Mystery lumberjack song-Sur La Grande Cote

Subject: Mystery lumberjack song
From: happyman379
Date: 15 Jul 24 - 12:48 AM

The search for this song has been my white whale. I have a recording of it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqax-aOa2qQ here, but googling the lyrics hasn't brought be any success yet.

I asked the band, the Wakami Wailers, about the tunes and they said it was a song called The Gay Raftsman, but I don't think this is right. The Gay Raftsmen seems to be a version of the French-Canadian song Les Raftsmen.

I suspect that my mystery song might be of French-Canadian origin as well, as some the lyrics they sing are in French. Any help in tracking down this tune would be great, thank you all.

Subject: RE: Mystery lumberjack song - French?
From: GerryM
Date: 15 Jul 24 - 01:44 AM

"...googling the lyrics hasn't brought [...] any success yet." So, you have the lyrics? Maybe you could post them, might jog someone's memory.

Subject: RE: Mystery lumberjack song - French?
From: happyman379
Date: 15 Jul 24 - 10:38 AM

Sorry, it was late at night. The lines in English that I can remember are:

"I say these words at break of day//Say how the spring is on its way"
"With a hoot and shout I'm on my way//I'll drive these logs through lake and bay"

Subject: RE: Mystery lumberjack song - French?
From: meself
Date: 15 Jul 24 - 12:22 PM

Don't know anything about the title, but I'm familiar with the song from the Fr-Cdn group Le Reve du Diable - and/or La Bottine Souriante - and/or La Bolduc. Pretty sure it's on youtube by one or all of them. Definitely of French-Canadian origin.

Subject: RE: Mystery lumberjack song - French?
From: Joe Offer
Date: 15 Jul 24 - 07:51 PM

This song is so familiar. Can anybody find it?

Subject: RE: Mystery lumberjack song - French?
From: Helen
Date: 15 Jul 24 - 08:29 PM

Monty Python The Lumberjack Song

maybe?

Subject: RE: Mystery lumberjack song - French?
From: Bob the Postman
Date: 16 Jul 24 - 10:14 AM

I hear the words as

Je dis ces mots quand je reveille
C’est le printemps qui est arrive

(acute accent on that final e, to make the rhyme with reveille)

I’ve googled them every which way with no success.

Subject: RE: Mystery lumberjack song - French?
From: Monique
Date: 16 Jul 24 - 11:52 AM

I hear them as

Je dis ces mots quand j' me réveille
Car le printemps est arrivé.

No success googling them either.

Subject: RE: Mystery lumberjack song - French?
From: GUEST
Date: 17 Jul 24 - 09:06 PM

Heard it as:


I'm an alcoholic
    And that's OK...

I drink all night....
    And I sleep all day.

As an avacado I live in a tree ...
    Mistaken for elephant balls
    I am eaten all day.

Subject: RE: Mystery lumberjack song - French?
From: meself
Date: 18 Jul 24 - 03:25 PM

Voila: Sur la grande cote - as recorded by La Bottine Souriante.

Subject: RE: Mystery lumberjack song - French?
From: DaveRo
Date: 18 Jul 24 - 03:44 PM

Here's the words to that:
Paroles de Sur La Grande Côte

Subject: ADD: Sur La Grande Côte
From: Joe Offer
Date: 18 Jul 24 - 03:57 PM

And for the record, here are the lyrics from the link Dave posted.

Sur La Grande Côte

Sur la grand' côte elle est montée
Sur la grand' côte elle est montée
Elle a perdu son tablier

Turlutte:
Ti ta ti dla dla dla lam
Ti ta ti dla dla dla lam

Elle a perdu son tablier
Elle a perdu son tablier
C't'un homme passant qui l'a ramassé
Turlutte

C't'un homme passant qui l'a ramassé
C't'un homme passant qui l'a ramassé
Ça prend un homme quié pas trop gêné
Turlutte

Ça prend un homme qui n'est pas gêné
Ça prend un homme qui n'est pas gêné
Demander les filles pour les embrasser
Turlutte

Demander les filles pour les embrasser
Demander les filles pour les embrasser
C't'ait pas une chanson j'voulais vous chanter
Turlutte

C't'ait pas une chanson j'voulais vous chanter
C't'ait pas une chanson j'voulais vous chanter
C t'un p'tit reel, m’a vous l'reeler

Turlutte (4 fois)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DXFZS0ab8E

Subject: RE: Mystery lumberjack song-Sur La Grande Cote
From: cnd
Date: 19 Jul 24 - 07:47 AM

I haven't listened very closely, but just reading, none of the words between the two seem to match? Is it an issue of a rough transcription? Or is the tune shared but the lyrics come from elsewhere? And then the question becomes, where is elsewhere?

Subject: RE: Mystery lumberjack song-Sur La Grande Cote
From: Monique
Date: 19 Jul 24 - 09:17 AM

The tune is the same but the lyrics are not. The French-Canadian means...

On the big/large/high coast she climbed
She lost her apron

(Turlutte*)
Ti ta ti dla dla dla lam
Ti ta ti dla dla dla lam

She lost her apron
It was a passing man who picked it up

It was a passing man who picked it up
It takes a man who is not too shy

It takes a man who is not too shy
Asking girls to kiss them

Asking girls to kiss them
It wasn't a song I wanted to sing to you

It wasn't a song I wanted to sing to you
It's a little reel, let me tell/reel it off to- you

*Please note that turlutte is a Canadian French music term. In France French, it's either a fishing bait or a blowjob (most spread use) .

Subject: RE: Mystery lumberjack song-Sur La Grande Cote
From: happyman379
Date: 19 Jul 24 - 09:31 AM

It's so good to have finally learned where the tune comes from! Now, I wonder if the band took the tune and added their own lyrics to it, or if they found some obscure lumberjack version of the song somewhere.

In any case, I'm so happy that this has been found!