J'attendais

I was waiting

J'attendais

And I listened for a long time to the water flowing from the fountainsEt j'écoutais longtemps couler l'eau des fontaines
And I listened to the wind singing endlesslyEt j'écoutais le vent chanter infiniment
Waves of quietness and peaceVagues de quietude et de paix
As far back as I can rememberD'aussi loin que je me souvienne
Childhood is an immense oceanL'enfance est un immense ocean

And I dreamed for long years, long indolenceEt je rêvais longues années, longue indolence
Where nothing happens but nothing is forgottenOu rien ne se passe mais ou rien ne s'oublie
I went serene and without knowingJ'allais sereine et sans connaître
The slightest spark of an absenceLe moindre feu d'une absence
It was only when I crossed paths with you that I knew, I understoodCe n'est qu'en te croisant que j'ai su, j'ai compris

I was waiting, I was waitingJ'attendais, j'attendais
I was waiting for your gazeJ'attendais ton regard
To finally explainPour expliquer enfin
The reason for these goodbyesLe pourquoi de ces au revoir
To this long journeyA tout ce long chemin

I was waiting, I was waitingJ'attendais, j'attendais
For the land of your bodyLe pays de ton corps
The touch of your handsLe toucher de tes mains
My sweet compass, my northMa douce boussole mon nord
The meaning to my tomorrowsLe sens a mes demains

And I approached the troubled adolescent shoresEt j'abordais les troubles rives adolescentes
The doubts, the games, the bad currentsLes doutes, les jeux, les mauvais courants
I remember the outburstsJe me souviens les coups de sang
Of music and words from FranceDes musiques et des mots de France
Lovers from beforeAmants d'avant

There are indeed lives nourished by study or scienceY'a bien des vies qu'on nourrit d'etude ou de science
Destinies made of adventures, records, or moneyDestins faits d'aventures, de records ou d'argent
Lives of writing and travel or dreams of powerDes vies d’écriture et de voyage ou de rêve de puissance
I thought about it from time to timeJ'y pensais bien de temps en temps
Listening to the windEn écoutant le vent

I was waiting, I was waitingJ'attendais, j'attendais
I was waiting for your gazeJ'attendais ton regard
To finally explainPour expliquer enfin
The reason for these goodbyesLe pourquoi de ces au revoir
To this long journeyA tout ce long chemin

I was waiting, I was waitingJ'attendais, j'attendais
I was waiting for your loveJ'attendais ton amour
Your beautiful loveTon beau ton bel amour
I was waiting to finally liveJe l'attendais pour enfin vivre
By giving back in returnEn donnant a mon tour

I was waitingJ'attendais