‘la Vie En Rose’ – edith Piaf

‘La Vie en Rose’ is a classic French song by Edith Piaf that was (and still is!) a major hit when it was released as a single in 1947. The title of the song can be loosely translated to mean ‘life through rose-tinted glasses’, which encourages us to look at life with an optimistic or positive outlook.

The song went on to become one of her trademark hits, sitting alongside ‘Non, je ne regrette rien’, as some of her best-known works. Part of the success of the song is due to the lyrics which, in the aftermath of WW2, talked directly to the heart of those who had suffer from the war.

‘La Vie en rose’ has been sung by hundreds of other singers, with some stand-out performances including: Andrea Bocelli, Audrey Hepburn, Bing Crosby, Céline Dion, Grace Jones, Louis Armstrong, and Luciano Pavarotti.

Discover more French music HERE.

Lyrics

Des yeux qui font baisser les miens
Un rire qui se perd sur sa bouche
Voilà le portrait sans retouches
De l’homme auquel j’appartiens

[CHORUS]
Quand il me prend dans ses bras
Il me parle tout bas
Je vois la vie en rose
Il me dit des mots d’amour
Des mots de tous les jours
Et ça me fait quelque chose
Il est entré dans mon cœur
Une part de bonheur
Dont je connais la cause
C’est lui pour moi, moi pour lui dans la vie
Il me l’a dit, l’a juré pour la vie
Et dès que je l’aperçois
Alors je sens en moi
Mon cœur qui bat

Des nuits d’amour à plus finir
Un grand bonheur qui prend sa place
Des ennuis, des chagrins s’effacent
Heureux, heureux à en mourir

[CHORUS]

La la, la la, la la
La la, la la, ah la
La la la la

English Translation

With eyes which make mine lower,
A smile which is lost on his lips,
That’s the unembellished portrait
Of the man to whom I belong.

[CHORUS]
When he takes me in his arms
He speaks to me in a low voice,
I see life as if it were rose-tinted.
He whispers words to declare to me his love
Words of the everyday
And that does something to me.
He has entered into my heart
A piece of happiness the cause of which I know full well.
It’s him for me, me for him in life
He said that to me, swore to me “forever”.
 And as soon as I see him
So I feel in me
My heart which beats

May the nights on which we make love never end,
A great joy which takes its place
The trouble, the grief are removed
Content, content to die of it

[CHORUS]

La la, la la, la la
La la, la la, ah la
La la la la