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Bilingual Bedtime/French songs
Chanson à gestesAction song

Il court, il court, le furet.

The melody of Il court, il court, le furet 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. Il court, il court, le furet,eel koor, eel koor, luh few-reh,It runs, it runs, the ferret,
  2. Le furet du bois, Mesdames,luh few-reh dew bwah, may-dam,The ferret of the wood, ladies,
  3. Il court, il court, le furet,eel koor, eel koor, luh few-reh,It runs, it runs, the ferret,
  4. Le furet du bois joli.luh few-reh dew bwah zho-lee.The ferret of the pretty wood.

Verse 2

  1. Il a passé par icieel ah pah-say pahr ee-seeIt has passed by here
  2. Le furet du bois, Mesdames,luh few-reh dew bwah, may-dah-muh,The ferret of the wood, ladies,
  3. Il a passé par icieel ah pah-say pahr ee-seeIt has passed by here
  4. Le furet du bois joli !luh few-reh dew bwah zho-lee!The ferret of the pretty wood!

Verse 3

  1. Il court, il court, le furet,eel koor, eel koor, luh few-reh,It runs, it runs, the ferret,
  2. Le furet du bois, Mesdames,luh few-reh dew bwah, may-dam,The ferret of the wood, ladies,
  3. Il court, il court, le furet,eel koor, eel koor, luh few-reh,It runs, it runs, the ferret,
  4. Le furet du bois joli.luh few-reh dew bwah zho-lee.The ferret of the pretty wood.

A later verse, as sung today

  1. Il est passé par ici,eel eh pah-say pahr ee-see,It has passed by here,
  2. Il repassera par là.eel ruh-pah-suh-rah pahr lah.It will pass by there again.

About this song

A hide-the-ring game printed by Weckerlin in 1870: the children turn in a ring holding a knotted cord and slide a ring along it while the child in the middle tries to spot it. The furet is the ring darting along. Today's couplet, il est passé par ici, il repassera par là, is later and printed last.

Where it comes from

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

The tune: Weckerlin, Chansons et rondes enfantines (Garnier, 1870), p. 86: the song's own vocal staff (B-flat major, Allegretto), read from the scan and checked against the Wikisource score transcription; engraved a major sixth lower in G

From the book

Bilingual Bedtime

Thirty-Five French Songs for Children

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