“Seasons in the Sun” is an English-language adaptation of the 1961 Belgian song “Le Moribond” (“The Dying Man”) by singer-songwriter Jacques Brel[2] with lyrics rewritten in 1963 by American singer-poet Rod McKuen, portraying a dying man’s farewell to his loved ones. It became a worldwide hit in 1974 for Canadian singer Terry Jacks.
About This Song
American Rod McKuen translated the lyrics into English. In 1964, the Kingston Trio first recorded an English version of “Seasons in the Sun”, which was later heard by Terry Jacks and became the basis for his rendition.
Jacks rewrote the lyrics, although he is uncredited for it. He justifies the rewriting by stating that he deemed the original version and its translations as “too macabre”. The inspiration for the rewritten lyrics was his close friend named Roger who was suffering from acute leukemia and died four months later.
Jacks released his version as a single in 1973 on his own label, Goldfish Records. “Put the Bone In”, an original composition about burying a deceased pet dog, was included as the B-side. The single soon topped the record charts in the US (where it was released on Bell Records), in Canada, and the UK, selling over 14 million copies worldwide.
Jacks’s version was released in the United States in December 1973 and made the Billboard Hot 100 a month later. On March 2, 1974, the song began a three-week run at number one atop the Hot 100 and remained in the top 40 until almost Memorial Day weekend. Jacks’s version also spent one week on the Easy Listening charts. Billboard ranked it as the number two song for 1974.
Video
Lyric
Goodbye to you my trusted friend
We’ve known each other since we were nine or ten
Together we’ve climbed hills and trees
Learned of love and ABCs
Skinned our hearts and skinned our kneesGoodbye my friend, it’s hard to die
When all the birds are singing in the sky
Now that the spring is in the air
Pretty girls are everywhere
Think of me and I’ll be thereWe had joy, we had fun
We had seasons in the sun
But the hills that we climbed
Were just seasons out of timeGoodbye papa, please pray for me
I was the black sheep of the family
You tried to teach me right from wrong
Too much wine and too much song
Wonder how I got alongGoodbye papa, it’s hard to die
When all the birds are singing in the sky
Now that the spring is in the air
Little children everywhere
When you see them, I’ll be thereWe had joy, we had fun
We had seasons in the sun
But the wine and the song
Like the seasons, have all goneWe had joy, we had fun
We had seasons in the sun
But the wine and the song
Like the seasons, have all goneGoodbye Michelle, my little one
You gave me love and helped me find the sun
And every time that I was down
You would always come around
And get my feet back on the groundGoodbye Michelle, it’s hard to die
When all the birds are singing in the sky
Now that the spring is in the air
With the flowers everywhere
I wish that we could both be thereWe had joy, we had fun
We had seasons in the sun
But the stars we could reach
Were just starfish on the beachWe had joy, we had fun
We had seasons in the sun
But the stars we could reach
Were just starfish on the beachWe had joy, we had fun
We had seasons in the sun
But the wine and the song
Like the seasons, have all goneAll our lives we had fun
We had seasons in the sun
But the hills that we climbed
Were just seasons out of timeWe had joy, we had fun
We had seasons in the sun