Ce sont trois navires de la flotte
This can be sung as a call-and-response song, i.e. the leader sings the 1st and 3rd lines, the group sings the 2nd and 4th lines, or the leader sings lines 1, 3 and 4 and the group sings only line 2.
Ce sont trois navires de la flotte
Three Ships from the Navy
Chanson de marins
Sea Shanty
(French)
(English)
Ce sont trois navires de la flotte,
Ce sont trois navires de la flotte,
De la flotte, ma lon, lon la,
De la flotte ont pris leur congé.
Voulant faire le tour du monde,
Voulant faire le tour du monde,
Sans jamais la, ma lon, lon la,
Sans jamais la terre aborder.
Au bout de la deuxième année,
Au bout de la deuxième année,
Le pain le vin, ma lon, lon la,
Le pain le vin leur z'y ont manqué.
Faut tirer à la courte-paille,
Faut tirer à la courte-paille
Lequel de nous, ma lon, lon la
Lequel de nous sera mangé.
À notre brave capitaine,
À notre brave capitaine,
La courte paille, ma lon, lon la,
La courte paille a-t-arrivée.
Pierrot, Pierrot, monte à la hune,
Pierrot, Pierrot, monte à la hune,
Et regarde, ma lon, lon la,
Et regarde de tous côtés.
Je vois la tour de Babylone,
Je vois la tour de Babylone,
Et Barbarie, ma lon, lon la,
Et Barbarie l'autre côté.
Je vois la fill' de vous, mon maître,
Je vois la fill' de vous, mon maître,
À trois pigeons, ma lon, lon la,
À trois pigeons, porte à manger.
Ah ! Tu l'auras, Pierre, mon Pierre,
Ah ! Tu l'auras, Pierre, mon Pierre,
Cell' que ton cœur, ma lon, lon la,
Cell' que ton cœur a tant aimée.
Three ships from the Navy,
Three ships from the Navy,
From the Navy, ma lon, lon la,
From the Navy took their leave.
Since they wanted to sail around the world,
Since they wanted to sail around the world,
Without ever, ma lon, lon la,
Without ever touching land.
At the end of the second year,
At the end of the second year,
Bread and wine, ma lon, lon la,
Bread and wine were lacking.
We must draw straws,
We must draw straws
For which one of us, ma lon, lon la
For which one of us will be eaten.
To our good captain
To our good captain,
The short straw, ma lon, lon la,
The short straw fell.
Petey, Petey, climb up to the maintop,
Petey, Petey, climb up to the maintop,
And look, ma lon, lon la,
And look on all sides.
I see the Babylon tower,
I see the Babylon tower,
And Barbary, ma lon, lon la,
And Barbary on the other side.
I see your daughter, sir,
I see your daughter, sir,
To three pigeons, ma lon, lon la,
To three pigeons she brings food.
Ah! You'll get her, Peter, my Peter,
Ah! You'll get her, Peter, my Peter,
The one your heart, ma lon, lon la,
The one your heart has loved so much.
Notes
This song has been collected in a 1877 manuscript kept at the BNF (France National Library).
Thanks and Acknowledgements
Translated by Monique Palomares with Lisa.
