My Way
July 16, 2004
Margaret Marks mentions a comparison of the translations of the song 99 Luftballoons on this site (via inthe80s and PapaScott).
I thought I'd do a similar thing with Frank Sinatra's "My Way." I bet most people will be surprised to hear that it is a cover of "Comme d'habitude", a French song written in 1968 by Claude François (in collaboration with Jacques Revaux and Gilles Thibault). Claude François was the big French heartthrob at the time, was very fond of sparkly outfits and died in 1978 age 39 when he tried to fix a faulty light-bulb while in his bath (in case you're wondering, it wasn't a suicide). He wrote "Comme d'habitude" as he was splitting up with France Gall (a famous French singer) and the song conveys his melancholy and disillusion with life and love.
I found these translations on lexilogos (apart from the English literal translation of the original version, which I wrote). The US version is hardly a translation, it's a new song on the same tune. It suited Frank Sinatra perfectly at the time he sang it, towards the end of his career, and encapsulates the American values of working hard and relying on yourself. I find it very interesting that the Spanish version is a lot closer to the US version than to the original version. My German is too much of a distant memory to understand it, but it looks like it's also a translation of the US version.
| |
Comme d'habitude |
My way |
My way |
A mi manera |
My litteral translation into English of the original version |
French Original version |
English |
German |
Spanish |
|
I get up
And I bump into you
You don't wake up
As usual
On you
I pull up the sheet
I'm scared you might get cold
As usual
My hand
Strokes your hair
Almost in spite of myself
As usual
But you
You turn your back on me
As usual
So
I quickly get dressed
I get out of the bedroom
As usual
All alone
I drink my coffee
I'm late
As usual
Quietly
I leave the house
Everything is grey outside
As usual
I'm cold
I pull up my collar
As usual
|
Je me lève
Et je te bouscule
Tu n'te réveilles pas
Comme d'habitude
Sur toi
Je remonte le drap
J'ai peur que tu aies froid
Comme d'habitude
Ma main
Caresse tes cheveux
Presque malgré moi
Comme d'habitude
Mais toi
Tu me tournes le dos
Comme d'habitude
Alors
Je m'habille très vite
Je sors de la chambre
Comme d'habitude
Tout seul
Je bois mon café
Je suis en retard
Comme d'habitude
Sans bruit
Je quitte la maison
Tout est gris dehors
Comme d'habitude
J'ai froid
Je relève mon col
Comme d'habitude
|
And now
The end is near
And so I face
The final curtain
My friend
I'll say it clear
I'll state my case
Of which I'm certain
I've lived
A life that's full
I've travelled each
And every highway
And more
Much more than this
I did it my way
Regrets
I've had a few
But then again
Too few to mention
I did
What I had to do
And saw it through
Without exemption
I planned
Each chartered course
Each careful step
Along the byway
And more
Much more than this
I dit it my way
|
Was ich
im Leben tat
das war bestimmt
nicht immer richtig
Ich nahm
was ich bekam
und nahm manches
nicht so wichtig
Wenn ich
auch ganz gewiss
mich nicht von Schuld
und Schwächen frei seh'
Verzeih'n
Sie wenn ich sag
I Did It My Way
Ich kenn'
das Auf und Ab
den Jubel und
die bittren Tränen
Ich stand
auch oft am Rand
das brauch' ich wohl
nicht zu erwähnen
Es ist
für mich ein Trost
daß ich trotz allem
nicht entzwei geh
Verzeih'n
Sie wenn ich sag
I Did It My Way
|
El fin
Muy cerca esta
Lo afrontaré
Serenamente
Ya ves
Yo he sido asi
Te lo diré
Sinceramente
Vivi
La intensidad
Y no encontré
Jamas fronteras
Jugué
Sin descanzar
Y a mi manera
Jamas
Vivi un amor
Que para mi
Fuera importante
Tomé
solo la flor
Y lo mejor
De cada instante
Viajé
Y disfruté
No se si mas
Que otro cualquiera
Si bien
Todo ello fué
A mi manera
|
REFRAIN/CHORUS |
As usual
All day
I'll be playing
At pretending
As usual
I will smile
As usual
I will even laugh
As usual
I will live
As usual
|
Comme d'habitude
Toute la journée
Je vais jouer
A faire semblant
Comme d'habitude
Je vais sourire
Comme d'habitude
Je vais même rire
Comme d'habitude
Enfin je vais vivre
Comme d'habitude
|
Yes, there were times
I'm sure you knew
When I bit off
More than I could chew
But through it all
When there was doubt
I ate it up
And spit it out
I faced it all
And I stood tall
And did it my way
|
Und dennoch denk'
ich gern zurück
Ich hatte Glück
verdammt viel Glück
Ich kann zu vielen
Freunden geh'n
die sich sehr freu'n
wenn sie mich seh'n
Und ohne Greul
den Satz versteh'n
I Did It My Way
|
Tal vez lloré
Tal vez rei
Tal vez gané
Tal vez perdi
Ahora sé
Que fui feliz
Que si lloré
Tambien amé
Y todo fué
Puedo decir
A mi manera
|
|
Then
The day will go
I will come back
As usual
You
You'll be out
Not back yet
As usual
All alone
I'll go and lie down
In this big cold bed
As usual
My tears
I will hide them
As usual
|
Et puis
Le jour s'en ira
Moi je reviendrai
Comme d'habitude
Tu seras sortie
Pas encore rentrée
Comme d'habitude
Tout seul
J'irai me coucher
Dans ce grand lit froid
Comme d'habitude
Mes larmes
Je les cacherai
Comme d'habitude
|
I've loved
I've laughed and cried
I've had my fill
My share of losing
And now
As tears subside
I find it all
So amusing
To think
I did all that
And may I say
Not in a shy way
Oh no
Oh no, not me
I did it my way
|
Ich hab'
ein Publikum
und darauf kann
ich mich verlassen
Es nahm
und nimmt nichts krumm
Ich kann es manchmal
kaum noch fassen
Ich hab
auch eine Frau
an der ich jetzt
beschämt vorbei seh'
Zu oft
hat sie gehört
I Did It My Way
|
Quizas
tambien dudé
Cuando mejor
me divertia
Quizas
yo desprecié
Aquello que
no comprendia
Hoy se
que firme fui
Y que afronte
ser como era
Y asi
podre seguir
A mi manera
|
REFRAIN |
But as usual
Even at night
I will play
At pretending
As usual
You'll come back
As usual
I will wait for you
As usual
You will smile at me
As usual
As usual
You will get undressed
Yes as usual
You will get into bed
Yes as usual
We will kiss
As usual
As usual
We will pretend
As usual
We will make love
Yes as usual
We will pretend
As usual
|
Mais comme d'habitude
Même la nuit
Je vais jouer
A faire semblant
Comme d'habitude
Tu rentreras
Comme d'habitude
Je t'attendrai
Comme d'habitude
Tu me souriras
Comme d'habitude
Comme d'habitude
Tu te déshabilleras
Oui comme d'habitude
Tu te coucheras
Oui comme d'habitude
On s'embrassera
Comme d'habitude
Comme d'habitude
On fera semblant
Comme d'habitude
On fera l'amour
Oui comme d'habitude
On fera semblant
Comme d'habitude
|
For what is a man
What has he got
If not himself
Then he has not
To say the things
He'd truly feels
And not the words
Of one who kneels
The record shows
I took the blows
And did it my way
Yes it was my way
|
Und dennoch denk'
ich gern zurück
Ich hatte Glück
verdammt viel Glück
Ich kann zu vielen
Freunden geh'n
die sich sehr freu'n
wenn sie mich seh'n
und ohne Greul
den Satz versteh'n
I Did It My Way
|
Porque ya sabras
Que a un hombre al fin
Conoceras
por su vivir
No hay porque
hablar ne que decir
Ni recordar
ni hay que finir
Puedo llegar
hasta el final
A mi manera
|
I love A Mi Manera as done by The Gipsy Kings. Had no idea of its French origin though. :-)
Ah, but can you sing it karaoke style? Celine, now you have no excuse - I'll spread the word. x
Lis, we all know what happens when someone tries to take the microphone from you and we don't want ugly scenes anymore do we?
I only found out that the tune was by Claude Francois when the film 'Le Podium' came out in France (about his life - a very good film , oneof the biggest hits this year).
In my mind, the tune WAS Sinatra, so this new information would not register. I was compelled to check the credits on my CD and then i was convinced!
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La Marseillaise
July 14, 2004
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Dangling participle
July 19, 2004