# French lyrics

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-lyrics/38378>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 26, 2000, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-lyrics/38378 "2000-10-26T05:32:15Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\
**Post date:** [October 26, 2000, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-lyrics/38378/1 "2000-10-26T05:32:15Z")

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Could someone please translate this, and tell me what it’s from (possibly Jacques Brel)?

“Je veux que le jour le proclame, L’amour qu’au matin j’ai caché,”

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**Author:** ![Mooney252](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7c8e57/32.png) [@Mooney252](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mooney252)\
**Post date:** [October 26, 2000, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-lyrics/38378/2 "2000-10-26T05:48:21Z")

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Okay, I’ll give it a try:

“Je veux que le jour le proclame, L’amour qu’au matin j’ai caché”

‘I wish that daytime would proclaim it: I’ve hidden love until morning.’

Sounds like Jacques Brel.

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**Author:** ![Timothy\_Campbell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@Timothy\_Campbell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Timothy_Campbell)\
**Post date:** [October 26, 2000, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-lyrics/38378/3 "2000-10-26T13:05:16Z")

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I’m going to try to get at the meaning rather than a word for word translation:

I’d like the day to declare  
The love that I’ve hidden 'til morning

It’s not clear to me (without having any context) if it’s implied that this is something that should happen each morning, or on _this_ morning.

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**Author:** ![omni-not](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8dc957/32.png) [@omni-not](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/omni-not)\
**Post date:** [October 26, 2000, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-lyrics/38378/4 "2000-10-26T14:30:29Z")

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Actually, I think it should be translated as:

I wish that the day would proclaim  
The love that this morning I have hidden

Guess that, as the day unfolds, the love hidden/unexpressed that same morning would become evident for everyone to see