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Bilingual Bedtime/French songs
Chanson de marcheWalking song

Trois jeunes tambours.

Trois jeunes tambours revenant de la guerre

The melody of Trois jeunes tambours 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. Trois jeunes tambours revenant de la guerre,trwah zhuhn tahn-boor ruh-vuh-nahn duh lah geh-ruh,Three young drummers coming home from the war,
  2. Ran, ranpataplan,rahn, rahn-pah-tah-plahn,Ran, ranpataplan,
  3. Revenant de la guerre.ruh-vuh-nahn duh lah gehr.Coming home from the war.

Verse 2

  1. Le plus jeune des troisluh plew zhuhn day trwahThe youngest of the three
  2. Avait une rose.ah-veh ewn rohz.Had a rose.

Verse 3

  1. Vint à passervehn ah pah-sayThere came walking by
  2. La fille du roi.lah fee-yuh dew rwah.The king's daughter.

Verse 4

  1. — Jeune tambour,zhuhn tahn-boor,Young drummer,
  2. Veux-tu m'donner ta rose ?vuh-tew mdoh-nay tah rohz ?Will you give me your rose?

Verse 5

  1. — Fille du roi,fee-yuh dew rwah,King's daughter,
  2. Veux-tu être ma maîtresse ?vuh-tew eh-truh mah meh-trehs ?Will you be my sweetheart?

Verse 6

  1. — Jeune tambour,zhuhn tahn-boor,Young drummer,
  2. Demande le z'à mon père !duh-mahn-duh luh zah mohn pehr !Ask my father for it!

Verse 7

  1. — Sire le roi,see-ruh luh rwah,My lord the king,
  2. Veux-tu m'donner ta fille !vuh-tew mdoh-nay tah feey !Will you give me your daughter!

Verse 8

  1. — Jeune tambour,zhuhn tahn-boor,Young drummer,
  2. Tu n'es pas assez riche.tew neh pah ah-say reesh.You are not rich enough.

Verse 9

  1. — Sire le roi,see-ruh luh rwah,My lord the king,
  2. Je suis plus riche que vous.zhuh swee plew ree-shuh kuh voo.I am richer than you.
  3. J'ai trois vaisseauxzhay trwah veh-sohI have three ships
  4. Sur la mer jolie,sewr lah mehr zhoh-lee,On the beautiful sea,
  5. L'un chargé d'orluhn shahr-zhay dorOne loaded with gold
  6. Et l'autre d'argent fin,ay loh-truh dahr-zhahn fehn,And the other with fine silver,
  7. Et un de diamantsay uhn duh dee-ah-mahnAnd one with diamonds
  8. Pour ma maîtresse.poor mah meh-trehs.For my sweetheart.

Verse 10

  1. — Jeune tambour,zhuhn tahn-boor,Young drummer,
  2. Tiens, voilà ma fille.tyehn, vwah-lah mah feey.Here, take my daughter.

Verse 11

  1. — Sire le roi,see-ruh luh rwah,My lord the king,
  2. Je vous la remercie ;zhuh voo lah ruh-mehr-see ;I thank you for her;
  3. Dans mon paysdahn mohn pay-eeIn my own country
  4. Il y en a d'plus jolies.eel ee ahn-nah dplew zhoh-lee.There are prettier ones.

About this song

A famous marching ballad, printed by Rolland in 1886 and sung long before that, in which each verse picks up where the last one stopped. Three drummers come home from the war; the youngest has a rose, and the king's daughter wants it. Ranpataplan mimics the drum, so march in step and rat-a-tat your knees as you sing.

Where it comes from

The words: Eugène Rolland, Recueil de chansons populaires, tome II (Maisonneuve, 1886).

The tune: Vocal staff of the cited source itself: Eugène Rolland, Recueil de chansons populaires, tome II (1886), no. CXXVIII Les trois tambours, version j, p. 150 (archive.org leaf n159), B-flat major 2/4, read note by note from the page image and transposed a minor third down to G. Rolland's staff sings line 1 twice (a question phrase ending on the fourth degree, then an answer phrase) before the Ran, ranpataplan refrain; the book's stanza, like Rolland's own printed text, gives the line once, so the staff carries the opening statement plus the refrain, with his slur on the first guer-, the ran-pa-ta triplet and his rests kept. The widespread modern tune (Mama Lisa score, abcnotation; F major 2/4, Et ri et ran text) shares the refrain shape but opens differently and does not fit this text.

From the book

Bilingual Bedtime

Thirty-Five French Songs for Children

Buy paperbackBuy KindleBuy hardcoverAbout this edition
Compère GuilleriAll 35 songsMalbrough s'en va-t-en guerre
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