Lyrics & Knowledge Personal Pages Record Shop Auction Links Radio & Media Kids Membership Help
The Mudcat Cafesj



User Name Thread Name Subject Posted
GUEST,Jeanene Lyr/Tune Correction: C'Est L'Aviron (24) Lyr/Tune Correction: C'Est L'Aviron 26 Sep 02


This song is in the DT, but there are  a couple of spelling errors  (e.g., "lieus" instead of "lieux"), missing accent marks, etc., and I am unable to access any of the three tunes via the hyperlinks for them in the DT.

First, can someone fix the tune links?  I know one tune, which I learned from Bonnie Dobson back in the 1960s, but I'd like to hear the others.

Second, would any of you folks who are more fluent writers of French than I please correct any of my errors in spelling or accent marks.  Then maybe at some point the version in the DT can be corrected, too, along with new MIDIs.

I have also included a bit more of the translated story.  Again, you Quebec folks, please correct me if I did not translate the idiom properly.  E.g., I was thinking the phrase "C'est l'aviron qui nous mene en haut"  meant, literally, "It is the oar which we pull (guide) up," but upon re-reading it, it would seem to mean "It is the oar that leads us up high."  (It's been a few years since I took or had much chance to speak French- much less, Quebec French.)  I would really like to know how to translate the refrain idiomatically correctly.

C'Est L'Aviron      Tradtional French-Canadian rowing song
(Third line of previous verse becomes first line of next.  Second line is a "response" to the "call" of  the first line.)

         C                                          F  C
1)  M'en revenant  / de la jolie Rochel-le* (x2)
         C          F       C     C  F   C  F  C   G7
2)   J'ai recontré /  trois jolies demoisell-es.

Refrain:
 C                       G7
C'est l'aviron qui men-e, qui nous men-e
  C                                G7          C
C'est l'aviron qui nous mene en haut.

2)  J'ai recontré /  trois jolies demoisell-es. (x2)
3) J'ai point choisi,  / mais j'ai pris la plus belle.

Refrain

3) J'ai point choisi,  / mais j'ai pris la plus bell-e. (x2)

4) J'l'y fis monter   / derrier' moi, sur ma selle.

5)  J'y fis cent lieux   / sans parler avec ell-e.

6)  Au bout d'cent lieux,  / elle me d'mandit à boîr-e.

7)  Je l'ai menee   / auprès de la fontain-e.

8)  Quand ell' fût la,   / elle ne voulût point boîr-e.

9)  Je l'ai menee   / au logis de son pèr-e.

10) Quand elle fût la,   / elle buvait à pleins ver-res.

11) Á la sante   / de son père et sa mer-e.

12) Á  la sante   / de ses soeurs et ses frèr-es

13) Á  la sante   / de celui que son coeur aim-e.

*  Final vowel sounds which would be silent in speech are often voiced in song for the sake of meter and rhyme.   E.g., "demoiselles" would be "duh-mwah-zel" if spoken but is sung as "duh-mwa-zel-leh" here.  Hence the hyphenation.

Nutshell translation:     As I was returning to beautiful Rochelle, I met three pretty young ladies.  It was hard to choose but I chose the most beautiful and put her behind me on my saddle.  We went a hundred places without talking, then she asked for something to drink.  I took her to a fountain but she didn't want to drink (the water).  I took her to her father's house [where she toasted] to the health of her father, mother, sisters, brothers, and the one her heart loves.


Post to this Thread -

Back to the Main Forum Page

By clicking on the User Name, you will requery the forum for that user. You will see everything that he or she has posted with that Mudcat name.

By clicking on the Thread Name, you will be sent to the Forum on that thread as if you selected it from the main Mudcat Forum page.

By clicking on the Subject, you will also go to the thread as if you selected it from the original Forum page, but also go directly to that particular message.

By clicking on the Date (Posted), you will dig out every message posted that day.

Try it all, you will see.