Les Trois Cloches - The Jimmy Brown Song
Published by Rick on Thursday, August 12, 2010.
At the request of one of our loyal followers, here is the full French version of Les Trois Cloches, along with a direct translation and also the Engish language version (see this blog for May 19th 2010 - unfortunately the video of Edith Piaf singing this song is no longer available on YouTube although The Browns singing the English version, The Jimmy Brown Song, is still live).
Village au fond de la vallée
Comme égaré, presqu'ignoré
Voici qu'en la nuit étoilée
Un nouveau-né nous est donné
Jean-François Nicot qu'il se nomme
Il est joufflu, tendre et rosé
À l'église, beau petit homme,
Demain tu sera baptisé...
Une cloche sonne, sonne
Sa voix d'écho en écho
Dit au monde qui s'étonne:
"C'est pour Jean-François Nicot"
C'est pour accueillir une âme
Une fleur qui s'ouvre au jour
A peine, à peine une flamme
Encore faible qui réclame
Protection, tendresse, amour...
Village au fond de la vallée
Loin des chemins, loin des humains
Voici qu'après dix-neuf années
Coeur en émoi, le Jean-François
Prend pour femme la douce Élise
Blanche comme fleur de pommier
Devant Dieu, dans la vieille église
Ce jour il se sont mariés...
Toutes les cloches sonnent, sonnent
Leurs voix d'écho en écho
Merveilleusement couronnent
La noce à François Nicot
"Un seul coeur, une seule âme"
Dit le prêtre, "et pour toujours"
"Soyez une pure flamme"
"Qui s'élève et qui proclame"
"La grandeur de votre amour."
Village au fond de la vallée
Des jours, des nuits, le temps a fui
Voici qu'en la nuit étoilée
Un coeur s'endort, François est mort...
Car toute chair est comme l'herbe
Elle est comme la fleur des champs
Épis, fruits mûrs, bouquets et gerbes,
Hélas vont en se desséchant...
Une cloche sonne, sonne
Elle chante dans la mort
Obsédante et monotone
Elle redit aux vivants:
"Ne tremblez pas coeurs fidèles
"Dieu vous fera signe un jour
"Vous trouverez sous son aile
"Avec la Vie Éternelle
"L'éternitéde l'amour.”
Direct English translation:
A village deep in the valley
Remote, almost ignored
Here on a starry night
A new born is given to us
His name is Jean Francois Nicot
He is chubby, soft and pink
In the church, handsome little man
Tomorrow you will be baptised
A bell rings..rings
Its sound echos and echos
Saying to an astonished world
" Its for Jean Francois Nicot”
Its to welcome a soul
A flower which opens with the day
A feeble, feeble flame
So weak it asks for
Protection, tenderness, love
A village deep in the valley
Far from roads, far from humanity
Here after 19 years
Heart all a flutter, Jean Francois
Takes for his wife sweet Elise
White as the apple blossom
Before God, in the old church
This day they are married
All the bells ring, ring
Their voices echo and echo
Wonderfully crowning
The wedding to Jean Francois
"One heart, one soul"
Says the priest "And for ever"
"Be a pure flame
"Which grows to proclaim
"The greatness of your love"
A village deep in the valley
Days and nights fly by
Here in the starry night
A heart goes to sleep, Francois is dead
For all flesh is like the grass
It is like the flowers of the field
Ears, ripe fruits, bouquets and sheafs
Alas, they all go on to dry out
A bell rings, rings
It sings out death
Haunting and monotone
It says again to the living
"Faithful heart do not tremble
"One day God will call you
"Under his wing you will find
"With eternal life
"The eternity of love."
And the English language version that is clearly not a direct translation but more an adaption to the original music:
There's a village hidden deep in the valley
Among the pine trees all forlorn
And there on a sunny morning
Little Jimmy Brown was born
So his parents brought him to the chapel
When he was only one day old
And the priest blessed the little fellow
"Welcome, Jimmy, to the fold".
All the chapel bells were ringing
In the little valley town
And the songs that they were singing
Were for baby Jimmy Brown.
And the little congregation
Prayed for wisdom from above
"Lead us not into temptation,
Bless this hour of meditation,
Guide him with eternal love."
There's a village hidden deep in the valley
Beneath the mountains high above
And there, twenty years thereafter
Jimmy Brown would meet his love
Many friends were gathered in the chapel
And many tears of joy were shed
In June on a Sunday morning
When Jimmy and his bride were wed.
All the chapel bells were ringing
'Twas a great day in his life
And the songs that they were singing
Were for Jimmy and his wife
And the little congregation
Prayed for guidance from above:
"Lead us not into temptation,
Bless, oh Lord, this celebration,
May their lives be filled with love."
From the village hidden deep in the valley
One rainy morning dark and grey
A soul winged its way to Heaven
Jimmy Brown had passed away.
Silent people gathered in the chapel
To say farewell to their old friend
Whose life had been like a flower
Budding, blooming 'till the end.
Just a lonely bell was ringing
In the little valley town
'Twas farewell that it was singing
To our good old Jimmy Brown.
And the little congregation
Prayed for guidance from above:
"Lead us not into temptation,
May his soul find the salvation
Of thy great eternal love."
Village au fond de la vallée
Comme égaré, presqu'ignoré
Voici qu'en la nuit étoilée
Un nouveau-né nous est donné
Jean-François Nicot qu'il se nomme
Il est joufflu, tendre et rosé
À l'église, beau petit homme,
Demain tu sera baptisé...
Une cloche sonne, sonne
Sa voix d'écho en écho
Dit au monde qui s'étonne:
"C'est pour Jean-François Nicot"
C'est pour accueillir une âme
Une fleur qui s'ouvre au jour
A peine, à peine une flamme
Encore faible qui réclame
Protection, tendresse, amour...
Village au fond de la vallée
Loin des chemins, loin des humains
Voici qu'après dix-neuf années
Coeur en émoi, le Jean-François
Prend pour femme la douce Élise
Blanche comme fleur de pommier
Devant Dieu, dans la vieille église
Ce jour il se sont mariés...
Toutes les cloches sonnent, sonnent
Leurs voix d'écho en écho
Merveilleusement couronnent
La noce à François Nicot
"Un seul coeur, une seule âme"
Dit le prêtre, "et pour toujours"
"Soyez une pure flamme"
"Qui s'élève et qui proclame"
"La grandeur de votre amour."
Village au fond de la vallée
Des jours, des nuits, le temps a fui
Voici qu'en la nuit étoilée
Un coeur s'endort, François est mort...
Car toute chair est comme l'herbe
Elle est comme la fleur des champs
Épis, fruits mûrs, bouquets et gerbes,
Hélas vont en se desséchant...
Une cloche sonne, sonne
Elle chante dans la mort
Obsédante et monotone
Elle redit aux vivants:
"Ne tremblez pas coeurs fidèles
"Dieu vous fera signe un jour
"Vous trouverez sous son aile
"Avec la Vie Éternelle
"L'éternitéde l'amour.”
Direct English translation:
A village deep in the valley
Remote, almost ignored
Here on a starry night
A new born is given to us
His name is Jean Francois Nicot
He is chubby, soft and pink
In the church, handsome little man
Tomorrow you will be baptised
A bell rings..rings
Its sound echos and echos
Saying to an astonished world
" Its for Jean Francois Nicot”
Its to welcome a soul
A flower which opens with the day
A feeble, feeble flame
So weak it asks for
Protection, tenderness, love
A village deep in the valley
Far from roads, far from humanity
Here after 19 years
Heart all a flutter, Jean Francois
Takes for his wife sweet Elise
White as the apple blossom
Before God, in the old church
This day they are married
All the bells ring, ring
Their voices echo and echo
Wonderfully crowning
The wedding to Jean Francois
"One heart, one soul"
Says the priest "And for ever"
"Be a pure flame
"Which grows to proclaim
"The greatness of your love"
A village deep in the valley
Days and nights fly by
Here in the starry night
A heart goes to sleep, Francois is dead
For all flesh is like the grass
It is like the flowers of the field
Ears, ripe fruits, bouquets and sheafs
Alas, they all go on to dry out
A bell rings, rings
It sings out death
Haunting and monotone
It says again to the living
"Faithful heart do not tremble
"One day God will call you
"Under his wing you will find
"With eternal life
"The eternity of love."
And the English language version that is clearly not a direct translation but more an adaption to the original music:
There's a village hidden deep in the valley
Among the pine trees all forlorn
And there on a sunny morning
Little Jimmy Brown was born
So his parents brought him to the chapel
When he was only one day old
And the priest blessed the little fellow
"Welcome, Jimmy, to the fold".
All the chapel bells were ringing
In the little valley town
And the songs that they were singing
Were for baby Jimmy Brown.
And the little congregation
Prayed for wisdom from above
"Lead us not into temptation,
Bless this hour of meditation,
Guide him with eternal love."
There's a village hidden deep in the valley
Beneath the mountains high above
And there, twenty years thereafter
Jimmy Brown would meet his love
Many friends were gathered in the chapel
And many tears of joy were shed
In June on a Sunday morning
When Jimmy and his bride were wed.
All the chapel bells were ringing
'Twas a great day in his life
And the songs that they were singing
Were for Jimmy and his wife
And the little congregation
Prayed for guidance from above:
"Lead us not into temptation,
Bless, oh Lord, this celebration,
May their lives be filled with love."
From the village hidden deep in the valley
One rainy morning dark and grey
A soul winged its way to Heaven
Jimmy Brown had passed away.
Silent people gathered in the chapel
To say farewell to their old friend
Whose life had been like a flower
Budding, blooming 'till the end.
Just a lonely bell was ringing
In the little valley town
'Twas farewell that it was singing
To our good old Jimmy Brown.
And the little congregation
Prayed for guidance from above:
"Lead us not into temptation,
May his soul find the salvation
Of thy great eternal love."
Here is a link to Piaf:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3945b_edith-piaf-les-trois-cloches-1956_music