Skip to Content

Why “Non, je ne regrette rien” Still Captivates French Learners and Music Lovers

Why “Non, je ne regrette rien” Still Captivates French Learners and Music Lovers

Édith Piaf’s “Non, je ne regrette rien” is a timeless French anthem of resilience and acceptance. Here you’ll find the complete French lyrics with English translation, audio, and cultural notes. I also read each line aloud so you can follow along and practice your pronunciation.

French woman in elegant 1960s dress tossing handwritten letters into the wind at sunset, Eiffel Tower in the background.

Non, je ne regrette rien: Song Background

“Non, je ne regrette rien” (meaning “No, I do not regret anything”) is Piaf’s second most famous song, written in 1956 and recorded in 1960. Often regarded as her final masterpiece, it expresses closure, strength, and the courage to move forward without regrets.

Listen to Non, je ne regrette rien

Non, Je ne regrette rien Lyrics with English Translation

Non, rien de rien
Non, je ne regrette rien
Ni le bien qu’on m’a fait
Ni le mal; tout ça m’est bien égal!

No, nothing at all
No, I do not regret anything
Neither the good people have done to me
Nor the bad, it’s all the same to me.

Non, rien de rien
Non, je ne regrette rien
C’est payé, balayé, oublié
Je me fous du passé!

No, nothing at all
No! I do not regret anything
It’s paid for, swept away, forgotten
I do not care about the past!

Avec mes souvenirs
J’ai allumé le feu
Mes chagrins, mes plaisirs
Je n’ai plus besoin d’eux!

With my memories
I lit the fire
My troubles, my pleasures
I do not need them anymore!

Balayés les amours
Et tous leurs trémolos
Balayés pour toujours
Je repars à zéro

The lovers are all swept away
And all of their drama
Swept away forever
I am starting from scratch

Non, rien de rien
Non, je ne regrette rien
Ni le bien qu’on m’a fait
Ni le mal; tout ça m’est bien égal!

No, nothing at all
No, I do not regret anything
Neither the good people did to me
Nor the bad, it’s all the same to me.

Non, rien de rien
Non, je ne regrette rien
Car ma vie, car mes joies
Aujourd’hui, ça commence avec toi!

No, nothing at all
No, I do not regret anything
Because my life, because my joys
Today it starts with you!

🇫🇷 Level up while you enjoy “Non, je ne regrette rien.”
Keep growing your French with Camille’s À Moi Paris audio course — fun stories read aloud at slow, medium & fast speeds, with clear explanations from beginner through advanced.

👉 Explore the course »
📖 Read my full review »

Line-by-Line Breakdown of the French Lyrics

In this section I explain the vocabulary and grammar of the lyrics. In in some instances I have not done direct translations. I’ve also provided links to further resources wherever applicable.

Je ne regrette rien

The song’s title translates to “I don not regret anything”. Other people translate the title to “No regrets”. Rien means both nothing and anything and is used in the negation ne…rien.

Non, rien de rien

This line translates to literally to “no, nothing of nothing” and I translate it to “No, nothing at all”.

Ni le bien qu’on m’a fait

This line translates to “Neither the good people did to me”. The negation ni…ni means “neither…nor”. The adverb bien means “well” but as a noun it means “the good”. The pronoun on in this line refers to “other people”. Fait is the past participle of the verb faire (to make, to do).

Ni le mal; tout ça m’est bien égal!

This line translates to “Nor the bad, it’s all the same to me”. The adverb mal means “badly” or “poorly”. As a noun it means “evil” or “bad”. The expression ça m’est égal means “I don’t mind”, “it doesn’t matter” or “it’s all the same to me”.

Je me fous du passé!

This line translates to “I do not care about the past”. The expression je m’en fous is strong language for “I don’t care”. The informal verb foutre is used in many expressions.

Avec mes souvenirs

This line translates to “With my memories”. Avec means “with” in French. Souvenir means “memory” and is a word English borrowed from French. The reflexive verb se souvenir means “to remember”. Mes is a possessive adjective meaning “my”.

J’ai allumé le feu

This line translates to “I lit the fire”. Allumer means “to light” or “to turn/switch on”. This line is in the passé composé, a French past tense.

Mes chagrins, mes plaisirs

This line translates to “My troubles, my pleasures”. The masculine noun chagrin can translate to grief, sorry, sadness and unhappiness.

Je n’ai plus besoin d’eux!

This line translates to “I do not need them anymore”. The line uses the expression avoir besoin (to need) and the negation ne…plus (anymore). Eux is a stressed pronoun meaning “them”.

Balayés les amours

This line translates to “The lovers are all swept away”. The verb balayer means “to sweep”.

Et tous leurs trémolos

This line translates to “And all of their drama”. Trémolo in French refers to the quavering of the voice. It is also a term used in singing.

Balayés pour toujours

This line translates to “Swept away forever”. The adverb toujours has several usages including always, still and forever.

Je repars à zéro

This line translates to “I am starting from scratch”. Repartir à zéro is an expression meaning “to start over” or “to start from scratch”.

Car ma vie, car mes joies

This line translates to “Because my life, because my joys”. Car can translate to both “because” and “for”. La vie means “life” and la joie means “joy” in French.

Aujourd’hui, ça commence avec toi!

This line translates to “Today it starts with you”. The word ça translates to both “it” and “that” and is used to refer back to previously mentioned topics . Aujourd’hui means today in French.

More classic French songs you’ll love

Check out some more modern songs!

Continue your French learning!

Now that you’ve enjoyed the lyrics to “Non, je ne regrette rien”, check our our French song lyrics hub! You may also enjoy following our French Word of the Day lessons series!

author avatar
David Issokson Founder & French Teacher at FrenchLearner.com
David Issokson is the founder of FrenchLearner.com, where he’s been helping students master French through vocabulary, grammar, and cultural lessons since 2012.

    David Issokson

    About the Author – David Issokson David Issokson is an online French teacher and the founder of FrenchLearner.com (established 2012). He has been teaching French online since 2014 and brings over 30 years of experience as a passionate French learner and fluent speaker. Recognized for his native-like mastery of the language, David creates clear, structured lessons with native-speaker audio to help students learn French online confidently. He is a graduate of McGill University in Montreal and has taught hundreds of learners worldwide. 📘 About David » 🌐 David’s personal site » 👍 Follow on Facebook »

    See all posts by