Le Frère [English translation]

You the brother I've never had,

Do you know, if you had lived,

What we would have done together?

You'd be born one year after me.

Then we'd never left each other,

like friends who look like.

We'd have learnt slang by heart.

I would have been your teacher

At my truant school.

Sure that one day we'd have fought

If we'd have then known

Both the same nice girl.

{Refrain:}

But you're not here

Who's to blame?

Not my father,

Not my mother.

You could have sung that.

You the brother I'll never have,

I'm less alone to have made you

For one moment, for one girl.

I disturbed you... forgive me!

Here when everything abandons you,

one builds himself a family.

You the brother I never had

If you knew how much I've drunk

Because of my solitary sorrows.

If you didn't stand me up,

You'd have finished my songs.

I'd have taught you how to make some.

If life had better behaved,

She'd have divided in two

Gloves pairs and slaps pairs.

She'd surely have shared

love words and cobblestones

Girls and bludgeon hits.