This French song never gets old. It got all the reasons to be “newsworthy” today. Like being madly full of hope, in face of all the other reasons that make you feel like baisser les bras (giving up)… There will always going to be songs like these, in the words of people, in the songs, in their lyrics, so that le cœur du monde (the heart of the world) keeps beating.
— Mannick, a French Auteur-compositeur-interprète (Singer-songwriter) talking about the Belgian singer ‘s song “Quand on a que l’amour ” (“When We Have Nothing But Love .”)
VIDEO
A worthy interpretation of the famous Jacques Brel chanson (song) by la magnifique Patricia Kaas
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3fpCztWWug
Jacques Brel: “Quand on a que l’amour “
Quand on a que l’amour
When we have nothing but love
A s’offrir en partage
To afford sharing
Au jour du grand voyage
On the day of the big trip
Qu’est notre grand amour
That is our big love
Quand on a que l’amour
When we only have love
Mon amour, toi et moi
My love, you and me
Pour qu’éclate de joie
To burst of joy
Chaque heure et chaque jour
Each hour and each day
Quand on a que l’amour
When we only have love
Pour vivre nos promesses
To live our promesses
Sans nulle autre richesse
Without any other wealth
Que d’y croire toujours
Other than to still believe
Quand on a que l’amour
When we have nothing but love
Pour meubler de merveilles
To furnish with marvels
Et couvrir de soleil
And to cover by the Sun
La laideur des faubourgs
The ugliness of the suburbs
Quand on a que l’amour
When we have nothing but love
Pour unique raison
As a unique reason
Pour unique chanson
As a unique song
Et unique secours
And unique rescue
Quand on a que l’amour
When we have nothing but love
Pour habiller matin
To dress the morning
Pauvres et malandrins
Poor people and bandits
Aux manteaux de velours
With feutre coats
Quand on a que l’amour
When we have nothing but love
A s’offrir en prière
To afford as a prayer
Pour les maux de la terre
For the sufferings of the Earth
En simple troubadour
As a simple troubadour
Quand on a que l’amour
When we have nothing but
A offrir à ceux-là
To offer to those people
Dont l’unique combat
Whose unique struggle
Est de chercher le jour
Is to look for the day
Quand on a que l’amour
When we have nothing but love
Pour tracer un chemin
To trace a path
Et forcer le destin
And to force destiny
A chaque carrefour
At each crossroad
Quand on a que l’amour
When we have nothing but love
Pour parler aux canons
To speak to the canons
Et rien qu’une chanson
And nothing but a song
Pour convaincre un tambour
To convince a drum
Alors sans avoir rien
Without having anything then
Que la force d’aimer
Other than the power to love
Nous aurons dans nos mains
We shall have around our hands
Amis, le monde entier
My friends, the whole world