L'été Indien Lyrics in English Joe Dassin

Below, I translated the lyrics of the song L'été Indien by Joe Dassin from French to English.
Verse 1
You know
I've never been so happy as that morning
Verse 1
We were walking on a beach a bit like this one
It was fall
A fall with lovely weather
Verse 1
A season that exists only in North America
Over there they call it Indian summer
But it was simply ours
With your long dress you looked
Like a watercolor by Marie Laurencin
And I remember
I remember so well
Verse 1
What I told you that morning
A year ago, a century ago, an eternity ago
Chorus 1
We'll go where you want, when you want
And we'll still love each other when love is dead
All our life will be like that morning
In the colors of Indian summer
Verse 2
Today I'm far away from that fall morning
But it's like I'm there. I'm thinking of you
Where are you? What are you doing? Do I still exist for you?
I watch this wave that will never reach the dune
You see, like it I go back
Like it I lie down on the sand
And I remember
I remember the high tides
Verse 2
The sun and the happiness that drifted over the sea
An eternity ago, a century ago, a year ago
Chorus 2
We'll go where you want, when you want
And we'll still love each other when love is dead
All our life will be like that morning
In the colors of Indian summer
Lyrics and Translations Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Lyrics © CURCI FRANCE EDITION, Downtown Music Publishing
Salvatore Cutugno, Pierre Delanoe, Graham Stuart Johnson, Claude Jacques Raoul Lemesle, Pasquale Losito, Vito Pallavicini
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SONG MEANING

Imagine a golden autumn morning on a quiet North-American beach, when summer refuses to leave. That is the scene Joe Dassin, a Canadian-born artist, paints in “L’été Indien.” He looks back on a perfect walk with a long-haired lover, comparing her flowing dress to a delicate watercolor. Wrapped in warm sunshine and vibrant foliage, the couple promise to follow each other anywhere and love each other forever. In that instant, they believe life will always feel like this rare “Indian summer.”

The song then leaps to the present, where the singer is far from that shore, wondering if he still lives in her memories. As waves roll in and retreat, he drifts through time, reliving the scent of the salt air and the thrill of young love. “L’été Indien” is both a celebration of a magical day and a bittersweet reminder that even the brightest seasons fade—yet in our hearts they can glow forever.

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