Nathalie [English translation]

The Red Square was empty

Before me walked Nathalie

She had a nice name, my guide

Nathalie

The Red Square was white

The snow was like a carpet

And I followed Nathalie

in this cold Sunday

She spoke in sober sentences

about the October Revolution

I was already thinking

Only after {visiting}Lenin's tomb

We would go to the Pushkin cafe

Drink chocolate

The Red Square was empty

I took her arm, she smiled

She had blond hair, my guide

Nathalie, Nathalie ...

In her room at the university,

A bunch of students

Impatiently waiting for her.

We laughed, we talked a lot

They wanted to know everything

Nathalie was translating

Moscow, the plains of Ukraine

And the Champs-Élysées

We got together

And we sang

And then they came out

Laughing in advance

Drinking Champagne from France

And we danced

And when the room was empty,

All the friends were gone.

I was alone with my guide

Nathalie.

No more sober phrases,

No October Revolution,

We weren't there anymore;

No more Lenin's tomb.

No more Pushkin's chocolate

This was already far away.

Then my life seems empty to me.

But I know that one day in Paris

I will be her guide.

Nathalie, Nathalie

• Artist:Gilbert Bécaud