MARIONS LES ROSES

Le mois d'avril s'en est allé
Le mois de mai s'est approché

(Refrain)
Et marions les roses
Les roses font un beau bouquet
Les roses font un beau bouquet
Quand elles sont jolies.

Avons passé dedans vos prés
Les avons trouvés bien fumés

(Refrain)

Avons passé dedans vos blés
Oh comme ils sont tous bien grainés

(Refrain)

Mettez la main au nid des œufs
Que chaque main en prenne deux

(Refrain)

Moi qui suis le porte-panier
Je prendrais bien le nid entier

(Refrain)

Si vous n' voulez rien nous donner
À la porte nous allons crier.

LET'S MARRY THE ROSES

The month of April has gone
The month of May has drawn near

(Chorus)
And let's marry the roses,
Roses make a beautiful bouquet,
Roses make a beautiful bouquet
When they're pretty.

We went through your fields
We found them well manured.

(Chorus)

We went through your wheat fields
Oh, how much/well grainy they are!

(Chorus)

Put your hand into the eggs nest,
Let every hand take two.

(Chorus)

I, who am the basket carrier,
Would gladly take the whole nest

(Chorus)

If you don't want to give us anything,
At your door we're going to shout.

Malicorne live rendition (Hurdy gurdy festival in Anost, Summer 2013)

The BNF catalogue has a sheet music for 4-voice choir by Guy Delamorinière (1907 - ?). The song is said to be a "collection song" or whatever you call a "chanson de quête" in English = a song you sing whenever you go from door to door to collect money or anything else, here eggs. The song is said to be Provençal but the "Anthologie des chants populaires, 1" by Joseph Canteloube reads that the song is from the Albigeois and Lauragais areas of the Languedoc. The lyrics are a mix of Occitan and French -verses in Òc and chorus in French. The music is said to derive from Filii et filiœ. The Occitan chorus is about marrying girls which makes more sense than marrying roses.