23 Jul 99 - 06:31 PM (#98623) Subject: Words needed for 'Il etait un petit navire' From: Penny S. 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) (There was a little ship which had never sailed before.)
Il entemprit (?) un long voyage (2) (It undertook a long voyage along the coast of Guinea.)
Au bout(?) de cinque a six semaines,(2) (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) (The lot fell upon the youngest, who had never sailed before.)
On leur manger a la sauce blanche,(2) (They ate him with white sauce, cooked with salsify.) Surely that can't be the end? Penny
Thread #99010 Message #2062533
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. |
23 Jul 99 - 06:41 PM (#98630) Subject: RE: Words needed for 'Il etait un petit navire' From: Peter T. 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. |
23 Jul 99 - 08:55 PM (#98674) Subject: Lyr Add: IL ÉTAIT UN PETIT NAVIRE From: Tina 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! |
23 Jul 99 - 08:57 PM (#98675) Subject: RE: Words needed for 'Il etait un petit navire' From: Tina Check out this website for French Songs: http://www.acronet.net/~robokopp/french/lenavire.htm
|
24 Jul 99 - 03:44 AM (#98800) Subject: RE: Words needed for 'Il etait un petit navire' From: Penny S. 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 |
24 Jul 99 - 03:51 AM (#98801) Subject: RE: Words needed for 'Il etait un petit navire' From: Penny S. 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 |
24 Jul 99 - 04:48 AM (#98805) Subject: RE: Words needed for 'Il etait un petit navire' From: Ferrara 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? |
24 Jul 99 - 05:02 AM (#98807) Subject: Lyr Add: IL ÉTAIT UN PETIT NAVIRE From: Penny S. 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 |
24 Jul 99 - 06:41 AM (#98812) Subject: RE: Words needed for 'Il etait un petit navire' From: Penny S. 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 |
24 Jul 99 - 10:07 AM (#98827) Subject: RE: Words needed for 'Il etait un petit navire' From: Peter T. 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. |
25 Jul 99 - 04:36 AM (#99019) Subject: RE: Words needed for 'Il etait un petit navire' From: Penny S. Isn't it just? Penny |
25 Jul 99 - 10:55 PM (#99167) Subject: RE: Words needed for 'Il etait un petit navire' From: Joe Offer 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- Yup. Found it today, 27 Oct 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHeoEJxzlqk |