Alouette (song)

"Alouette"
Song
Genre	folk
Music sample "Alouette (piano)"

"Alouette" is a popular French Canadian children's song originating in France about plucking the feathers from a lark. Although it is in French, it is well-known among speakers of other languages; in this way it is similar to "Frère Jacques". Many American doughboys learned the song while serving in France during World War I and brought it home with them.

History

French colonists ate horned larks, which they considered a game bird. The song was first published in A Pocket Song Book for the Use of Students and Graduates of McGill College (Montreal, 1879). However, Canadian folklorist Marius Barbeau was of the opinion that the song's ultimate origin was France.

The songs of the French fur trade were adapted to accompany the motion of paddles dipped in unison. Singing helped to pass the time and made the work seem lighter. In fact, it is likely that the Montreal Agents and Wintering Partners sought out and preferred to hire voyageurs who liked to sing and were good at it.^{[citation needed]} They believed that singing helped the voyageurs to paddle faster and longer. "Alouette" informs the lark that the singer will pluck its head, nose, eyes and wings and tail. En roulant ma boule sings of ponds, bonnie ducks and a prince on hunting bound. Many of the songs favored by the voyageurs have been passed down to our own era.

Today, the song is used to teach French and English speaking children in Canada and other English speakers learning French around the world the names of body parts. Singers will point or touch the part of their body that corresponds to the word being sung in the song.

Structure

"Alouette" usually involves audience participation, with the audience echoing every line of each verse after the verse's second line. It is a cumulative song, with each verse is built on top of the previous verses, much like the English carol "The Twelve Days of Christmas".

Lyrics

Alouette, gentille Alouette

Lark, nice lark

Alouette, je te plumerai

Lark, I shall pluck you

Je te plumerai la tête

I shall pluck your head

(Je te plumerai la tête)

(I shall pluck your head)

Et la tête

And your head

(Et la tête)

(And your head)

Alouette

Lark

(Alouette)

(Lark)

O-o-o-oh

Alouette, gentille Alouette

Alouette, je te plumerai

Je te plumerai le bec

I shall pluck your beak

(Je te plumerai le bec)

Et le bec

(Et le bec)

Et la tête

(Et la tête)

Alouette

(Alouette)

O-o-o-oh

The song continues in this fashion, with the italicized phrase (a part of the bird) in each verse being substituted with a new one, with the previous items being recited at the end:

• Et le cou

And your neck

• Et le dos

And your back

• Et les ailes

And your wings

• Et les pattes

And your feet

• Et la queue

And your tail

La Conclusion

The Ending

O-o-o-o-oh

Alouette, gentille Alouette

Lark, nice lark

Alouette, je te plumerai

Lark, I shall pluck you

Naturally, the literal English translation does not match up well with the meter of the song, so a slightly less literal (but more singable) version would be:

Little skylark, lovely little skylark

Little lark, I'll pluck your feathers off

I’ll pluck the feathers off your head

I’ll pluck the feathers off your head

Off your head - off your head

Little lark, little lark

O-o-o-o-oh

And adding:

Off your beak

Off your neck

Off your back

Off your wings

Off your feet

Off your tail

In other languages

In Spanish

The Spanish version goes: Alondrita, gentil alondrita te desplumare el copete (and so on)

Alondra being the name of the lark in South America.

Adaptation

An English song known as "If You Love Me" uses the same tune as Alouette.

Lyrics

If you love me, tell me that you love me.

If you don't, please tell me that you do.

If you love me, tell me that you love me.

If you don't, please tell me that you do.

Do do do, love me true

Oh oh oh oh

See also

• Montreal Alouettes

External links

• The free score on traditional-songs.com