Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien (No Regrets) is a famous Edith Piaf song that was featured in the movie Inception as the song that triggered the heroes to exit a dream. The song was released in 1960 and remains Edith Piaf’s most famous song after La Vie en Rose. French lyrics and English translation are below.
The “Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien” lyrics are beautiful and describe the speaker letting go of a lifetime of emotional baggage – the good, the bad and the ugly. She sings “I regret nothing” and celebrates the birth of a new love that makes the past fall away. Edith Piaf dedicated her recording of this song to the French Foreign Legion; it has become part of the French Foreign Legion heritage and is often sung at their parades.
A breakdown of vocabulary, and an explanation of the translation and phrases will follow the video and translation. Scroll to the bottom to see a video of Edith Piaf performing “Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien” live!
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Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien Lyrics and Translation
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Non, rien de rien | No, absolutely nothing |
| Non, je ne regrette rien | No, I regret nothing |
| Ni le bien qu'on m'a fait | Not the good things that have happened |
| Ni le mal, tout ça m'est bien égal | Nor the bad, it's all the same to me |
| Non, rien de rien | No, absolutely nothing |
| Non, je ne regrette rien | No, I regret nothing |
| C'est payé, balayé, oublié | It's paid, swept away, forgotten |
| Je m'en fou de passé | I don't care about the past! |
| Avec mes souvenirs | I set fire |
| J'ai allumé le feu | To my memories |
| Mes chagrins, mes plaisirs | My troubles, my pleasures |
| Je n'ai plus besoin d'eux | I don't need them anymore |
| Balayé les amours | I've swept away past loves |
| Avec leur trémolos | With their trembling |
| Balayé pour toujours | Swept away forever |
| Je repars à zéro | I'm starting over |
| Non, rien de rien | No, absolutely nothing |
| Non, je ne regrette rien | No, I regret nothing |
| Ni le bien qu'on m'a fait | Not the good things that have happened |
| Ni le mal, tout ça m'est bien égale | Nor the bad, it's all the same to me |
| Non, rien de rien | No, absolutely nothing |
| Non, je ne regrette rien | No, I regret nothing |
| Car ma vie, car mes joies | Because my life, because my joy |
| Aujourd'hui... ça commence avec toi! | Today... it begins with you! |
Vocabulary Breakdown
tout ça m’est bien égale: it’s all the same to me
This expression literally translates as “it’s equal to me” and means “I don’t care” or “it’s all the same to me.”
payé (payer): paid, from the verb payer, meaning to pay
balayé (balayer): swept (away), from the verb balayer, meaning to sweep
oublié (oublier): forgotten, from the verb oublier, meaning to forget
Je m’en fou: I don’t care
This is a harsher way to say “I don’t care” – the milder way would be “je m’en fiche.” So Edith is saying that she REALLY doesn’t care about the past!
Avec mes souvenirs, j’ai allumé le feu: I set fire to my memories
It’s quite Adele isn’t it? “I set fiiiiirre… to my memories.”
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Balayé les amours: I’ve swept away loves
Avec leur trémolos: With their tremblings
In these two lines Edith is saying that she is letting go of past loves, with all their “trembling” – referring to the way people often tremble in their lover’s presence out of nervousness or excitement.
Je repars à zero: Literally “I return to zero,” which means “I’m starting over again.”
Live Performance by Edith Piaf
Here is Edith Piaf performing this beautiful song live.
Do you have any questions? Leave them in the comments below!