Lyr Req: French Rugby song-fall off a precipice

Subject: Lyr Req: Rugby song
From: PMB
Date: 15 Oct 07 - 05:51 AM

What's the French original of that rugby song used as a vehicle for saying naughty words "inadvertently", as in

We might fall off a precipice,
We might fall off a precipice,
Preci- preci- piss, piss, piss,
Preci- preci- piss, piss, piss,
We might fall off a precipice.

And similar with 'finish it' etc.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Rugby song
From: The Vulgar Boatman
Date: 15 Oct 07 - 06:48 AM

Not so sure about french origins - I last heard it by an old boy in the Eel's Foot. Starts off "There were three Jews of Jerusalem...." and for the life of me I can't see how any of the wordplays can be made to work in French, although that, of course, is working backwards. I'd be interested to find out though.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Rugby song
From: Bob the Postman
Date: 15 Oct 07 - 09:38 AM

There's a song like that on a CD I bought in the Francophone town of Gravelbourg, Saskatchewan a few months ago. But which CD? When I get back from work I'll give 'em all a re-listen. Watch this space.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Rugby song
From: Bob the Postman
Date: 16 Oct 07 - 08:07 AM

I finally found the song in question cunningly stashed as an uncredited live bonus track at the end of the album "Quand la pluie viendra" by La Raquette a Claquettes. It might be called something like "Le Cure de St. Ferdinand". I don't have the time or the French to transcribe it now, but will try to do so later. Some of the double meanings are:

Saint Fer(dinand) = enfer
au bord de l'(eau) = au bordelle
pour son trou(pe des moutons) = pour son trou
ses sin(gularitees charmantes) = ses seins
les fes(tes gargantuanes) = les fesses

Does that sound like your song, PMB?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Rugby song
From: GUEST,Bobby Bob, Ellan Vannin
Date: 16 Oct 07 - 08:10 AM

Certainly remember singing a version of this in younger days, and I've just found a similar version in a recent book, 'Ballads and Songs of Southern Michigan' by Emelyan Elizabeth Gardner (Read Books, ISBN 1406753777).

Not having Mudcatted for some years, I can't remember how to do a blue clicky thing.

On page 446 is 'The Three Jews', all verses on the principle as described, but -

Once upon a time there were three Jews . . .

The first one's name was Abraham . . .

The second one's name was Iziack [sic] . . .

The third one's name was Isadore . . .

First they went to Jeruslam [sic] . . .

Then they went to Jericho . . .

Then they went to Amsterdam . . .

And for all well-behaved youngsters, the opportunity of the last verse gave a wonderful feeling of being naughty and daring.

Before the song, there's this information:

'For a text from Newfoundland, somewhat similar but with many minor variations, see Greenland and Mansfield, pp. 357-358.

The present version was sung by Mrs. Geraldine Chickering, Detroit, who learned the song from hearing it sung by young people in Kalkaska, about 1920.'

I remember my uncle singing similar verses to the one quoted (Preci-piss), but he would bowdlerize it with Preci- preci- ha, ha, ha.

It also brings to mind that trenchant lyric,

Our sol-, our sol, our soldiers went to war,
Two pis-, two pis- , two pistols in their hand,
For cu-, for cu-, for curiosity.

Shoh slaynt,

Bobby Bob

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Rugby song
From: Joe_F
Date: 16 Oct 07 - 11:03 PM

Bobby Bob:

In the version in The New Song Fest, it ends "Amster-, Amster-. Sh! Sh! Sh!" -- and then "Oh, do not sing that naughty word,... Naughty, naughty word word word" etc.

The trenchant lyric ends

To fight for ****, to fight for ****, to fight for country.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Rugby song
From: Bob the Postman
Date: 20 Oct 07 - 08:15 PM

I have posted the words to "Le Cure de St. Ferdinand" here.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: French Rugby song-fall off a precipic
From: GUEST,Bardan
Date: 20 Oct 07 - 09:41 PM

The way I learned that song it went

asshole, asshole, a soldier went to sea
to piss, to piss, two pistols on his knee
f*ck you, f*ck you, for curiosity
to fight fot the queen's c*nt, fight for the queen's c*nt, fight for the queen's country

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: French Rugby song-fall off a precipice
From: GUEST,John vale
Date: 10 Sep 10 - 06:51 PM

I was a mere lad of 10 when I found out my parents were very coarse! I had come down for a drink of milk and heard them giggling like schoolkids in the kitchen...

Mum: "How did it go?"

Dad:

Arsehole arsehole our soldiers went to war
To piss, to piss, two pistols at their sides
Fucking, fucking, for king and queen and all
To fight for the old cunt, fight for the old cunt, fight for the old countree!!"

Wails of hilarious laughter and I went back to bed without my milk and a much more realstic understanding of my parents!