Pendibidu
(Mon père avait un p'tit champ de pois)
This song is of Breton origin. The meaningless words are probably the result of the distortion of Breton words that lost their original meaning over the years.
Pendibidu
(Mon père avait un p'tit champ de pois)
Pendibidu
(My Father Had a Small Field of Peas)
Chanson enfantine
Children's Song
(French)
(English)
1 Mon père avait un p'tit champ de pois,
Pendibidu, gob, gobidabidu,
Mon père avait un p'tit champ de pois,
Gobida, gobidu, penpen, dibiddu, gob, gobidabidu.
2 Vint à passer une volée d'oies,
Pendibidu, gob, gobidabidu,
Vint à passer une volée d'oies,
Gobida, gobidu, penpen, dibiddu, gob, gobidabidu.
3 J'en visai une, j'en tuai trois,
Pendibidu, gob, gobidabidu,
J'en visai une, j'en tuai trois,
Gobida, gobidu, penpen, dibiddu, gob, gobidabidu.
4 J'avais grand faim, j' mangeai les trois,
Pendibidu, gob, gobidabidu,
J'avais grand faim, j' mangeai les trois,
Gobida, gobidu, penpen, dibiddu, gob, gobidabidu.
5 J'en fus malade au lit trois mois,
Pendibidu, gob, gobidabidu,
J'en fus malade au lit trois mois,
Gobida, gobidu, penpen, dibiddu, gob, gobidabidu.
6 Trois médecins vinrent me voir,
Pendibidu, gob, gobidabidu,
Trois médecins vinrent me voir,
Gobida, gobidu, penpen, dibiddu, gob, gobidabidu.
7 Le premier dit que j'en mourrais,
Pendibidu, gob, gobidabidu,
Le premier dit que j'en mourrais,
Gobida, gobidu, penpen, dibiddu, gob, gobidabidu.
8 Le deuxième dit que je vivrais,
Pendibidu, gob, gobidabidu,
Le deuxième dit que je vivrais,
Gobida, gobidu, penpen, dibiddu, gob, gobidabidu.
9 Le troisième dit qu' j' me marierais
Pendibidu, gob, gobidabidu,
Le troisième dit qu' j' me marierais
Gobida, gobidu, penpen, dibiddu, gob, gobidabidu.
10 Avec la fille d'un roy françois*
Pendibidu, gob, gobidabidu,
Avec la fille d'un roy françois,
Gobida, gobidu, penpen, dibiddu, gob, gobidabidu.
1. My father had a small field of peas,
Pendibidu, gob, gobidabidu,
My father had a small field of peas,
Gobida, gobidu, penpen, dibiddu, gob, gobidabidu.
2. A flight of geese happened to pass by,
Pendibidu, gob, gobidabidu,
A flight of geese happened to pass by,
Gobida, gobidu, penpen, dibiddu, gob, gobidabidu.
3. I aimed at one, I killed three,
Pendibidu, gob, gobidabidu,
I aimed at one, I killed three,
Gobida, gobidu, penpen, dibiddu, gob, gobidabidu.
4. I was very hungry, I ate the three of them,
Pendibidu, gob, gobidabidu,
I was very hungry, I ate the three of them,
Gobida, gobidu, penpen, dibiddu, gob, gobidabidu.
5. I was sick in bed for three months,
Pendibidu, gob, gobidabidu,
I was sick in bed for three months,
Gobida, gobidu, penpen, dibiddu, gob, gobidabidu.
6. Three doctors came to see me,
Pendibidu, gob, gobidabidu,
Three doctors came to see me,
Gobida, gobidu, penpen, dibiddu, gob, gobidabidu.
7. The first one said I would die from it,
Pendibidu, gob, gobidabidu,
The first one said I would die from it,
Gobida, gobidu, penpen, dibiddu, gob, gobidabidu.
8. The second one said I would live,
Pendibidu, gob, gobidabidu,
The second one said I would live,
Gobida, gobidu, penpen, dibiddu, gob, gobidabidu.
9. The third one said I would get married
Pendibidu, gob, gobidabidu,
The third one said I would get married
Gobida, gobidu, penpen, dibiddu, gob, gobidabidu.
10. To the daughter of a French king,
Pendibidu, gob, gobidabidu,
To the daughter of a French king,
Gobida, gobidu, penpen, dibiddu, gob, gobidabidu..
 - French Children's Songs - France - Mama Lisa's World: Children's Songs and Rhymes from Around the World
"Pin It")
Notes
*"oi" must be pronounced "weh" as it used to in the 17th century.
Alternate version on the same pattern:
1 Mon père avait un p'tit champ d' pois (My father had a small field of peas)
2 Par un matin j'y fus tout droit (One morning, I went straight there)
3 J'y rencontrai une volée d'oies (There I came across a flight of geese)
4 D'un coup de fusil j'en tirai trois (In one shot I killed three)
5 J' les ai mangées d'un seul repas (I ate them in one sole meal)
6 J'en fus malade pendant trois mois (I was sick during three months)
7 Trois médecins sont venus chez moi (Three doctors came to my home)
8 Le premier dit qu' j'en reviendrai pas (The first said I won't come back from it)
9 Le second dit qu' j'en reviendras (The second said I will come back from it)
10 Et le troisièm' que je m' marieras (The third said I'll get married)
11 Avec la fille du roi françois (To the daughter of the French king)
Note that "reviendras" and "marieras" are used to rhyme with the other last words in each line.
Comments
Check out another version of "Mon père avait un p'tit champ d' pois" that we've collected.
Thanks!
Thanks and Acknowledgements
Contribution and Translation: Monique
