Pour La Vie Lyrics in English Patrick Bruel

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Below, I translated the lyrics of the song Pour La Vie by Patrick Bruel from French to English.

We left, it was late June

We kissed, shook hands

One for all and all for one

And then each took their train

We were all just as scared

We swore, hand on heart

That we'd see each other again within ten years

We met again and now

Now and then we invite each other

Even if we often avoid each other

We say sure, I remember

But we remember less and less

It hasn't made us bitter

We know there's nothing we can do

That's life

It's life that changes us and messes with us

All our big ideas about everything

That's life

It's life that decides

That gives us wrinkles

In the corners of our eyes and hearts

What's the point of fighting it

You waste your time

And when we look at our watches

All at once we understand

Some have had kids

Others have said I'm waiting

We've all loved women

We've all found ourselves attractive

We've all become somebody

In our neighborhood or farther away

Sure, we've lost touch

But we don't call that lost

We called each other every name

We fell into each other's arms

We didn't dare say no

We said yes when we shouldn't have

That didn't stop us

From keeping on loving each other

For life

For life that changes us and messes with us

All our little ideas about everything

For life

For life that decides

That gives us wrinkles in the corners of our eyes and hearts

No need to pretend

It's useless

Every day that goes by we learn

That you can play without being an actor

What's the point of fighting it

It's useless

Every day that goes by we learn

That we all walk the same path

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SONG MEANING

Pour La Vie is Patrick Bruel’s warm, nostalgic postcard to the friends who shared his teenage summers. The lyrics open on a movie-like scene at the end of June: hugs, handshakes, and the promise of “one for all and all for one.” Everyone boards a different train, then real life rolls in. Careers, children, romances, arguments, and reconciliations pile up, and the once-tight crew drifts apart almost without noticing. Far from bitter, Bruel smiles at the wrinkles and the blurred memories, repeating “C’est la vie”—that is life.

The chorus flips the usual lament on its head. Instead of fighting time, the singer salutes it. Life may “give us wrinkles at the corner of the eyes and the heart,” yet it also teaches that love and friendship can survive clumsy choices, missed phone calls, and years of silence. The message is simple and uplifting: accept the unpredictable ride, keep your sense of humor, and remember that the bonds you forge—however battered—are “pour la vie,” for life.

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Patrick Bruel Pour La Vie Lyrics