This topic is a bit late for the New Year’s Eve festivities (hope yours were fun), but while we’re thinking of such matters, let’s talk about a great French tradition: the Drinking Song.
The French, normally reserved, perk up considerably after a few glasses of wine. They love a party or a fête, the larger the group the better. And when they get together in groups to dine and sip, invariably a drinking song or two will get itself sung.
There are many songs, but there a couple of standards that every French person will know all the words to. I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard them. And what a fun way to study your French! Un verre du vin in hand will help your lesson along.
The first and easiest one, unique to our region, is called "Le Ban Bourguigon". There are no words to this one, it basically just involves clapping and turning your hands in unison, with lots of la la la’s, though the tune is tricky. You can see it done with a large group, at this youtube site. Photo: doing the Ban Bourguigon at the château for Nicole's birthday party.
A favorite song of mine is "Chevaliers de la Table Ronde" (Knights of the Round Table), with it’s catchy chorus of oui oui oui, non non non. Listen to it here, sung by a barbershop quartet, including the written lyrics for further study.
The most common French drinking song I hear is called "Il est les notres" (He’s One of Us). It’s only a bit naughty (it’s French, after all), and the most fun part is when you sing et glou et glou et glou (glug glug glug). You can listen to it and get the french lyrics here.
I found a translation of the song at the site French Rescue (which also features a video with an authentically drunken rendition of it), although their translation doesn’t quite capture the French slang:
Il est des nôtres He's one of us
Il a bu son verre comme les autres He has drunk his glass like the others
C'est un ivrogne He's a drunkard
Ca se voit rien qu'à sa trogne you can see it from his face
Ami [nom de l'ami] lève ton verre, Brother {name of the friend] raise your glass
et surtout, ne le renverse pas And above all, don't spill anything
et porte le and put it
du frontibus from your forehead
au nasibus to your nose
au mentibus to your chin
au ventribus to your belly
au sexibus to your sex
à l'aquarium to your mouth
et glou et glou et glou and gulp and gulp and gulp
I have a story about this song. Apparently it’s a tradition to sing it to someone who has a bad case of la gueule de bois, also known as a hangover. An American friend who was staying at the château (she shall remain nameless to protect the guilty; you know who you are) went to a large birthday party one night with all of our crowd, and had a REALLY good time. The next day, Nicole and Pierre had invited a large group of French folks for lunch at the château, and my friend emerged, not in particularly good form, a half hour late for lunch. When she entered the dining room, the entire group–she hadn't even met most of them– burst spontaneously into joyous song: “Elle est des nôtres…”. Another one of the “French experiences” that we foreigners are always encountering!
Photo: Be careful, if your nose is red like this, you may be serenaded. The sign says "The route of thirst".
Wishing you all a fabulous, happy, and healthy new year!
In the COMMENTS: Thanks for all the nice Christmas wishes. Get the scoop on an Australian Christmas dinner from Mariella, a new movie recommendation from Debbie, more about the movie "The Way" from Christine, and find out how to say "chocolate bark" in French. Betsy asks for a raclette recipe–great idea for an upcoming blog, thanks Betsy!
9 thoughts on “Your French lesson du jour: Drinking Songs”
Love this! I learned “Chevaliers de la Table Ronde” while a student in Bordeaux and can still sing it all the way through. Ah, impressionable youth. And Jean-Charles Boisset, often present at his property here in Napa Valley, invariably punctuates his wine presentations with a round of “le Ban Bourguigon.”
Oh Lynn. This brings me back to memories of my very first trip to Europe oh so long ago when I was younger and more foolish. I learned this song from all my European friends. I always remember the melody of a song but never seem to remember the words. “Les Chevaliers de la Ronde,” however, is the exception to the rule. I have never forgotten it.
“Il est les notres” is sung on the Peter Mayle BBC series “A Year in Provence.” Delightful.
Best to you for the new year.
Chris
Bon Annee,Lynn!
Today’s post is absolutely wonderful and full of fun!
Most of all,with resolutions in full swing now,you’ve shown us that a
good time is still to be had!
(truthfully,we haven’t broken into song like this since we were condiderably younger and indulged in a rousing rendition of “Three Jolly Coachmen”!)How wonderful to discover that we’re far from too old!!
THANK YOU!!
Ah you have brought back so many memories. We often had great meals ending with songs in my family. Chevalier de la table ronde was sung, as Ah! le petit vin blanc – do you know that one?
Ah! Le petit vin blanc
Qu´on boit sous les tonnelles
Quand les filles sont belles
Du côté de Nogent
Et puis de temps de temps
Un air de vieille romance
Semble donner la cadence
Pour fauter, pour fauter
Dans les bois, dans les prés
Du côté, du côté de Nogent
How about Boire un petit coup?
Boire un petit coup c´est agréable
Boire un petit coup c´est doux
Mais il ne faut pas rouler dessous la table
Boire un petit coup c´est agréable
Boire un petit coup c´est doux
I am singing them as I write them down!! These two are really well known. They are a bit, how can I say, ribald?
What a fun post Lynn! The wine barrel in the painting above as well as the ones in the youtube video remind me of the wine barrel I recently painted for a charity.
I must say I do love that painting at the top of your post. A hearty, happy & healthy New Year to you Lynn!
I especially like the “Boire un petit coup” song. Merci, Lynn for this blog today and always.
Not exactly a drinking song, but I never heard it sung without raised (and swaying) glasses (of good red wine): Se Canta or Se Chanta or other various spellings. Wikipedia says “often regarded as the unofficial anthem of all Occitania” and all I know is that is feels really old, is sung at weddings and other happy occasions (in the Aveyron), and that now (of course) you can see/hear it on YouTube! Happy New Year!
This recipe for “southern” crusty bread appeared in my in-box today. It is the recipe you posted and which I have been making a lot since then, but, with some olive oil in the dough and a more elaborate baking procedure. Did that recipe come from your southern side of your brain or your French side?
I have made this bread in oval Dutch ovens to change the shape, and in two cast-iron loaf pans using one for the lid. I am getting ready to try just baking it in no pan to see what will happen. Stay tuned.
Thanks for this great recipe no matter where it came from.
http://southernfood.about.com/od/yeastbreads/r/No-Knead-Bread.htm
I forgot the link to the “southern,” recipe