JE SUIS UN SOIR D'ETE by Jacques Brel

In the old city hall
The tables are laid
At the lord mayor’s banquet
We’re served orangeade
And tepid champagne
With the dazed glassy eyes
Of the gloomy young girls
Who wait on us tonight

I am a summer evening

With the windows wide open
The families who dine
Push back their plates
And look out at the night
Where the last light of day
Is not yet quite dead
And brush the tablecloth crumbs
Off the balcony’s edge

I am a summer evening

The terraces fill
People take drinks outside
And speak of their work
And the joys of their lives
It’s hard to remember
The cold winter days
In the sweet summer air
And in alcohol’s haze

I am a summer evening

By the bank of the river
Two girls take a walk
In soft voices they talk
Of the soldiers they miss
While the black waters splash
And lap on the stone
While the river boats drone
Where reflected lights flash

I am a summer evening

By the fountains the old men
Sit with their sticks
With eyes bright reminisce
How it was different then
They laugh toothless laughs
Then are silent again
And watch the girls and young men
Dancing under the stars

I am a summer evening