If I stay
I want us to lay together on sundays
and laze about1
by a fireplace.
If I stay
I want you to confide in me
I want to steal your distress
If I can.
I want to see your face disfigured
by exhilaration
by all these beautiful pictures
that suddently appear to you.
If I stay
promise me to keep your promises
just a bit.
If I stay
I want the flame, the bottle
and the intoxication2
Your wide eyes
If I stay for a while...
If I stay.
If I stay
I want the shores of the Channel
and the morning papers3
the blue sky.
If I stay
I'll turn a new page and drown
my sadness
as soon as it rains.
I want long trips that
would be hurried by almost nothing4
I want so much more than
a slight joy5
If I stay
remember to keep your promises
just a bit.
If I stay
I want blows, slaps
and caresses.
Your wide eyes
if I stay for a while...
If I stay for a while
we can do better...
1. I think the proper word with the same pronunciation would be "paresse" (laze about). "paraisse" would be "show up". Either a typo in the lyrics or a pun. The choice is yours.2. from a verse of Alfred de Musset that became a saying : "qu'importe le flacon, pourvu qu'on ait l'ivresse" (something like 'whatever the bottle, let's drink it')3. strange way of saying things. Could also mean "the crowd".
Neither seem to make that much sense to me4. a pun on "rien ne presse" (there's no hurry). "presque" and "presse" form an aliteration5. it's self contradictory in French too