Cherbourg avait raison [English translation]

As Cherbourg1 saw us

coming to the harbour,

your hand clenching mine,

it must have thought again

seeing our dreamy stares

"These two sure are lovebirds

These two sure are lovebirds

That's two more of them"

That's two more of them

who will throw away their hearts

into the end of summer bonfires,

once this cheeky happiness

that made people smirk

that made people smirk

as they walked the streets

will have vanished.

But Cherbourg still spread

its great blue canopy2

to welcome us anyway,

and the sea breeze

whipped through the hatches

and gathered for us

scents of vanilla

As Cherbourg saw us

coming to the harbour,

your hand clenching mine,

it must have thought

with a dreamy stare

"These two sure are lovebirds

These two sure are lovebirds

That's two more of them"

And the sun shone so bright

on the walls of every house

as we wound through them

and an accordion played

its dancing tune for us

its dancing tune for us

like on a wedding day.

Like on a wedding day

we would carry our love

within the white sails

to set off for the land

you don't return from

of thousands of Sundays

of thousands of Sundays

that weave eternity.

But our schooner,

for all her merry looks

never left the harbour.

Our love just stood

all alone on the dock,

too afraid to set sail,

and that still makes me cry.

Cherbourg was right

Cherbourg was right

to welcome us anyway

with its shiploads

of accordion tunes

and siren wails.

A love worth all the pain

is a rare thing indeed3.

Cherbourg was right

Cherbourg was right

1. a port city in Normandy2. lit. "sunshade" but I think that would sound awkward here3. lit. "there are not so many love stories worth the effort/suffering around"