Etiennette was looking for help with a French lullaby:
I was wondering if anyone knew the complete lyrics to a lullaby my mother would sing to me and then to my children. I only remember a few, it’s a bit scary. Maybe that’s why I don’t remember too much. Here it goes…
Entendez-vous dans la pleine,
Un bruit venent jusqu’a nous
On dirait un bruit de chenes, (blank, blank)
C’est le lustucru qui passe (dah dah dah)
Allez-vous-en méchant homme – – – –
car ils font un petit songes,
Non vous n’aurai pas mes deux petit gars,
Lo-la lo-la tirala lo la.Etiennette Tosches
If anyone can help, please comment below.
Thanks!
Mama Lisa
This article was posted on Thursday, January 29th, 2009 at 3:02 pm and is filed under Belgium, Canada, Children's Songs, Countries & Cultures, France, French, French Kids Songs, French Lullabies, Languages, Lullabies, Questions, Readers Questions. 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.
7 Responses to “Can Anyone Help with a Scary French Lullaby?”
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January 31st, 2009 at 12:08 pm
http://everything2.com/e2node/La%2520m%25E8re%2520Michel ????
Perhaps you have a variation on this song?
January 31st, 2009 at 12:54 pm
We do have this song! Thanks Seth. Here’s the link…
La mère Michel – with an English translation and an mp3, midi and score.
November 7th, 2009 at 2:10 am
This might be the one you are looking for. My mother sang it to me as well. It is called The Sandman or Lustukru.
There’s a Canadian site that tells how some lullabies served as warnings, like those found in Lustukru. The version of the song below was recorded by Theodore Botrel. His work was very popular in Quebec.
Lustukru
Refrain:
Lon lon la,
Lon lon la, lon lon la, lire la, lon la!
La, lon la!
1. Entendez-vous dans la plaine
Ce bruit venant jusqu’à nous?
On dirait un bruit de chaîne
Se traînant sur les cailloux.
C’est le grand Lustukru qui passe,
Qui repasse et s’en ira
Emportant dans sa besace
Tous les petits gâs
Qui ne dorment pas!
Refrain
2. Quelle est cette voix démente
Qui traverse nos volets?
Non, ce n’est pas la tourmente
Qui joue avec les galets:
C’est le grand Lustukru qui gronde
Qui gronde … et bientôt rira
En ramassant à la ronde
Tous les petits gâs
Qui ne dorment pas!
Refrain
3. Qui donc gémit de la sorte,
Dans l’enclos, tout près d’ici?
Faudra-t-il donc que je sorte
Pour voir qui soupire ainsi?
C’est le grand Lustukru qui pleure:
Il a faim et mangera
Crus-tout-vifs, sans pain ni beurre,
Tous les petits gâs
Qui ne dorment pas!
Refrain
4. Qui voulez-vous que je mette
Dans le sac au vilain Vieux?
Mon Doric et ma Jeannette
Viennent de fermer les yeux:
Allez vous-en, méchant homme,
Quérir ailleurs vos repas!
Puisqu’ils font leur petit somme,
Non, vous n’aurez pas
Mes deux petits gâs!
Refrain
You can see 2 more local Canadian versions of Lustukru at the same site.
November 7th, 2009 at 11:54 am
You can find the tune -and a shortened version of the above lyrics- here (look for “Le grand Lustukru I” by alphabetical order -under “G”).
You can also hear it sung while reading the above lyrics on this site.
November 7th, 2009 at 2:02 pm
Here is a quick English translation I did of Lustukru (with some edits thanks to Monique Palomares)…
A Lustukru is an ogre or bogeyman.
Ogre
Chorus:
Lon lon la,
Lon lon la, lon lon la, lire la, lon la!
La, lon la!
1. Do you hear in the plains
The noise coming up to us?
We would say it’s like the noise of a chain
Dragging itself on pebbles.
It’s a big Ogre who passes by,
Who passes by again and will go back
Carrying in his shoulder bag
All the little youngsters
Who don’t sleep!
(Chorus)
2. What is this crazy voice
Which passes by our shutters?
No, it isn’t the storm
Which plays with pebbles:
It is the big Ogre who roars
Who roars and will soon laugh…
Gathering up
All the little youngsters
Who don’t sleep!
(Chorus)
3. Who moaned so,
In the enclosure, near here?
Must I thus have to go out
To see who sighs so?
It’s the big Ogre crying:
He’s hungry and eating
Raw and alive, without bread or butter,
All the little youngsters
Who don’t sleep!
(Chorus)
4. Who do you want me to put
In the bad old man’s bag?
My Doric and my Jeannette
Have just closed their eyes:
Go away, bad man,
Fetch your meal elsewhere!
Since they take their nap,
No, you will not have
My two little youngsters!
(Chorus)
*****
Note: Lustukru can also be spelled Lustrucru. It originally meant “simpleton” coming from “l’eusses-tu cru ?”.
Monique said, “Nowadays if you ask French people about “lustucru” (whatever the spelling, when you talk there’s no difference), they’ll tell you it’s a brand of all types of pasta.”
November 7th, 2009 at 4:04 pm
Here’s an operatic version…
November 7th, 2009 at 4:08 pm
It in this video around 2 minutes 40 seconds…