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Bilingual Bedtime/French songs
CanonRound

Frère Jacques.

Frère Jacques, Frère Jacques

The melody of Frère Jacques 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.

  1. Frère Jacques, Frère Jacques,frair-uh zhahk-uh, frair-uh zhahk-uh,Brother James, Brother James,
  2. Dormez-vous ? Dormez-vous ?dor-may voo? dor-may voo?Are you sleeping? Are you sleeping?
  3. Sonnez les matines, sonnez les matines,so-nay lay ma-tee-nuh, so-nay lay ma-tee-nuh,Ring the matins bells, ring the matins bells,
  4. Ding, daing, dong, Ding, daing, dong.ding, dehn, dong, ding, dehn, dong.Ding, dang, dong, Ding, dang, dong.

About this song

The best-known French round of all. Brother James is a sleepy monk who has slept through matines, the first prayers of the day, and is being told to ring the bells for them. Sing it as a round: the second voice starts when the first reaches Dormez-vous, and each voice sings it through twice.

Where it comes from

The words: Jean-Baptiste Weckerlin, Chansons et rondes enfantines (Garnier, 1870).

From the book

Bilingual Bedtime

Thirty-Five French Songs for Children

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All 35 songsUne souris verte
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