Standing six feet tall, Jacques Brel was used to being the tallest in his classes at school, and so, early on, earned himself the sobriquet 'Grand Jacques.' As we know, through his career he came to be grand or great in so many ways. This was the second track on his debut album for Phillips in 1954. He is entering a period of agnosticism after Jesuit training and belonging to a Catholic youth group where he learned to play guitar, act, and met his wife . As his mind matures, he begins to question everything, especially himself and his sincerity, which was always one of his most endearing traits.
A novel based upon the story of his life has been called "Grand Jacques" by Marc Robine, worth
reading if you read French.
Thanks once again to philipchek of YouTube and Paris for reading over this translation and helping assure its accuracy. See his channel for French translations of English videos.