MADEMOISELLE FROM ARMENTIERES

Mademoiselle from Armentieres, parlez-vous
Sang the Diggers between their beers, parlez-vous
And the ballad roared by the soldiers gay,
Rang through the old Estaminet. Inky-pinky, parlez-vous!

Mademoiselle enjoyed the din, parlez-vous
As she tripped around with the bock and vin, parlez-vous
And Mademoiselle, in a manner gay,
Trolled a stave of the ribald lay. Inky-pinky, parlez-vous!

There were men from Wagga and Gundagai, parlez-vous
From Perth, and The Towers, and Boggabri, parlez-vous
From Sydney City and Dandenong,
Sinking their troubles in wine and song. Inky-pinky, parlez-vous!

There was one young Digger, tanned and lean, parlez-vous
From the Darling Downs, or the Riverine, parlez-vous
Who set her heart in a rapturous whirl
When he vowed that she was his Dinkum Girl. Inky-pinky, parlez-vous!

They laughed and loved in the old French town. parlez-vous
And her heart spake out of her eyes of brown parlez-vous
But the time fled by, and there came a day
When he and his cobbers all marched away. Inky-pinky, parlez-vous!

Maybe on a field of France he fell, parlez-vous
No word came back to Mademoiselle, parlez-vous
But a pretty French girl, with eyes of brown,
Prays for him still in a war-swept town. Inky-pinky, parlez-vous!

Quiet it is in the old estaminet, parlez-vous
No more Diggers will come that way, parlez-vous
May your heart grow light with passing years,
Oh, Mademoiselle from Armentieres! Inky-pinky, parlez-vous!