadow
L'ombre de ton ombre
The shadow of your hand
L'ombre de ta main
The shadow of your dog
L'ombre de ton chien
Do not leave me
Ne me quitte pas
Do not leave me
Ne me quitte pas
Do not leave me
Ne me quitte pas
Do not leave me
Ne me quitte pas
@stenut2895
It doesn’t matter what language you sing in. Beautiful.
@juliensleiman
Incroyable!!
@ramonrivero48
Cuanto sentimiento en esa voz!!
@nazanintorabi1406
Love you from Iran 🇮🇷🇮🇷
@normalgirl920
Love u❤
From iran🇮🇷
@jbradshaw7
Beautiful
@5028pat
Jolie avec plus les mots avec le plaisir de tout merci
@NorthernChimp
Noon... ne termine pas
@SolangeGEORGET-qx6ic
Jacques Brel vous remercie pour votre interprétation, depuis les cieux . Il est si heureux qu'une jeune artiste comme vous fasse continuer à vivre sa chanson. A part la voix, belle interprétation instrumentale aussi. UN BIJOU. Merci.
@HermineGranger01
bald endlich wieder live. juhu:)