Lyr Req: Il Était un Petit Navire

Subject: Words needed for 'Il etait un petit navire'
From: Penny S.
Date: 23 Jul 99 - 06:31 PM

While thinking over French songs I learned in my salad days, I remembered this one. We were taught the first two verses by a new teacher at school, who was then ordered to desist befoe teaching us any more. Naturally we found out what was missing, to our great glee, but what I remember seems to have a gap in the middle, and to end rather suddenly. does anyone have any idea how to complete it? It is a French version of a well known theme, but with a twist in it. (Sorry, par d'accents.)

Il etait un petit navire (2)
Qui n'avait ja-ja-jamais navigue.(2)
Ch. Oh eh, oh eh

(There was a little ship which had never sailed before.)

Il entemprit (?) un long voyage (2)
Le longue de co-co-cote de Guinea.(2)
Ch.

(It undertook a long voyage along the coast of Guinea.)

Au bout(?) de cinque a six semaines,(2)
Les vivres vin-vin-vinrent a manque.(2)
Ch.

(After about five or six weeks, there was no food left.)

Here there should be, I feel, a verse about deciding to draw lots, but I have no memory of one.

Le sort tomba a le plus jeune,(2)
Qui n'avait ja-ja-jamais navigue.(2)
Ch.

(The lot fell upon the youngest, who had never sailed before.)

On leur manger a la sauce blanche,(2)
Avec les salsifis par cuit.(2)
Ch.

(They ate him with white sauce, cooked with salsify.)

Surely that can't be the end?

Penny

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Thread #99010   Message #2062533
Posted By: Penny S.
28-May-07 - 03:09 PM
Thread Name: Songs we were made to sing in school...
Subject: RE: Songs we were made to sing in school...

We were not made to sing a certain French folk song. A student started us off on it (in secondary school), but the French head of department banned it. Naturally I went in search of it, and found it.

It began (excuse my French)

Il etait un petit navire, (bis)
Qui n'avait ja-ja-jamais navigue (bis)

Il entempris un longue voyage
Le long de co-co-cote de Guinea

Au bout de cinque a six semaine
Le vivres vin-vin-vinrent a manque

On tira a la courte paille
Pour savez qui-qui-qui serai mange

Le sort tomba a le plus jeune
Qui n'avait ja-ja-jamais navigue

On le manga a la sauce blanche
Avec des sal-sal-salsifis par cuit.

This is different from the version in the Digitrad. Which version she was worried about I don't know. Given that she had worked in the Resistance in France during the war, she might have felt death not suitable for joking.

Penny

Subject: RE: Words needed for 'Il etait un petit navire'
From: Peter T.
Date: 23 Jul 99 - 06:41 PM

No idea, Penny, but I just saw "La Grande Illusion" a couple of days ago and it was the big song! Amazing.
yours, Peter T.

Subject: Lyr Add: IL ÉTAIT UN PETIT NAVIRE
From: Tina
Date: 23 Jul 99 - 08:55 PM

1. |: Il était un petit navire :|
|: Qui rev'nait d' la, d' la d' la Californie :|
Ohé! Ohé!

2. |: Comme il n'y avait pas de femme, :|
|: Afin d'occu, cu, cuper les mat'lots :|
Ohé! Ohé!

3. |: Ils installèrent une barrique :|
|: Qui était per, per, percé-e d'un trou :|
Ohé! Ohé!

4. |: Et pendant tout' la traversée :|
|: Les mat'lots s'ex, s'ex, s'excitèr'nt dessus :|
Ohé! Ohé!

5. |: On le vendit à l'arrivée :|
|: Pour en confec, fectionner des bougies :|
Ohé! Ohé!

6. |: Pour un de nos couvents de nonnes :|
|: Je n' sais pas ce, ce, ce qu'ell's firent avec :|
Ohé! Ohé!

7. |: Neuf mois après, ell's étaient mère :|
|: D'un gentil, til, til, til petit mat'lot :|
Ohé! Ohé!

8. |: Depuis ce temps là chez les nonnes :|
|: On met des ca, ca, capot's aux bougies :|
Ohé! Ohé!

Subject: RE: Words needed for 'Il etait un petit navire'
From: Tina
Date: 23 Jul 99 - 08:57 PM

Check out this website for French Songs:

http://www.acronet.net/~robokopp/french/lenavire.htm

Subject: RE: Words needed for 'Il etait un petit navire'
From: Penny S.
Date: 24 Jul 99 - 03:44 AM

Tina, that must have been the version that was banned! I always thought that that cannibalism had led to an over reaction.

Thank you

Penny

Subject: RE: Words needed for 'Il etait un petit navire'
From: Penny S.
Date: 24 Jul 99 - 03:51 AM

Thank you for the site, too. The other version is more clearly related to the song I knew - I do now remember the short straw verse.

Penny

Subject: RE: Words needed for 'Il etait un petit navire'
From: Ferrara
Date: 24 Jul 99 - 04:48 AM

The only verse I ever learned went as follows:

Il etait un petit navire / it etait un petit navire / Qui n'avait ja-ja-jamais navigue' / Dans la mer Me-me-mediteranee'.

Seems like it may belong to a third version?

Penny -- What is the short straw verse?

Subject: Lyr Add: IL ÉTAIT UN PETIT NAVIRE
From: Penny S.
Date: 24 Jul 99 - 05:02 AM

This is the decent version from the site Tina gave: it's more like yours than mine:

1. |: Il était un petit navire, :|
|: Qui n'avait ja... ja... jamais navigué. :|
Ohé! Ohé!

2. |: Il entreprit un long voyage :|
|: Sur la Mer Mé... Mé... Méditerranée. :|
Ohé! Ohé!

3. |: Au bout de cinq ou six semaines, :|
|: Les vivres vin... vin... vinrent à manquer :|
Ohé! Ohé!

4. |: On tira z' à la courte paille, :|
|: Pour savoir qui... qui... qui serait mangé :|
Ohé! Ohé!

5. |: Le sort tomba sur le plus jeune, :|
|: C'est donc lui qui, qui, qui fut désigné. :|
Ohé! Ohé!

6. |: On cherche alors à quelle sauce :|
|: Le pauvre enfant... fant... fant... serait mangé :|
Ohé! Ohé!

7. |: L'un voulait qu'on le mit à frire, :|
|: L'autre voulait... lait... lait le fricasser, :|
Ohé! Ohé!

8. |: Pendant qu'ainsi l'on délibère, :|
|: Il monta sur, sur, sur le grand hunier. :|
Ohé! Ohé!

9. |: Il fit au ciel une prière, :|
|: Interrogeant... geant... geant l'immensité :|
Ohé! Ohé!

10. |: Mais regardant la mer entière, :|
|: Il vit des flots, flots, flots de tous côtés. :|
Ohé! Ohé!

11. |: O Sainte Vierge, ô ma patronne, :|
|: Cria le pau... pau... pauvre infortuné. :|
Ohé! Ohé!

12. |: Si j'ai péché, vite pardonne; :|
|: Empêche-les... les... les de me manger. :|
Ohé! Ohé!

13. |: Au même instant un grand miracle :|
|: Pour l'enfant fut... fut... fut réalisé :|
Ohé! Ohé!

14. |: Des p'tits poissons dans le navire :|
|: Sautèrent par... par... par plusieurs milliers. :|
Ohé! Ohé!

15. |: On les prit, on les mit à frire, :|
|: Le jeune mous... mous... mousse fut sauvé. :|
Ohé! Ohé!

16. |: Si cette histoire vous amuse, :|
|: Je vais vous la... la... la recommencer. :|
Ohé! Ohé!


Verse 4 has them choosing the person to eat.

Penny

Subject: RE: Words needed for 'Il etait un petit navire'
From: Penny S.
Date: 24 Jul 99 - 06:41 AM

Peter, I'm ashamed to say I have not seen "La Grande Illusion", but I am now going to make sure that I do.

Penny

Subject: RE: Words needed for 'Il etait un petit navire'
From: Peter T.
Date: 24 Jul 99 - 10:07 AM

One of the truly great films of all time: everything you wanted to know about France in the period in one film. Everyone else stole from it. Find a film society that is showing a decent print (its in black and white , with subtitles). I also learned "petit navire" in school in France, and I was stunned to hear it used so powerfully in the film. I was thinking yesterday about looking around for the song -- and there you were! I was stunned. This place is wierd.
yours, Peter T.

Subject: RE: Words needed for 'Il etait un petit navire'
From: Penny S.
Date: 25 Jul 99 - 04:36 AM

Isn't it just?

Penny

Subject: RE: Words needed for 'Il etait un petit navire'
From: Joe Offer
Date: 25 Jul 99 - 10:55 PM

I've been trying to track down a French song kind of like this that Peter, Paul and Mary were performing in concert about 3 years ago. Does anybody know if this is the one?
-Joe Offer-

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Yup. Found it today, 27 Oct 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHeoEJxzlqk