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’50s and ’60s French chanson singer Jacques Brel is famous for creating a lot of bitingly witty music, but he is perhaps most infamous for writing the song that later became ’70s pop hit “Seasons In The Sun.” The song has a strange history, though. Originally written from the viewpoint of a dying man bidding farewell to his adulterous wife and her lover, the chorus of the song exclaimed, “I want laughs, I want dances when they are putting me in the hole.” Brel’s American songwriter/poet friend Rod McKuen recorded “Le Moribond” with translated lyrics, retaining the main ghist and chord structure of the song but replacing the chorus with the familiar “We had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun” refrain. Terry Jacks diluted the song even further by discarding the story of the wife and any cynicism that might have carried over from the original. For this reason, people who don’t really know Brel (or McKuen) might be tempted to write him off as a maudlin songwriter, and that would be a mistake.

Although this video has English subtitles, I wanted to look up the original French lyrics and translate them myself, just to demonstrate how different “Le Moribond” is from “Seasons In The Sun.” Forgive me if I didn’t do that great of a job:

Goodbye Emile, I liked you well
Goodbye to you, Emile, I liked you well you know
We sang about the same wines
We sang about the same girls
We sang about the same sorrows
Goodbye, Emile, I will die
To die in spring is hard, you know
But I depart to the flowers with peace in my heart
And because you are as good as white bread
I know that you will take care of my wife

I want laughter
I want dancing
I want you to amuse yourself like you are insane
I want laughs
I want dances
When they are putting me in the hole

Goodbye my priest, I liked you well
Goodbye to you, my priest, I liked you well you know
We were not on the same side
Our path was not the same
But we sought the same heaven
Goodbye my priest, I will die
To die in spring is hard, you know
But I depart to the flowers with peace in my heart
Because considering you were her confidant
I know that you will take care of my wife

(Refrain)

Goodbye Antoine, I did not like you much
Goodbye to you, Antoine, I did not like you much, you know
I am dying today
Whereas you are quite alive
And even more solid than trouble
Goodbye Antoine, I will die
To die in spring is hard, you know
But I depart to the flowers with peace in my heart
Because considering you were her lover
I know that you will take care of my wife

(Refrain)

Goodbye my wife, I liked you well
Goodbye to you, my wife, I liked you well you know
But I travel by train to the good Lord
I travel by train before you do
But all must travel by that train
Goodbye my wife, I will die
To die in spring is hard you know
But I depart to the flowers with closed eyes, my wife
Because considering I often closed them
I know that you will take care of my soul

(Refrain)