You talk like Marlene Dietrich
And you dance like Zizi Jeanmaire
Your clothes are all made by Balmain
And there’s diamonds and pearls in your hair, yes there are.

You live in a fancy apartment
Off the Boulevard of St. Michel
Where you keep your Rolling Stones records
And a friend of Sacha Distel, yes you do.

You go to the embassy parties
Where you talk [bad word] and Greek
And the young men who move in your circles
They hang on every word you speak, yes they do.

But where do you go to my lovely
When you're alone in your bed
Tell me the thoughts that surround you
I want to look inside your head, yes i do.

I've seen all your qualifications
You got from the Sorbonne
And the painting you stole from Picasso
Your loveliness goes on and on, yes it does.

When you go on your summer vacation
You go to Juan-les-Pines
With your carefully designed topless swimsuit
You get an even suntan, on your back and on your legs.

And when the snow falls you're found in St. Moritz
With the others of the jet-set
And you sip your Napoleon Brandy
But you never get your lips wet, no you don't.

But where do you go to my lovely
When you're alone in your bed
would you Tell me the thoughts that surround you
I want to look inside your head, yes I do.

You're in between 20 and 30
very desirable age
Your body is firm and inviting
But you live on a glittering stage, yes you do, yes you do.

Your name is heard in high places
You know the Aga Khan
He sent you a racehorse for Christmas
And you keep it just for fun, for a laugh ha-ha-ha

They say that when you get married
It'll be to a millionaire
But they don't realize where you came from
And I wonder if they really care, or give a [bad word] 
But where do you go to my lovely
When you're alone in your bed
Tell me the thoughts that surround you
I want to look inside your head, yes i do.

I remember the back streets of Naples
Two children begging in rags
Both touched with a burning ambition
To shake off their lowly brown tags, they try

So look into my face Marie-Claire
And remember just who you are
Then go and forget me forever
But I know you still bear
the scar, deep inside, yes you do

I know where you go to my lovely
When you're alone in your bed
I know the thoughts that surround you
`Cause I can look inside your head.

The song is about a fictional girl named Marie-Claire who grows up to [bad word] a member of the Jet Set, and lives in Paris. The lyrics describe her from the perspective of a childhood friend; it is left unclear whether they have remained close. The rhetorical question of the title suggests that her glamorous lifestyle may not have brought Marie-Claire happiness or contentment. It is speculated by some that the lyrics refer to Sophia Loren, as it is believed to be a close discription of her life.

Sarstedt himself was not French, but the song may have benefited from the contemporary awareness in Britain of such singers as Serge Gainsbourg and Jacques Brel.

The lyrics contain a large number of contemporary and other references:

* Marlene Dietrich: husky-voiced German actress and singer
* Zizi Jeanmaire: French ballerina
* Balmain: French designer of elegant fashions
* Boulevard Saint-Michel: street in the Latin Quarter famous for bookshops
* Rolling Stones: popular English rock and roll band
* Sacha Distel: French crooner
* Sorbonne: University of Paris
* Picasso: Spanish pioneer of modern art
* Juan-les-Pins: fashionable beach resort on the French Riviera
* Saint Moritz: fashionable ski resort in the Swiss Alps
* Napoleon brandy: especially fine aged brandy
* Aga Khan: World-travelling Islamic leader and racehorse owner
* Topless swimsuit

It is often suspected that the name Marie-Claire is inspired by the originally French Marie Claire magazine, a women's fashion w