Cover art for Ballade de Melody Nelson by Serge Gainsbourg

Ballade de Melody Nelson

Mar. 24, 19711 viewer14.1K views

Ballade de Melody Nelson Lyrics

[Couplet 1 : avec Jane Birkin]
Ça, c'est l'histoire de Melody Nelson
Qu'à part moi-même personne
N'a jamais pris dans ses bras

Ca vous étonne, mais c'est comme ça

[Couplet 2 : avec Jane Birkin]
Elle avait de l'amour, pauvre Melody Nelson
Ouais, elle en avait des tonnes
Mais ses jours étaient comptés
Quatorze automnes et quinze étés

[Couplet 3 : avec Jane Birkin]
Un petit animal que cette Melody Nelson
Une adorable garçonne
Et si délicieuse enfant
Que je n'ai connue qu'un instant

[Couplet 4 : avec Jane Birkin]
Oh! Ma Melody, ma Melody Nelson
Aimable petite conne
Tu étais la condition
Sine qua non de ma raison


ENGLISH TRANSLATION:
This is the story of
Melody Nelson
Who other than this man right here
Took in her arms no other love

It surprises you
But that's how it was

She had love
Poor Melody Nelson
Yeah, she had tons of it
But her days were numbered
Fourteen autumns
Fifteen summers


A little animal
That Melody Nelson
An adorable tomboy
And such a delightful child
Who I only knew for a moment

Oh! My Melody
My Melody Nelson
Kind little bitch
You were the only condition
Sine qua non
Of my reason

How to Format Lyrics:

  • Type out all lyrics, even repeating song parts like the chorus
  • Lyrics should be broken down into individual lines
  • Use section headers above different song parts like [Verse], [Chorus], etc.
  • Use italics (<i>lyric</i>) and bold (<b>lyric</b>) to distinguish between different vocalists in the same song part
  • If you don’t understand a lyric, use [?]

To learn more, check out our transcription guide or visit our transcribers forum

About

Have the inside scoop on this song?
Sign up and drop some knowledge
Credits
Arrangements Et Direction D’Orchestre
Recorded At
Marble Arch Studio, Londres ; Studio des Dames, Paris
Release Date
March 24, 1971
Ballade de Melody Nelson Covers
Tags
Comments