MON AMANT DE SAINT-JEAN (1942 - French) Léon Agel (1910-1999) / Émile Carrara (1915-1973) Je ne sais pourquoi j'allais danser À Saint-Jean, au musette Mais il m'a suffi d'un seul baiser Pour que mon cœur soit prisonnier Comment ne pas perdre la tête, Serrée par des bras audacieux Car l'on croit toujours aux doux mots d'amour Quand ils sont dits avec les yeux. Moi, qui l'aimais tant, Je le trouvais le plus beau de Saint-Jean, Je restais grisée sans volonté sous ses baisers. Sans plus réfléchir, je lui donnais Le meilleur de mon être, Beau parleur, chaque fois qu'il mentait, Je le savais, mais, je l'aimais. Comment ne pas perdre la tête, Serrée par des bras audacieux Car l'on croit toujours aux doux mots d'amour Quand ils sont dits avec les yeux. Moi, qui l'aimais tant, Je le trouvais le plus beau de Saint-Jean, Je restais grisée sans volonté sous ses baisers. Mais hélas, à Saint-Jean comme ailleurs, Un serment n'est qu'un leurre, J'étais folle de croire au bonheur, Et de vouloir garder son cœur. Comment ne pas perdre la tête, Serrée par des bras audacieux, Car l'on croit toujours aux doux mots d'amour Quand ils sont dits avec les yeux. Moi, qui l'aimais tant, Mon bel amour, mon amant de Saint-Jean, Il ne m'aime plus, c'est du passé, n'en parlons plus.

MY LOVER OF SAINT-JEAN I don't know why I was going to dance To Saint-Jean to the musette*, But all it took was one kiss For my heart to be taken How not to lose your head Held tight in bold arms For we always believe in sweet words of love When they are said with the eyes. I, who loved him so much, I found him the most handsome in Saint-Jean, I was left intoxicated, without willpower under his kisses. Without thinking any more, I gave him The best of myself, Smooth talker, every time he lied, I knew it, but I loved him. How not to lose your head Held tight in bold arms For we always believe in sweet words of love When they are said with the eyes. I, who loved him so much, I found it the most handsome in Saint-Jean, I was left intoxicated, without willpower nder his kisses. But alas, in Saint-Jean as elsewhere, A pledge is only a ploy, I was crazy to believe in happiness, And to want to keep his heart. How not to lose your head Held tight in bold arms For we always believe in sweet words of love When they are said with the eyes. I, who loved him so much, My beautiful love, my lover of Saint-Jean, He doesn't love me anymore, that's in the past, let's not talk about it anymore.

* Bal-musette is a style of French instrumental music and dance that first became popular in Paris in the 1880s. Although it began with bagpipes as the main instrument, this instrument was replaced with accordion, on which a variety of waltzes, polkas, and other dance styles were played for dances. (Wiki entry)

A first version of the song with different lyrics were first released in 1937 but the audience didn't like it so it was re-written in 1942 with the lyrics we know now.

Different translations on Lyrics Translate

Wiki entry about the song (in French)

Recording by Lucienne Delyle (1942)
Recording by Ginette Garcin (1962) -with traces of her southern accent!
Recording by Patachou (1966)
Recording of modern remake by Patrick Bruel with subtitles in both English and French. As the song is sung by a man the lyrics are a little different.
Live rendition by Patrick Bruel. Note the waltz was a "valse musette" so the dancers would turn around themselves regularly and FAST.

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