‘Ne T’enfuis Pas’ is a song written by Kate Bush with French lyrics by Patrick Jeaneau and Vivienne Chandler.

‘Ne T’enfuis Pas’ (‘Don’t Run Away’) tells the story of a woman, worried that her lover is about to leave, wrestling with her conscience over her plans to make him stay.

Versions

There are two versions of ‘Ne T’enfuis Pas’: the original release on There Goes A Tenner and Suspended in Gaffa and the remix version (featuring ‘cleaner’ sounding vocals) appears on the 1983 single release and on the This Woman’s Work Anthology 1978-1990 box set, released in 1990.

Formats

The song was originally released as the B-side of the singles There Goes A Tenner (in the UK) and Suspended In Gaffa (in Europe). The title was misspelled as Ne T’en Fuis Pas in both instances, which means nothing in French. In July 1983, the song was released as a single in France and Canada, featuring Un Baiser D’enfant on the B-side.

In September 2019, a limited edition 12″ single, featuring the remastered versions of ‘Ne T’enfuis pas’ and ‘Un baiser d’enfant’ was released in France. Copies were sold out within days, but more copies were pressed later in the year.

Critical reception

Although ‘Ne T’enfuis Pas’ was not released in the UK, some copies were imported by Conifer, a record import/export firm. The song was played on BBC Radio 1 a few times and there was even a review in the UK press:

It begins with an earth shattering Linn drum pattern, with Del Palmer adding a rich fretless bass. Kate plays fairlight and breathes sensuously over the top…

Electronics and Music Maker, September 1983

Lyrics

Je viens
Comme un chat
Par la nuit si noire
Tu attends,
Et je tombe
Dans tes ailes blanches, la-la-la…
Et je vole,
Et je coule
Comme une plume

Si les grands yeux de mon Dieu
Ne me gardaient pas
Je te volerais

Ne t’enfuis pas!
Tu as des ailes,
Le pouvoir de me quitter
Tu es tombé
Du ciel comme un ange, la-la-la
Et j’ai peur
Que le ciel
Te reprenne

Si les grands yeux de mon Dieu
Ne me gardaient pas,
Je te volerais

Je viens
Comme un chat
Par la nuit si noire

Je t’en prie
Je t’en prie
Je t’en prie
Je t’en prie
Je t’en prie
Je t’en prie
Ne t’enfuis
Pas!

Credits

Fretless bass, Linn drum programming: Del Palmer
Fairlight, vocals: Kate Bush
Engineer: Paul Hardiman

References

  • PDFM, ‘5 Years Ago’. Homeground 32, Autumn 1988