Le Palais Royal is a palace in Paris that was built in the 1630's.

Notes

*A girl's name to be chosen among the girls in the game.
**A boy's name to be chosen among the boys in the game if any or among the boys the girls know.

*****

Elisabeth wrote: "Here's the way I played it as a jump rope song with my friends in grade school:

The girls in the circle sing:

Le Palais Royal est un beau palais, (The Palais-Royal is a beautiful castle)
Toutes les filles sont à marier. (All the young ladies are marriageable.)

Then, two girls turn a long jump rope in a circle and sing:

J'appelle à mon secours (I call to help me)
Mademoiselle Lili (Miss Lili -for example)

Lili goes in and jumps rope and everyone sings:

Le Palais Royal est un beau palais, (The Palais-Royal is a beautiful castle)
Toutes les filles sont à marier. (All the young ladies are marriageable.)

The rope turns faster while the girls recite the alphabet:

A , B , C ..........W , X , Y , Z and they go faster and faster if the girl hasn't messed up.
When the girl stumbles on a letter, all the girls choose an original or outdated boy's name beginning with that letter (or they choose the name of a boy they all know).

Then all sing:

Mademoiselle Lili
Est la préférée de Monsieur Gontran (for example) (Is the one preferred by Mr. Gontran)
Qui veut l'épouser. (Who wants to marry her.)
Si c'est oui (If it's yes)
C'est de l'espérance, (There's hope)
Si c'est non (If it's no)
C'est de la souffrance. (There's suffering.)

Then the rope turns faster and faster on the words:

Oui, non, oui, non .... (Yes, no, yes, no...)

If the girl stumbles on "no", they all sing:

Ah Gontran (Oh Gotran)
Mon p'tit cœur (My little heart)
N'est pas fait pour toi (Wasn't made for you)
Il est fait pour celui que j'aime. (It was made for the one I love.)

I can't remember the last line."

Game Instructions

First a girl is chosen and she steps outside the circle, so the other kids can choose the name of a boy. Then she goes in the center of the circle. The children walk in around in a circle. At the end of the song, she must say yes or no, then she chooses another girl who steps outside the circle…

Comments

The first line can be found as "Le Palais Royal est un beau quartier" (neighborhood).
The ninth line can be found as "Si c'est oui c'est de l'espérance" (if it's a yes) instead of "Si tu m'aimes…" (If you love me)

Download

Many thanks to Edit' Dupont for contributing and singing this song for Mama Lisa's World.

Download MIDI Tune

Thanks and Acknowledgements

Translation: Monique Palomares and Lisa Yannucci

Many thanks to Élisabeth Chalumeau for sending the way she used to play this when she was a child!

Merci beaucoup!