Avec le temps, va, tout s´en va
On oublie les passions et l´on oublie les voix
Qui vous disaient tout bas les mots des pauvres gens
Ne rentre pas trop tard, surtout ne prends pas froid
This is an extract of the beautiful, poignant song by Léo Ferré 'Avec le temps', which I think is one of the most beautiful songs ever written. I don't however agree with him when he says that time erases everything, including the voices of the people we loved. There are voices I still hear to this day and I know I'll never forget. They ring so clear sometimes it's as if the people they belonged to are right next to me, and I am transported back to a certain place or moment in time. I can still hear my mother call in the stairs to say tea was ready, or tell my sisters and I we should smile more because 'you don't catch flies with vinegar' (the flies being husbands, of course!). I also hear her laugh, her wonderful, infectious laugh.
No, I don't think voices die.
I had some very sad news tonight. A dear friend has gone, someone I did not see very often but I had known since childhood. I will hear his voice for a long, long time to come.
Here is 'Avec le temps' sung by Dalida
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaSS2fA4b68
