Là-Bas Lyrics in English Jean-Jacques Goldman , Sirima

Below, I translated the lyrics of the song Là-Bas by Jean-Jacques Goldman from French to English.
Over there
Everything's new and everything's wild
Free continent with no fences
Here, our dreams are narrow
That's why I'll go over there
Over there
Need heart and need courage
But everything's possible at my age
If you've got strength and faith
Gold's within reach of your fingers
That's why I'll go over there
Don't go
There's storms and shipwrecks
Fire, devils and mirages
I know you're so fragile sometimes
Stay deep inside me
We've so much love to make
So much happiness to come
I want you as husband and father
And you, you dream of leaving
Here, everything's decided ahead
And we can't change a thing
Everything depends on your birth
And I wasn't well-born
Over there
Far from our lives, from our villages
I'll forget your voice, your face
Though I hold you in my arms
You're already slipping away over there
I'll have my chance, I'll have my rights
Don't go
And the pride I don't have here
Over there
Everything you deserve is yours
Don't go
Here, others impose their law
Over there
I might lose you over there
Don't go
I'll lose myself if I stay here
Over there
Life didn't give me a choice
Don't go
You and me, it'll be over there or not
Over there
Everything's new and everything's wild
Don't go
Free continent with no fences
Over there
Beautiful like you can't imagine
Don't go
Here, even our dreams are narrow
Over there
That's why I'll go over there
Don't go
They didn't give me a choice
Over there
I'll lose myself if I stay here
Don't go
That's why I'll go over there
Don't go
Lyrics and Translations Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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SONG MEANING

“Là-Bas” is built like a cinematic dialogue: Jean-Jacques Goldman embodies the restless adventurer who dreams of a land "over there," while Sirima gives voice to the lover who begs him to stay. He paints that distant place as “neuf… sauvage… libre,” a frontier where birth and class no longer dictate destiny and “l’or est à portée de tes doigts.” She counters with storms, shipwrecks, and the fear of losing the man she wants as “mari et père.” Each line seesaws between shimmering hope and trembling hesitation, turning the song into a heart-tugging debate about ambition versus attachment, freedom versus security.

By the final chorus, both characters admit the stakes: he risks disappearing if he stays, she risks losing him if he leaves. This tension makes “Là-Bas” an anthem for anyone who has ever stood at the crossroads of love and self-fulfillment, torn between the comfort of home and the promise of the unknown. Its enduring appeal comes from that universal question: Do we stay and nurture what we have, or leap into the wild possibility of là-bas?

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