“Je t’aime… moi non plus” (I love you… me neither) is the most famous song by French singer Serge Gainsbourg. This lesson includes the full French lyrics, an accurate English translation, and key vocabulary and grammar explanations. It’s a fun way to learn French while exploring one of the most controversial songs in French music history.
Je t’aime…moi non plus: Song Background
Written in 1967 and first performed with Brigitte Bardot, “Je t’aime… moi non plus” became a hit in 1969 when Gainsbourg recorded it with Jane Birkin.
Its provocative lyrics, heavy breathing, and erotic undertones led to bans in several European countries, including by the BBC. English speakers often call it the “Je t’aime song” or the “I love you song.”
Listen to Je t’aime…moi non plus
Je t’aime…moi non plus – Lyrics with English Translation
Je t’aime, moi non plus
I love you, me neither
Oh, mon amour
Oh, my love
Comme la vague irrésolue
Like the wavering wave
Je vais, je vais et je viens
I go, I go and I come
Entre tes reins
Between your loins
Je vais et je viens
I go and I come
Entre tes reins
Between your loins
Et je me retiens
And I hold back
Je t’aime, moi non plus
I love you, me neither
Oh, mon amour
Oh, my love
Tu es la vague, moi l’île nue
You are the wave, me the naked island
Tu vas, tu vas et tu viens
You go, you go and you come
Entre mes reins
Between my loins
Tu vas et tu viens
You go and you come
Entre mes reins
Between my loins
Et je te rejoins
And I join you
Je t’aime, moi non plus
I love you, me neither
Oh, mon amour
Oh, my love
L’amour physique est sans issue
Physical love is without issue
Je vais, je vais et je viens
I go, I go and I come
Entre tes reins
Between your loins
Je vais et je viens
I go and I come
Entre tes reins
Between your loins
Et je me retiens
And I hold back
Lyrics Analysis
Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin sing the song together, alternating lines and verses. Basically, they sing about making love, with references to “going and coming”, holding back and Birkin singing, “Non, maintenant viens” (No, come now) at the end of the song.
Je t’aime, je t’aime
The lines, “Je t’aime, je t’aime“ translate to “I love you, I love you”.
Oh oui, je t’aime
The line translates to “Oh yes, I love you”. In addition to “oui”, this lesson covers many more ways to say yes in French.
Moi non plus
The line “moi non plus” translates to “me neither”. In conversational French, when somebody makes a comment in the negation, for example, “Je n’aime pas le fromage” (I don’t like cheese), the other person can respond with this phrase, “moi non plus” (me neither or neither do I).
Moi non plus is the opposite of “moi aussi“, which translates to “so am I”, “so do I” and “me too”. If somebody says something in the affirmative, for example “J’aime la glace” (I like ice cream), the other person can say “moi aussi” (so do I).
Oh, mon amour
This line translates to “Oh, my love”. The French language is very rich in terms of endearment.
Comme la vague irrésolue
This line translates to “Like the undecided wave”. The adjective irrésolue has multiple translations including dithering (which means undecided), irresolute and unresolved.
We believe the vague irrésolue is a metaphor for Gainsbourg where his ability to continue is undecided and questionable.
Je vais, je vais et je viens
This line translates to “I’m going, I’m going and I’m coming”. Je vais is the first-person singular form of aller (to go). Je viens is the first-person singular form of venir (to come).
Entre tes reins
Many translations of the song’s lyrics translate this line as “Inside you”. The preposition entre means between. The word rein translates to both kidney and lower back.
Et je me retiens
This line translates to “and I hold (myself) back”. The verb retenir means to hold back. The me (to myself) makes the verb reflexive.
Tu es la vague, moi l’île nue
This line translates to “You’re the wave, me the naked island”. Birkin sings this line, referring to Gainsbourg as a “wave” crashing on her, a metaphoric bare island.
Tu vas, tu vas et tu viens
This line translates to “You’re going, you’re going and you’re coming”. Here, Birkin is repeating the same lines Gainsbourg sang in the first verse but in the second-person singular (tu) form.
Et je te rejoins
This line translates to “and I join you”. The verb rejoindre can translate to “to join” or “to meet”. In essence, Birkin is singing that that is an activity that she’s doing together with Gainsbourg.
L’amour physique est sans issue
This line translates to “physical love is a dead end”. This line alludes to the topic of sex as purely physical act. The song was widely criticized for promoting the taboo of physical sex without love.
The song ends with Birkin singing “no, come now”. This line leaves very little to the imagination of the listener in that she’s telling Gainsbourg to now have his climax.
Discover more
- La Décadance (Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin)
- La vie en rose (Edith Piaf)
- Non, je ne regrette rien (Edith Piaf)
- Sous le ciel de Paris (Edith Piaf)
- Ne me quitte pas (Jacques Brel)
- Le Port d’Amsterdam (Jacques Brel)
- La Bohème (Charles Aznavour)
- C’est si bon (Yves Montand)
- Les Feuilles Mortes (Yves Montand)
- La mer (charles Trenet)
More Songs Lessons to Boost Your French
Want more? Explore our French song lyrics page for other classics with translations and explanations. Don’t miss our French Word of the Day series to keep growing your vocabulary.
