Marie-Thérèse wrote me looking for a French lullaby…
My maman used to sing a lullaby to me, and then to my children when they were born, that I want to remember all the words to, and sing now to my grandchildren. I wonder if you would know the lyrics? I know the first was Do Do L’enfant Do. If you know this lullaby can you email me the lyrics – it has great sentimental meaning to me – and my mère has passed and will never be able to sing to my grandbabies as she did my children. Thank you so much for any help. – Marie-Thérèse
I wrote to Monique, my partner at Mama Lisa’s World en français, asking if she was familiar with the song. Monique wrote back…
I am – my mother used to sing that to me too a loooooooooooooooong time ago (only the first four lines).
The lyrics are:
Dodo, l’enfant do
Dodo, l’enfant do,
L’enfant dormira bien vite
Dodo, l’enfant do
L’enfant dormira bientôt.Une poule blanche
Est là dans la grange.
Qui va faire un petit coco*
Pour l’enfant qui va fair’ dodo.Dodo, l’enfant do,
L’enfant dormira bien vite
Dodo, l’enfant do
L’enfant dormira bientôt.Tout le monde est sage
Dans le voisinage
Il est l’heure d’aller dormir
Le sommeil va bientôt venir.
*Monique said, “…young children call an egg an ‘egg’ and not a ‘coco’ any more.”
Monique also sent me the Midi Music for Dodo l’enfant do.
I translated the lullaby into English.
Sleepy Time, The Young One Sleeps
Sleepy time, the young one sleeps,
The child will sleep very soon
Sleepy time, the young one sleeps,
The child will sleep oh, so soon.A white hen
Is in the barn.
It’ll make a small egg
For the child who goes to sleep.Sleepy time, the young one sleeps,
The child will sleep very soon
Sleepy time, the young one sleeps,
The child will sleep oh, so soon.Everyone is calm
All around
It’s the time for all to sleep
Sleep will come soon.
Many thanks to Monique for the lyrics, the midi and help with the translation and to my husband Jason, for help with the English version. – Lisa
Please visit The Lullaby Page in French for French Lullabies and other Lullabies from Around the World with their French translations. The English version is coming soon.
and
The Mama Lisa’s World France page for more French children’s songs with their English translations
and
Mama Lisa’s World en français for Children’s Songs from Around the World with their French translations.
This article was posted on Thursday, October 6th, 2005 at 4:32 pm and is filed under Animal Songs, Children's Songs, Countries & Cultures, Dodo, l'enfant do, France, French, French Kids Songs, French Lullabies, Hen Songs, Languages, Lullabies, Midis, Recordings of Songs, Songs by Theme. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
18 Responses to “A French Lullaby called “Dodo, l’enfant do” in French with an English Translation and the Midi Music”
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June 2nd, 2006 at 8:53 pm
please help me i am looking for a certain lullaby that is in french that my grandmother from belgium sings
June 2nd, 2006 at 9:05 pm
Do you know any of the words to the song your grandmother sings? Or could you send me a recording? Then I might be able to help a little better.
February 7th, 2007 at 7:21 pm
Bonjour Mama Lisa,
Looks like I may have come to the right place? I too am looking for a lullaby that my mom and memeire used to sing to me. I have a six month old daughter and I sing what I remember of the tune but the words are simply mush from memory. It goes some thing like………. “A baby a memeire, il a tutu petite, (phonetically) in a pucket chemise oh la she somesi drew.” Can you help me figure out what the heck I’m supposed to be saying?
Merci,
Christian
September 15th, 2007 at 4:10 pm
I am looking for the lyrics to Do Do Poulette, Mon Petit minonette…..sung to me as a child ….Also any suggestion for a great CD with French songs for my grandson.
September 15th, 2007 at 8:55 pm
Hi Nadine,
Re. Do Do Poulette, Mon Petit minonette – if you could send a recording – it would help us find the rest of the lyrics.
When I asked my partner Monique in France about French CD’s for kids, here’s what she wrote:
“Mes chansons préférées”
and “Chansons pour enfants” -this seems to be an American site (as the prices are in $)
Those are French or Canadian
These have a very nice catalog.
March 10th, 2008 at 5:16 pm
My Belgian father used to sing me a lullaby which went:
La poulette orange
Qui pond dans la grange
Elle va pondre un petit coco
Pour son petit qui va faire dodiche
Dodiche dodo
La poulette grise
Qui pond dans l’eglise
Elle va pondre un petit coco
Pour son petit qui va faire dodiche
Dodiche do do
La poulette brune
Qui pond dans la lune
Elle va pondre un petit coco
Pour son petit
Qui va faire dodiche
Dodiche do do
June 20th, 2010 at 9:21 pm
Thank you Rebecca! We posted your version of La petite poule grise on our Belgian pages with an English translation.
If anyone would like to submit another version of this song, we’d love to collect more.
Thanks! Mama Lisa
April 28th, 2011 at 11:24 am
My mom is French-Canadian and sang another version of Dodiche Dodo to me as a child. I used to think it was “Daddy Shave The Door”. I got the spelling from her and it may not be correct, but here it is:
DODICHE DODO
As sung to me by my French-Canadian mom, Muriel Grenier-Michaud
La petit poulette a blanche
Alot pondue sur la planche
Alot pondue le petit coco
Pour bébé (name) qui va faire dodo
Dodiche dodo
La petit poulette a noire
Alot pondue sur la poire
Alot pondue le petit coco
Pour bébé (name) qui va faire dodo
Dodiche dodo
La petit poulette a grise
Alot pondue dans l’eglise
Alot pondue le petit coco
Pour bébé (name) qui va faire dodo
Dodiche dodo
La petit poulette a rouge
Alot pondue dans le rose
Alot pondue le petit coco
Pour bébé (name) qui va faire dodo
Dodiche dodo
La petit poulette a bleu
Alot pondue dans le cieu
Alot pondue le petit coco
Pour bébé (name) qui va faire dodo
Dodiche dodo
March 19th, 2012 at 2:20 pm
I don’t exactly know any of the words but i know its a lullaby in French and its about a girl who’s boyfriend dies. By jumping in the ocean to get her ring i think. Anyone know what its called and how it goes?
March 19th, 2012 at 6:27 pm
Niki, we have several songs about an idiot drowning himself to get the girl her ring. Would you have more clues, like the tempo for example?
April 12th, 2012 at 5:27 pm
I am actually very interested in knowing the name of any french lullaby about a boy drowning himself to get the girl her ring! Please, please let me know!
January 7th, 2013 at 12:30 pm
This is really great for Marie-Thérèse. Often childhood memories nag at us, until we can’t remember whether they actually happened or not. So it’s nice to get confirmation in adulthood. Thanks for the sharing the lullaby.
January 3rd, 2014 at 11:40 pm
Hello I am looking for a lullaby that my Mimi sang to me when I was very little.
I don’t know the name or the translation and it is not the same as a version I have found at several other sites. I am putting most of this down phonetically:
“Fais dodo penush
Malowa o ne o nus…”
And that’s all I can remember. Sure it’s a French-Canadian lullaby since that’s where her parents came from. Thank you, michele
April 26th, 2014 at 5:06 pm
Desperately looking for the words/ translation to a ljullaby my gra dmother used to sing to us. If i recall it has something to do with–go to sleep my (angel,little one?), mother is going to a wedding, she will bring you home a doll etc,, It starts with Fais do do, but the ones I have found are not the same. I’d know it if I saw/heard it. Ancestry was french canadian. Anybody know anything about this one?? Thanks ahead of time:-)
-Lisa
April 27th, 2014 at 1:19 am
Found on the internet:
Fais dodo Pinoche,
ta mère est allée aux noces,
ton p’tit frère est au moulin,
ta p’tite sœur va r’venir demain,
elle va t’apporter une belle grosse “catin” (poupée),
grosse comme la tête de ton chien,
chien, dodiche dodo!!!
Sleep, Pinoche,
your mother has gone to a wedding,
your little brother is at the mill,
your little sister will come back tomorrow,
she’s going to bring you a big and beautiful doll,
as big a your dog head,
dog, sleepy sleep!!!
Note: “Catin” was a pet name for Catherine. In Canadian and Louisiana French, it means doll or mannequin. In France-French, it’s dated and means, “lady of the night” or could refer to a loose woman.
April 16th, 2015 at 2:50 pm
My french grandmother used to sing me a little song with words that sounded like the following. she might have made the song up but I’m trying to find out the French meaning of these words any help would be appreciated. Meesi, seesi, boulie
July 24th, 2016 at 8:10 am
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfO5my_I4m0
July 24th, 2016 at 6:20 pm
Here are the lyrics of the song in the video above:
Dodo Poulette, ma mignonnette
Faites un tour, un petit tour
Embrassez tous vos amours
Toujours !
Dodo Poulette, ma mignonnette
Si Alice fait dodo
Elle aura un coco
Tout chaud !
English (literal!) translation:
Sleep, little chick, my cutie one,
Make a full turn, make a U-turn,
Kiss all your beloved,
Always!
Sleep, little chick, my cuttie one,
If Alice gets asleep,
She’ll have an egg,
Quite warm!
“dodo” is baby talk for “sleep” and is used as you would say “lullaby”‘ in English.
“Poulette”, literally “little hen” is one of the many French endearment terms involving animals.
“coco” is baby talk for “egg”, it’s fallen into disuse as I mentioned in the opening post.
The song is included in this collection.