Apré bèf la sé ou
This is a bit of a joking Happy Birthday song based on mimicking the sounds of the original English song "Happy Birthday to You". But it means, in my heart, you come second after the cow! It's all in good fun! Though most people only sing it to close friends.
Apré bèf la sé ou
After the Cow, It's You
Birthday Song
Birthday Song
(Martinique Creole)
(English)
Apré bèf la sé ou,
Apré bèf la sé ou,
Apré bèf la sé ou (nom)
Apré bèf la sé ou
After the cow, it's you,
After the cow, it's you,
After the cow, it's you (*name),
After the cow, it's you,
Notes
*Name of person you're singing to.
Comments
I asked Vee, a graphic artist from Martinique, when 'Apré bèf la sé ou' is sung there and if the French birthday song "Joyeux Anniversaire" is sung too. She replied, "It's better to reserve this song for people who are close to you. Acquaintances wouldn't get mad (if you sang it), but they wouldn't understand that degree of familiarity. Yes, we sing the French version (Joyeux anniversaire) too with the line 'Dis-nous quel âge as-tu?' (Tell us how old are you?). In fact, 'Aprè Bèf La sé ou' is not sung systematically. It's mostly for fun."
Thanks!
