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Bilingual Bedtime/French songs
Chanson à raconterStory song

À la claire fontaine.

The melody of À la claire fontaine on a staff, as engraved in the book
Download the tune

The melody as written on the staff, so you can learn the tune before you sing.

Verse 1

  1. À la claire fontaineah lah kleh-ruh fohn-teh-nuhAt the clear fountain
  2. M'en allant promener,mahn-nah-lahn proh-muh-nay,As I went out walking,
  3. J'ai trouvé l'eau si bellezhay troo-vay loh see behl-luhI found the water so lovely
  4. Que je m'y suis baigné.kuh zhuh mee swee beh-nyay.That I bathed in it.

Refrain

  1. Il y a longtemps que je t'aime,eel yah lohn-tahn kuh zhuh teh-muh,I have loved you for a long time,
  2. Jamais je ne t'oublierai.zhah-meh zhuh nuh too-blyeh-reh.I will never forget you.

Verse 2

  1. J'ai trouvé l'eau si bellezhay troo-vay loh see behl-luhI found the water so lovely
  2. Que je m'y suis baigné ;kuh zhuh mee swee beh-nyay ;That I bathed in it;
  3. Sous les feuilles d'un chênesoo lay fuhy duhn shehnUnder the leaves of an oak tree
  4. Je me suis fait sécher.zhuh muh swee feh say-shay.I dried myself.

Verse 3

  1. Sous les feuilles d'un chênesoo lay fuhy duhn shehnUnder the leaves of an oak tree
  2. Je me suis fait sécher ;zhuh muh swee feh say-shay ;I dried myself;
  3. Sur la plus haute branchesewr lah plew oht brahnshOn the highest branch
  4. Le rossignol chantait.luh roh-see-nyohl shahn-teh.The nightingale was singing.

Verse 4

  1. Sur la plus haute branchesewr lah plew oht brahnshOn the highest branch
  2. Le rossignol chantait.luh roh-see-nyohl shahn-teh.The nightingale was singing.
  3. Chante, rossignol, chante,shahnt, roh-see-nyohl, shahnt,Sing, nightingale, sing,
  4. Toi qui as le cœur gai.twah kee ah luh kuhr geh.You whose heart is merry.

Verse 5

  1. Chante, rossignol, chante,shahnt, roh-see-nyohl, shahnt,Sing, nightingale, sing,
  2. Toi qui as le cœur gai ;twah kee ah luh kuhr geh ;You whose heart is merry;
  3. Tu as le cœur à rire,tew ah luh kuhr ah reer,Your heart is inclined to laugh,
  4. Moi je l'ai-t-à pleurer.mwah zhuh leh-tah pluh-ray.While mine is left to weep.

Verse 6

  1. Tu as le cœur à rire,tew ah luh kuhr ah reer,Your heart is inclined to laugh,
  2. Moi je l'ai-t-à pleurer :mwah zhuh leh-tah pluh-ray :While mine is left to weep:
  3. J'ai perdu ma maîtressezhay pair-dew mah meh-tressI have lost my sweetheart
  4. Sans l'avoir mérité.sahn lah-vwahr may-ree-tay.Without deserving it.

Verse 7

  1. J'ai perdu ma maîtressezhay pair-dew mah meh-tressI have lost my sweetheart
  2. Sans l'avoir mérité,sahn lah-vwahr may-ree-tay,Without deserving it,
  3. Pour un bouquet de rosespoor uhn boo-keh duh rohzFor a bouquet of roses
  4. Que je lui refusai.kuh zhuh lwee ruh-few-zay.That I refused her.

Verse 8

  1. Pour un bouquet de rosespoor uhn boo-keh duh rohzFor a bouquet of roses
  2. Que je lui refusai.kuh zhuh lwee ruh-few-zay.That I refused her.
  3. Je voudrais que la rosezhuh voo-dreh kuh lah rohzI wish that the rose
  4. Fût encore au rosier.few tahn-kohr oh roh-zyay.Were still on the rosebush.

Verse 9

  1. Je voudrais que la rosezhuh voo-dreh kuh lah rohzI wish that the rose
  2. Fût encore au rosier,few tahn-kohr oh roh-zyay,Were still on the rosebush,
  3. Et moi et ma maîtresseay mwah ay mah meh-tressAnd I and my sweetheart
  4. Dans les mêmes amitiés.dahn lay mehm-zah-mee-tyay.In the same affection.

About this song

One of the best-loved songs of French Canada: this text was printed in Quebec in 1880, but the song is far older and was carried over from France, where it is still sung too. Each verse repeats the last line of the one before, and the refrain vows a love never forgotten. Sway gently from side to side as you sing.

Where it comes from

The words: Ernest Gagnon, Chansons populaires du Canada (Robert Morgan, Québec, 1880).

The tune: Ernest Gagnon, Chansons populaires du Canada (1880), p. 2 engraving (djvu page 20), read from the fr.wikisource scan; cross-checked against the (commented-out) LilyPond score block in the fr.wikipedia article, which agrees except that it starts the refrain on F where Gagnon has middle C

From the book

Bilingual Bedtime

Thirty-Five French Songs for Children

Buy paperbackBuy KindleBuy hardcoverAbout this edition
Il pleut, il pleut, bergèreAll 35 songsCadet Rousselle
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