Je Pardonne Lyrics in English Zaz

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Below, I translated the lyrics of the song Je Pardonne by Zaz from French to English.

These lyrics have verified word for word translations. Click any lyric word to see the translation and hear the pronunciation!

I forgive to forget

I forgive to breathe

To stop stirring

The knives in my wounds

I forgive to make

Space

To let anxieties slide

And to recognize the child

I was in the mirror

I forgive against

All odds

Whether it rains, snows

Or winds

To escape the grip

Of dark years

Of gray souls

I forgive the past, the future

For the screams and for

The whispers

So that those who hurt me

Stay alone with their

Dirty hands

I forgive wrongly and rightly

Bitterness is not my home

Rage but not resentment

Anger but not bitterness

I forgive and I want to hope

That I can also be forgiven

I forgive you, I forgive myself

But I remember everything

That they made fun of me

For my face, for my voice

For my risks

And for my choices

Of course, it stays there

But I gather the crumbs

And I forgive at the top of my lungs

Nothing haunts me

Nothing stops me

No grudge, no debt

And for all that

Wasn't said to me

All the I love yous

All the thank yous

That got stuck in a throat or in the air

Everything that wasn't given to me

I went to find it

I forgive the absence

The lack and the silence

I forgive wrongly and rightly

Bitterness is not my home

Rage but not resentment

Anger but not bitterness

I forgive and I want to hope

That I can also be forgiven

I forgive you, I forgive myself

But I remember everything

I forgive wrongly and indiscriminately

To experience the light

Of days that are born

Of days that die

Each spark, each glimmer

I forgive and I want to hope

That I can also be forgiven

I forgive you, I forgive myself

But I remember everything

I forgive you, I forgive myself

But I remember everything

Outro

I forgive you, I forgive myself

But I remember everything

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SONG MEANING

Je Pardonne is Zaz’s heartfelt anthem of liberation through forgiveness. Instead of letting old wounds keep “knives” twisting in her skin, the French singer decides to forgive so she can breathe again, clear space in her mind, and rediscover the child she once was. Every “I pardon” peels away heavy layers of bitterness, darkness, and grey souls from her past, letting in fresh light and oxygen. She forgives the past, the future, and even the people who hurt her, not to excuse their deeds but to keep their “dirty hands” from clinging to her spirit.

The chorus slips into Spanish—“Te perdono, me perdono, pero recuerdo todo” (“I forgive you, I forgive myself, but I remember everything”)—underscoring that forgiveness is both outward and inward, global and personal. Zaz admits the memories stay, yet she gathers the crumbs of her experiences, shouts forgiveness at the top of her lungs, and refuses to be haunted or held in debt. By pardoning silence, absence, and unspoken love, she claims every sparkle of new days being born and dying. The song is an uplifting reminder that we can choose rage without rancor, passion without poison, and hope that, in return, others might forgive us too.

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Zaz Je Pardonne Lyrics