The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #111795 Message #2359072
Posted By: Monique
06-Jun-08 - 03:49 AM
Thread Name: Lyr Req: French sea shanties
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: French sea shanties
Well, I wouldn't want to play "La mère La Vertu" but if Jean-François de Nantes is to be taught to school children, you'd better teach the 4 first verses only because:
- though "bitte" is "bit", if you ask any French speaking person what a word soundind like "bitte" means, s/he'll tell you "cock" and not "bit" in the same way that I suppose that if you ask to an English speaking person what "cock" means, s/he won't answer "rooster"
- the maid takes him in her closet under the stairs where he "boulines" her (bouliner meant to navigate under a slantwise wind)and navigates on a nice sea... ("How could he navigate on a nice sea while he actually was in the closet with the maid, ma'am?")
- he catches the pox ("vérole"), chancres and has his member cut off down to his belly...
So now you know that, whether you want to teach the whole song to school kids is up to you. I wouldn't.