<Table> <Tr> <Td> "Marieke" (1) </Td> <Td> "Le Moribond (The Dying Man)" (2) </Td> <Td> "Vivre Debout" (3) </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Td> "Marieke" (1) </Td> <Td> "Le Moribond (The Dying Man)" (2) </Td> <Td> "Vivre Debout" (3) </Td> </Tr> <P> "Seasons in the Sun" is an English - language adaptation of the song "Le Moribond" by Belgian singer - songwriter Jacques Brel with lyrics by American singer - poet Rod McKuen . It became a worldwide hit in 1974 for Canadian singer Terry Jacks and became a Christmas number one in the UK in 1999 for Westlife . Jacks's version is one of the fewer than forty all - time singles to have sold 10 million copies worldwide . </P> <P> The song is a dying protagonist's farewell to relatives and friends . The protagonist mentions how hard it will be to die now that the spring season has arrived (historically, spring is portrayed as the season of new life). </P>

Who sang seasons in the sun before westlife