Dansons la capucine
I asked Monique about the name of the Nasturtium Dance and she wrote, "The Dictionnaire Historique de la Langue Française says that 'capucine' (nasturtium) gave its name to a color and that it's used in the song for obscure reasons, maybe because of the shape of the skirts when the girls crouch down."
Dansons la capucine
Let's Dance the Nasturtium Dance
Chanson de ronde
Circle Game
(French)
(English)
Dansons la capucine
Y' a pas de pain chez nous
Y' en a chez la voisine
Mais ce n'est pas pour nous
You ! les petits cailloux !
Dansons la capucine
Y' a pas de vin chez nous
Y' en a chez la voisine
Mais ce n'est pas pour nous
You ! les petits cailloux !
Dansons la capucine
Y' a pas de feu chez nous
Y' en a chez la voisine
Mais ce n'est pas pour nous
You ! les petits cailloux !
Dansons la capucine
Y' a du plaisir chez nous
On pleur' chez la voisine
On rit toujours chez nous
You ! les petits cailloux !
Let's dance the Nasturtium Dance,
There's no bread at our house,
There is at our neighbor's
But it's not for us all.
Woo! Little stones, you!
Let's dance the Nasturtium Dance,
There's no wine at our house,
There is at our neighbor's
But it's not for us all.
Woo! Little stones, you!
Let's dance the Nasturtium Dance,
There's no fire at our house,
There is at our neighbor's
But it's not for us all.
Woo! Little stones, you!
Let's dance the Nasturtium Dance,
There is fun at our house,
They cry at our neighbor's
We always laugh at home.
Woo! Little stones, you!
Notes
The last line of each verse is declaimed/chanted.
Game Instructions
Children walk in a circle, hand in hand. At the end of the song, they squat down. Then they start the game all over again.
Comments
There are two tunes to this song. The midi music plays them both, separated by a blank measure.
You can hear the first three verses in the recording below.
Many thanks to Edit' Dupont for contributing and singing this song for Mama Lisa's World.
Thanks and Acknowledgements
Translation: Monique Palomares
Many thanks to Marion Ségissement for the illustration!
Merci beaucoup!
