French revolutionary songs

These are excellent French songs from the 1790s and 19th century.

La carmagnole

Ça ira

Le chant du Départ

Le temps des cerises

L'Insurgé -- this song was written by P. Degeyter and Pottier, authors of "L'Internationale"

Le drapeau Rouge

Elle n'est pas morte

Quand viendra t'elle

Some old songs of the Communist Party
and other communist songs




A la santé de Maurice

French communist song, in praise of Maurice Thorez, Secretary-General of the French Communist Party (1930 - 1964). Forever.

Refrain :
Buvons camarades buvons, que l’avenir nous appartienne
C’est à lui que nous le devons, à la tienne ami à la tienne
Buvons camarades buvons à la santé de Maurice
À la santé de la paix au bonheur à la justice
Buvons au peuple français
Buvons, buvons, au bonheur, à la paix.

/// HERE'S TO MAURICE - chorus ///

Let's drink comrades, let's drink, the future is ours
We own this to him, cheers my friend cheers
Let's drink comrades let's drink, to Maurice
Here's to peace, happiness and justice
Let's drink to the French people
Let's drink, let's drink, to happiness and peace

Colombe vole
Son against the war in Indochine (Vietnam + Cambodia + Laos)
and about the communist sailor Henri Martin.

Une seule espérance
French version of the WFDY's anthem.

Debout ma blonde
Song about youth building the country.

C'est radio Truman qui ment
Song against US imperialism

Deux faucons (Two Hawks)
Song about Lenin and Stalin.

Les gosses de Bagnolet
Song about the children going on holiday in Oléron thanks to the communist mayors.

Liberté nous ne voulons que toi
Song about freedom, uniting Humanity and building the fatherland.

Nous sommes des millions sur la Terre (We Are Millions On Earth)
Song against war.

A l'Union soviétique nous ne ferons pas la guerre
"We won't make war against the Soviet Union".

Quatre généraux
French version of Los Quatros Generales (Spanish Civil War)

Le Front des travailleurs
French version of Brecht's Arbeitereinheitsfront.

L'homme Parle - la Crise

ZEP - NIQUE LA FRANCE

Le chiffon rouge(The red cloth)
Song about workers waking up the world, justice and love (1977)

And of course,
L'Internationale

La Marseillaise (subtitled)

La semaine sanglante(The Bloody Week), song of the Paris commune about the repression.
"And beware the revenge, when all the poors will take action".

Ceux d'Oviedo, remembering the workers of Oviedo.

Les Canuts, song about the canut's revolt in Lyon (1831).
La Commune, by Jean Ferrat, for the Paris Commune's 100th anniversary (1971).

A map of France :

Le sire de Fisch Ton Kan, against Napoleon III (1870-71)

Vous êtes tombés camarades You have fallen comrades, old song of the CP for the dead comrades.


Vous êtes tombés camarades
You have fallen comrades
Vous êtes tombés pour nous
You have fallen for us
Et nous sommes là camarades
And we are here comrades,
Sans armes, en larmes, pour vous
Without weapons, in tears, for you

Nous voulons parler camarades
We want to speak comrades
Nous voulons parler de vous
We want to speak about you
Et nous nous taisons, camarades
And we are silent comrades
Sans armes, en larmes, sans vous
Without weapons, in tears, without you

Vous nous comprenez camarades
You understand us, comrades
Demain nous parlerons de vous
Tommorrow we'll speak about you
Demain nous serons, camarades
Tommorrow we'll be, comrades
En armes, en armes, pour vous
In arms, In arms for you

Camarade, Jean Ferrat's song (1968). The famous communist singer died this year.


C'est un joli nom, camarade
It's a pretty name, comrade
C'est un joli nom, tu sais
It's a pretty name, you know
Qui marrie cerises et grenades
That marries cherries and pomegranates
Aux cent fleurs du mois de mai
To the hundred flowers of May

Pendant des années, camarade
For years, comrades
Pendant des années, tu sais
For years, you know
Avec ton seul nom comme aubade
With your name alone as aubade
Mes lèvres s'épanouissaient
My lips were blooming
Camarade, camarade
Comrade, comrade

C'est un nom terrible, camarade
It's a terrible name, comrade
C'est un nom terrible à dire
It's a terrible name to tell
Quand, le temps d'une mascarade,
When, the time for a masquerade
Il ne fait plus que frémir
he makes nothing anymore than shudder
Que venez-vous faire, camarade
What are you coming for, comrades
Que venez-vous faire ici
What are you coming for there
Ce fut à cinq heures dans Prague
It was at five o'clock in Prague
Que le mois d'août s'obscurcit
That August darkened
Camarade, camarade
Comrade, comrade

C'est un joli nom, camarade
It's a pretty name, comrade
C'est un joli nom, tu sais
It's a pretty name, you know
Dans mon coeur battant la chamade
In my heart pounding
Pour qu'il revive à jamais
So that he revives forever
Se marient cerise et grenade
Are getting married Cherries and pomegranates
Aux cent fleurs du mois de mai
To the hundred flowers of May

Please erase

Potemkin Jean Ferrat's song about the sailors of the Potemkin.

If you want translations, just ask.

Yannick Noah's Angela, about US and Angela Davis (2010)

Le Déserteur - Boris Vian
(with english subtitles)
James Prescott's translation

Your Majesty the King, I'm writing you a letter,
Though you might hear me better, if you could hear me sing.
There just came through my door, my army papers warning,
We leave on Monday morning, we march away to war.
Well, I don't fit your plan, I must refuse the shilling,
For I'm no longer willing, to kill my fellow man.
Your Majesty, I say, with due consideration,
It's my determination, I will desert today.

I've seen my father die, I've seen my sisters grieving,
My older brothers leaving, my younger brothers cry.
My mother knew such wrongs, she lies beneath her tombstone,
She cares no more for tombstones, she cares no more for songs.
While I was in the hole, they stole away my good wife,
They stole away my good life, they stole away my soul.
So now I'll slam my door, on all those years of sorrow,
And starting from tomorrow, I'll sleep at home no more.

I'm off to beg my way, to tramp the roads and islands,
From Cornwall to the Highlands, and this is what I'll say:
"Refuse to go to war, refuse to cross the borders,
Refuse to obey orders, desert and fight no more."
If blood must flow this spring, why don't you give a sample?
You'd be a fine example, Your Majesty the King.
If you would hunt me down, tell Tom and Dick and Harry,
No weapon will I carry, and they may gun me down.

Boris Vian's original version said something like "I will carry a weapon, and I know how to shoot". (Que je tiendrai une arme, et que je sais tirer).

Quote:

There isn't much of Boris Vian's work in translated into English (from what I've seen), but L'Écume des jours - (Froth On The Daydream) was a pleasant read.

Yes, a very strange book.

A new song released last week :

Cyril Mokaiesh - Communist

Ça les perdra
It will lose them
De vampiriser la révolte
To vampirize revolt
De ratiboiser la culture
To pinch culture
Pour t' ramollir toi qui taffe dur
In order to soften you, you who work hard
Et te trainer ner ner
And to drag you, you you
A l'usine de Cholet
To Cholet's factory
Sur des machines à licencier
On dismiss-machines

Mais moi…
But me

J'suis communiste
I'm communist
A c'qui paraît
So it seems
Rien d'héroïque
Nothing heroic
Oui mais
Yes but
J'suis communiste
I'm communist
Quoi ça… Quoi ça…
What that... what that...
Ça fait pas chic
That's not chic
Oula...
Wow

Vietnam (1968)

Francesca Solleville
Lyrics Henri Gougaud.

Au Viêt Nam aujourd'hui
In Vietnam today
Dieu sait qu'il fait tout noir
God know it's all dark
Et que des hommes nus
And that nude men
S'obstinent à vivre libre
Persist to live free

Rergarde l'espoir,
Look at the hope
Comme il vibre
How it thrills

Je crois qu'une chanson n'est pas toujours futile,
I believe a song isn't always fruitless,
Frères lointains, mes crève-cœur,
My brothers faraway, my heartbreakers
Je voudrais que ces mots vous soient peut-être utiles,
I would like these words could be useful to you
Ils viennent du fond de mon cœur.
They come from the bottom of my heart.


Solleville sang against Nazism, Franco, and for the working class. She also sang poems by Aragon.
She lives in Malakoff, a communist commune in France. Gougaud wrote some songs for Jean Ferrat.

The Partisan, Leonard Cohen.

Fatal Picards, The ordinary struggle, 2009.

Si mon vieux me voyait, il serait fier de moi
If my dad sawn me, he would be proud of me
Lui qui était communiste, comme on porte une croix
Him who was communist, as a man carrying a cross
S'il existe un dieu pour les mineurs syndicalistes
If there is a god for unionist miners,
J'espère qu'au paradis Les anges sont un peu marxistes
I hope that in paradise, angels are a little marxist

i got something hot for you guys!

irie révoltés ! (usually without accent in communistic p2p networks but you really should support them )

theyre a german/french reggae/crossover band but most of it is french anyway.

im totally blown away. what they create is so vivid and beautiful. enjoy \o

Interesting. In found some on Youtube.

Rebelles
Zeit ist geld

In reply to OP-Bagration excellent posting of the English translation of Le Deserteur by Boris Vian, Posted: Wed 02 Feb 2011, 23:20

Quote:

Boris Vian's original version said something like "I will carry a weapon, and I know how to shoot". (Que je tiendrai une arme, et que je sais tirer).

True, but Boris Vian himself after discussing with the singer Mouloudji changed the last 2 verses to French words carrying the same meaning as translated in English:

Prévenez vos gendarmes
Que je n'aurai pas d'armes
Et qu'ils pourront tirer

[Tell your Gendarmes
That I don't have a gun
And that they can shoot]