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Bilingual Bedtime/French songs
RondeCircle dance

Nous n'irons plus au bois.

The melody of Nous n'irons plus au bois 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. Nous n'irons plus au bois,noo nee-rohn plew-zoh bwah,We will go to the woods no more,
  2. Les lauriers sont coupés,lay loh-ryay sohn koo-pay,The laurels have been cut,
  3. La belle que voilà, la lairons-nous danser ?lah bel-luh kuh vwah-lah, lah leh-rohn-noo dahn-say ?This pretty girl here, will we let her dance?

Refrain

  1. Entrez dans la danse, voyez comme on danse,ahn-tray dahn lah dahn-suh, vwah-yay kum ohn dahn-suh,Come into the dance, see how we dance,
  2. Sautez, dansez, embrassez celle que vous aimez.soh-tay, dahn-say, ahn-brah-say sel kuh voo-zeh-may.Jump, dance, kiss the one you love.

Verse 2

  1. La belle que voilà, la lairons-nous danser ?lah bel-luh kuh vwah-lah, lah leh-rohn-noo dahn-say ?This pretty girl here, will we let her dance?
  2. Mais les lauriers du bois les lairons-nous faner ?meh lay loh-ryay dew bwah lay leh-rohn-noo fah-nay ?But the laurels of the wood, will we let them wither?

Verse 3

  1. Mais les lauriers du bois les lairons-nous faner ?meh lay loh-ryay dew bwah lay leh-rohn-noo fah-nay ?But the laurels of the wood, will we let them wither?
  2. Non, chacune à son tour ira les ramasser.nohn, shah-kewn ah sohn toor ee-rah lay rah-mah-say.No, each in her turn will go and gather them.

Verse 4

  1. Non, chacune à son tour ira les ramasser ;nohn, shah-kewn ah sohn toor ee-rah lay rah-mah-sayNo, each in her turn will go and gather them;
  2. Si la cigale y dort, ne faut pas la blesser :see lah see-gah-luh ee dohr, nuh foh pah lah bleh-say :If the cicada sleeps there, she must not be hurt:

Verse 5

  1. Le chant du rossignol la viendra réveillerluh shahn dew roh-see-nyol lah vyehn-drah ray-vay-yayThe nightingale's song will come to wake her
  2. Et aussi la fauvette avec son doux gosier :ay oh-see lah foh-veht ah-vehk sohn doo goh-zyay :And also the warbler with her sweet throat:

Verse 6

  1. Et aussi la fauvette avec son doux gosier,ay oh-see lah foh-veht ah-vehk sohn doo goh-zyay,And also the warbler with her sweet throat,
  2. Et Jeanne, la bergère, avec son blanc panier :ay zhahn, lah behr-zhehr-uh, ah-vehk sohn blahn pah-nyay :And Jeanne, the shepherdess, with her white basket:

Verse 7

  1. Et Jeanne, la bergère, avec son blanc panier,ay zhahn, lah behr-zhehr-uh, ah-vehk sohn blahn pah-nyay,And Jeanne, the shepherdess, with her white basket,
  2. Allant cueillir la fraise et la fleur d'églantier :ah-lahn kuhy-leer lah frehz ay lah fluhr day-glahn-tyay :Going to pick the strawberry and the wild rose:

Verse 8

  1. Allant cueillir la fraise et la fleur d'églantier,ah-lahn kuhy-leer lah frehz ay lah fluhr day-glahn-tyay,Going to pick the strawberry and the wild rose,
  2. Cigale, ma cigale, allons, il faut chanter :see-gah-luh, mah see-gah-luh, ah-lohn, eel foh shahn-tay :Cicada, my cicada, come, you must sing:

Verse 9

  1. Cigale, ma cigale, allons, il faut chanter,see-gah-luh, mah see-gah-luh, ah-lohn, eel foh shahn-tay,Cicada, my cicada, come, you must sing,
  2. Car les lauriers du bois sont déjà repoussés :kahr lay loh-ryay dew bwah sohn day-zhah ruh-poo-say :For the laurels of the wood have already grown back:

About this song

An old circle game, printed in 1870 and often said to go back to the 1700s: at each verse one girl steps into the ring until none are left turning. Lairons is an old form of laisserons, will we let. Every new verse repeats the line before it, chaining forward into a new image each time.

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

Buy paperbackBuy KindleBuy hardcoverAbout this edition
Sur le pont d'AvignonAll 35 songsPromenons-nous dans les bois
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