L' Amérique Lyrics in English Joe Dassin

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Below, I translated the lyrics of the song L' Amérique by Joe Dassin from French to English.

Friends, I've gotta go

Just gotta toss my keys

'Cause she's been waiting for me since I was born

America

I leave behind along my way

So many things I liked

It starts with a little sorrow

America

America, America, I wanna have her and I'll get her

America, America, if it's a dream, I'll know

All the train whistles, all the ship horns

They've sung me the Eldorado song a hundred times

Of America

Friends, I say goodbye

I should cry for you a bit

Forgive me if in my eyes

There's only America

I'll come back, I don't know when

Sewn with gold and embroidered with silver

Or without a dime, but richer than before

Of America

America, America, I wanna have her and I'll get her

America, America, if it's a dream, I'll know

All the train whistles, all the ship horns

They've sung me the Eldorado song a hundred times

Of America

America, America, I wanna have her and I'll get her

America, America, if it's a dream, I'll know

America, America, if it's a dream, I'll dream

America, America

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SONG MEANING

Ready for the ultimate road-movie in song form? In “L’Amérique,” Joe Dassin slips into the shoes of a dream-chaser who is so dazzled by the promise of America that he tosses his keys aside and waves a quick goodbye to his friends. Trains whistle, ship sirens howl, and each sound sings the same irresistible chorus: go west to the land of Eldorado! The lyrics paint America as a glittering horizon where gold stitches every pocket and silver threads every hope, yet they also hint at the bittersweet cost of uprooting yourself.

Why does it matter? Because the song captures a timeless feeling—leaving behind everything familiar in search of something bigger, whether that “something” turns out to be fortune, freedom, or just a larger-than-life adventure. Dassin reminds us that even if the American dream is only a dream, it is worth pursuing, and the journey itself can make us richer than any treasure map.

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Joe Dassin L' Amérique Lyrics