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Lyr Add: Ca Ira (French revolution song)

DigiTrad:
ALOUETTE
AUPRES DE MA BLONDE
CHEVALIERS DE LA TABLE RONDE
FRERE JACQUES
LE TEMPS DES CERISES


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Felipa 02 May 21 - 08:17 AM
Felipa 02 May 21 - 08:30 AM
Felipa 02 May 21 - 08:38 AM
Felipa 02 May 21 - 08:58 AM
keberoxu 07 May 21 - 11:58 PM
GUEST,Felipa 08 May 21 - 04:09 PM
GUEST 08 May 21 - 04:49 PM
GUEST,# 08 May 21 - 04:50 PM
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Subject: Lyr Add: Ca Ira (French revolution song)
From: Felipa
Date: 02 May 21 - 08:17 AM

Lyrics as posted along with a youtube video of Edith Piaf singing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzu01gO3pi4

there are many variations of this song, some of which have vicious vengeful sentiments

Versione della Fête de la Fédération (14 luglio 1790)

Ça Ira

Ah ça ira ça ira ça ira
Les aristocrates à la lanterne
Ah ça ira ça ira ça ira
Les aristocrates on les pendra
Et quand on les aura tous pendus,
On leur fichera la pelle au cul!

V'la trois cents ans qu'ils nous promettent
Qu'on va nous accorder du p
V'la trois cents ans qu'ils donnent des fêtes
Et qu'ils entretiennent des catins
V'la trois cents ans qu'on nous écrase
Assez de mensonges et de phrases
On ne veut plus mourir de faim

Ah ça ira ça ira ça ira
Les aristocrates à la lanterne
Ah ça ira ça ira ça ira
Les aristocrates on les pendra
Et quand on les aura tous pendus,
On leur fichera la pelle au cul

V'la trois cents ans qu'ils font la guerre
Au son des fifres et des tambours
En nous laissant crever d'misère
Ça n'pouvait pas durer toujours
V'la trois cents ans qu'ils prennent nos hommes
Qu'ils nous traitent comme des bêtes de somme
Ça n'pouvait pas durer toujours

Ah ça ira ça ira ça ira
Les aristocrates à la lanterne
Ah ça ira ça ira ça ira
Les aristocrates on les pendra
Et quand on les aura tous pendus
On leur fichera la pelle au cul

Le châtiment pour vous s'apprête
Car le peuple reprend ses droits
Vous vous êtes bien payé nos têtes
C'en est fini Messieurs les rois
Il n' faut plus compter sur les nôtres
On va s'offrir maint'nant les vôtres
Car c'est nous qui faisons la loi

Ah ça ira ça ira ça ira
Les aristocrates à la lanterne
Ah ça ira ça ira ça ira
Les aristocrates on les pendra
Et quand on les aura tous pendus
On leur fichera la pelle au cul

VERSION in Wikipedia

"The music is a popular contredanse air called "Le carillon national", and was composed by Bécourt, a violinist (according to other sources: side drum player) of the théâtre Beaujolais. Queen Marie Antoinette herself is said to have often played the music on her harpsichord.[2]

The title and theme of the refrain were inspired by Benjamin Franklin, in France as a representative of the Continental Congress, who was very popular among the French people. When asked about the American Revolutionary War, he would reportedly reply, in somewhat broken French, "Ça ira, ça ira" ("It'll be fine, it'll be fine")"



Ah ! ça ira, ça ira, ça ira
Le peuple en ce jour sans cesse répète,
Ah ! ça ira, ça ira, ça ira
Malgré les mutins tout réussira !

Nos ennemis confus en restent là
Et nous allons chanter « Alléluia ! »
Ah ! ça ira, ça ira, ça ira
Quand Boileau jadis du clergé parla
Comme un prophète il a prédit cela.
En chantant ma chansonnette
Avec plaisir on dira :
Ah ! ça ira, ça ira, ça ira.

Suivant les maximes de l'évangile
Du législateur tout s'accomplira.
Celui qui s'élève on l'abaissera
Celui qui s'abaisse on l'élèvera.
Le vrai catéchisme nous instruira
Et l'affreux fanatisme s'éteindra.
Pour être à la loi docile
Tout Français s'exercera.
Ah ! ça ira, ça ira, ça ira.

Pierrette et Margot chantent la guinguette
Réjouissons-nous, le bon temps viendra !
Le peuple français jadis à quia,
L'aristocrate dit : « Mea culpa ! »
Le clergé regrette le bien qu'il a,
Par justice, la nation l'aura.
Par le prudent Lafayette,
Tout le monde s'apaisera.

Ah ! ça ira, ça ira, ça ira
Par les flambeaux de l'auguste assemblée,
Ah ! ça ira, ça ira, ça ira
Le peuple armé toujours se gardera.
Le vrai d'avec le faux l'on connaîtra,
Le citoyen pour le bien soutiendra.

Ah ! ça ira, ça ira, ça ira
Quand l'aristocrate protestera,
Le bon citoyen au nez lui rira,
Sans avoir l'âme troublée,
Toujours le plus fort sera.

Petits comme grands sont soldats dans l'âme,
Pendant la guerre aucun ne trahira.
Avec cœur tout bon Français combattra,
S'il voit du louche, hardiment parlera.
Lafayette dit : « Vienne qui voudra ! »
Sans craindre ni feu, ni flamme,
Le Français toujours vaincra !
        

Ah ! It'll be fine, It'll be fine, It'll be fine
The people on this day repeat over and over,
Ah ! It'll be fine, It'll be fine, It'll be fine
In spite of the mutineers everything shall succeed.

Our enemies, confounded, stay petrified
And we shall sing Alleluia
Ah ! It'll be fine, It'll be fine, It'll be fine
When Boileau used to speak about the clergy
Like a prophet he predicted this.
By singing my little song
With pleasure, people shall say,
Ah ! It'll be fine, It'll be fine, It'll be fine.

According to the precepts of the Gospel
Of the lawmaker everything shall be accomplished
The one who puts on airs shall be brought down
The one who is humble shall be elevated
The true catechism shall instruct us
And the awful fanaticism shall be snuffed out.
At being obedient to Law
Every Frenchman shall train
Ah ! It'll be fine, It'll be fine, It'll be fine.

Pierrette and Margot sing the guinguette
Let us rejoice, good times will come !
The French people used to keep silent,
The aristocrat says, "Mea culpa!"
The clergy regrets its wealth,
Through justice, the nation will have it.
Thanks to the careful Lafayette,
Everyone will calm down.

Ah! It'll be fine, It'll be fine, It'll be fine
By the torches of the august assembly,
Ah ! It'll be fine, It'll be fine, It'll be fine
An armed people will always take care of themselves.
We'll know right from wrong,
The citizen will support the Good.

Ah ! It'll be fine, It'll be fine, It'll be fine
When the aristocrat shall protest,
The good citizen will laugh in his face,
Without troubling his soul,
And will always be the stronger.

Small ones and great ones all have the soul of a soldier,
During war none shall betray.
With heart all good French people will fight,
If he sees something fishy he shall speak with courage.
Lafayette says "come if you will!"
Without fear for fire or flame,
The French always shall win!
---
At later stages of the revolution, many sans-culottes used several much more aggressive stanzas, calling for the lynching of the nobility and the clergy.

Ah! ça ira, ça ira, ça ira
les aristocrates à la lanterne!
Ah! ça ira, ça ira, ça ira
les aristocrates on les pendra!

Si on n' les pend pas
On les rompra
Si on n' les rompt pas
On les brûlera.
Ah! ça ira, ça ira, ça ira
les aristocrates à la lanterne!
Ah! ça ira, ça ira, ça ira
les aristocrates on les pendra!

Nous n'avions plus ni nobles, ni prêtres,
Ah ! ça ira, ça ira, ça ira,
L'égalité partout régnera.
L'esclave autrichien le suivra,
Ah ! ça ira, ça ira, ça ira,
Et leur infernale clique
Au diable s'envolera.
Ah! ça ira, ça ira, ça ira
les aristocrates à la lanterne!
Ah! ça ira, ça ira, ça ira
les aristocrates on les pendra!
Et quand on les aura tous pendus
On leur fichera la pelle au cul.

Ah! It'll be fine, It'll be fine, It'll be fine
aristocrats to the lamp-post
Ah! It'll be fine, It'll be fine, It'll be fine
the aristocrats, we'll hang them!

If we don't hang them
We'll break them
If we don't break them
We'll burn them
Ah! It'll be fine, It'll be fine, It'll be fine
aristocrats to the lamp-post
Ah! It'll be fine, It'll be fine, It'll be fine
the aristocrats, we'll hang them!

We shall have no more nobles nor priests
Ah! It'll be fine, It'll be fine, It'll be fine
Equality will reign everywhere
The Austrian slave shall follow him
Ah! It'll be fine, It'll be fine, It'll be fine
And their infernal clique
Shall go to hell

Ah! It'll be fine, It'll be fine, It'll be fine
aristocrats to the lamp-post
Ah! It'll be fine, It'll be fine, It'll be fine
the aristocrats, we'll hang them!
And when we'll have hung them all
We'll stick a shovel up their arse.
---------------------------------------
Now that I have learned of this song, thanks to mentions by Martin Carthy and Mudcatter Keberoxu, playing "the Downfall of Paris" will never feel the same.

https://tunearch.org/wiki/Annotation:Downfall_of_Paris_%28The%29


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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Ca Ira (French revolution song)
From: Felipa
Date: 02 May 21 - 08:30 AM

more from Wikipedia (English language, accessed 2 May 2021)

An alternative "sans-culotte"-like version was sung by Édith Piaf for the soundtrack of the film Royal Affairs in Versailles (Si Versailles m'était conté) by Sacha Guitry.

The song is featured in the 1999 television series The Scarlet Pimpernel, starring Richard E. Grant. There the lyrics are sung in English as follows:

Ah ça ira, ça ira, ça ira
Over in France there's a revolution
Ah ça ira, ça ira, ça ira
Watch what you say or you'll lose your head
Ah ça ira, ça ira, ça ira
Pass some time, see an execution!
Ah ça ira, ça ira, ça ira
Une deux trois and you fall down dead
Ah ça ira, ça ira, ça ira
Hear the tale of Marie Antoinette-a!
Ah ça ira, ça ira, ça ira
A bloodier sight you have never seen!

In an opening scene of the novel What Is To Be Done? by Nikolay Chernyshevsky, the protagonist Vera Pavlovna is shown singing a song with ça ira in the refrain, accompanied by a paraphrase outlining the struggle for a socialist utopian future. The 1875 French translator "A.T." produced a four-stanza version on the basis of the paraphrase, which was reproduced in full by Benjamin Tucker in his translation.
---------------
Erin Ivey "Ça Ira (Si Vous Voulez)" | Concert for World Voice Day - a song which I think just share's a title with the revolutionary song.
------------------
French revolutionary Ca Ira with subtitles on screen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KM1pJwLfs7I

Les B posted in Mudcat in 2003 regarding tune relationships between Ca Ira, Downfall of Paris and Mississippi Sawyer https://mudcat.org/Detail.CFM?messages__Message_ID=999556


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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Ca Ira (French revolution song)
From: Felipa
Date: 02 May 21 - 08:38 AM

https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=38012 asks for songs to the tune The Downfall of Paris


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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Ca Ira (French revolution song)
From: Felipa
Date: 02 May 21 - 08:58 AM

I would not think of the Downfall of Paris tune as I know it when I listen to the Edith Piaf recording. Or this recording (also with a set of lyrics in the notes)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-srLjMRjoVI

or this instrumental by the Yorkshire regiment

There is just a bit of similarity at the beginning of the tune. To me, I am not speaking of the same air when I say Ca Ira as when I say or play The Downfall of Paris.

Downfall of Paris, Irish dance tune https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuljlIwx638played by the Davey Triplets (lol)


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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Ca Ira (French revolution song)
From: keberoxu
Date: 07 May 21 - 11:58 PM

There is also a rousing instrumental recording
by the Dubliners, and listening to it,
although the meter/rhythm/subdivisions differ slightly,

I recognize the same thing played by Martin Carthy.

By the way, the Carthy livestream video
is still accessible on YouTube.


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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Ca Ira (French revolution song)
From: GUEST,Felipa
Date: 08 May 21 - 04:09 PM

no wonder, Keberoxu. The Dubliners played "The Downfall of Paris" and they called the tune that; I don't find any Dubliners recording of Ca Ira. And I don't know of any words to 2the Downfall of Paris" ( a tune I've known for many yeara). As I said, it seems to me that the relationship between the tunes is slight.


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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Ca Ira (French revolution song)
From: GUEST
Date: 08 May 21 - 04:49 PM

Fifth time I've tried to post this.

https://tunearch.org/wiki/Annotation:Downfall_of_Paris_(The)

Some tune/song history. Don't really know if that's what you're looking for. If not, just ask a mod to delete it.


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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Ca Ira (French revolution song)
From: GUEST,#
Date: 08 May 21 - 04:50 PM

That was me.


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