Compère Guilleri
Compère Guilleri
Fellow Guilleri
Chanson enfantine
Children's Song
(French)
(English)
Il était un p'tit homme
Qui s'appelait Guilleri, carabi
Il s'en fut à la chasse
À la chasse aux perdrix, carabi
Refrain:
Titi, carabi, toto, carabo *,compère Guilleri
te laisseras-tu, te laiss'ras-tu, te laiss'ras-tu mouri**?
Il s'en fut à la chasse
À la chasse aux perdrix, carabi
Il monta sur un arbre
Pour voir ses chiens couri**, carabi
Refrain
Il monta sur un arbre
Pour voir ses chiens couri**, carabi
La branche vint à rompre
Et Guilleri tombit***, carabi
Refrain
La branche vint à rompre
Et Guilleri tombit***, carabi
Il se cassa la jambe
Et le bras se démit, carabi
Refrain
Il se cassa la jambe
Et le bras se démit, carabi
Les dam's de l'hôpital
Sont arrivées au bruit, carabi
Refrain
Les dam's de l'hôpital
Sont arrivées au bruit, carabi
L'une apporte un emplâtre
L'autre de la charpie, carabi
Refrain
L'une apporte un emplâtre
L'autre de la charpie, carabi
On lui banda la jambe
Et le bras lui remit, carabi
Refrain
On lui banda la jambe
Et le bras lui remit, carabi
Pour remercier ces dames
Guill'ri les embrassit***, carabi
Refrain
Pour remercier ces dames
Guill'ri les embrassit***, carabi
De cette belle histoire
La morale la voici, carabi
Refrain
De cette belle histoire
La morale la voici, carabi
Elle prouve que par les femmes
L'homme est toujours guéri, carabi
Refrain
There was a little man
Who was called Guilleri, carabi,
He went a-hunting
A-hunting partridges, carabi.
(Chorus)
Titi, carabi, toto carabo*, fellow Guilleri
Will you let, will you let, will you let yourself die?
He went a-hunting
A-hunting partridges, carabi,
He climbed up a tree
To see his hounds run, carabi.
(Chorus)
He climbed up a tree
To see his hounds run, carabi,
Then the branch broke
And Guilleri fell down, carabi.
(Chorus)
Then the branch broke
And Guilleri fell down, carabi,
He broke his leg
And dislocated his arm, carabi.
(Chorus)
He broke his leg
And dislocated his arm, carabi,
The ladies from the hospital
Came because of the noise, carabi.
(Chorus)
The ladies from the hospital
Came because of the noise, carabi,
One brings plaster
Another brings shredded linen, carabi.
(Chorus)
One brings plaster
Another brings shredded linen, carabi,
They bandaged his leg
And set his arm, carabi.
(Chorus)
They bandaged his leg
And set his arm, carabi,
To thank these ladies
Guilleri kissed them, carabi.
(Chorus)
To thank these ladies
Guilleri kissed them, carabi,
Here's the moral,
Of this nice story, carabi.
(Chorus)
Here's the moral,
Of this nice story, carabi.
It proves that through women
Man is always healed, carabi.
(Chorus)
Notes
*These are meaningless words.
**The song has this as "mouri" and "couri", instead of "mourir" and "courir".
***The song has this as "tombit" and "embrassit" instead of "tomba" and "embrassa", to keep the rhyme.
Thanks and Acknowledgements
Many thanks to Jade Kite for contributing this song. Translated by Monique Palomares and Lisa Yannucci.
Image: "Le petit français illustré: journal des écoliers et des écolières", Volume 15, Issue 2 (1903)
Merci!
