Author Archives: Tracy

03/26/25

Le matelot de Montréal

from Turtle Mountain Music  

(performance by Delia LaFloe) 

Strophe  Rhyme  Line  Text 
A  a  1  Grand dieu, tiens, le temps est long(e).  
  b  2  Que le temps qu’il est ennuyant. 
  c  3  Je m’en vais laisser les voir pour aller dans mon pays. 
  d  4  Pour aller dans mon pays, la ville de Montréal(e).   
  e  5  Pour aller voir m’aime qu’elle est la plus aimable. 
B  f  6  Toutes les gaies (gaietés) que j’ai dans ce monde c’est mon père ou c’est ma mère 
  a  7  donc mes frères et donc mes oncles et mes tantes pareillement 
  g  8  Le cœur de ma Clarisse que j’aime bien comme mama 
  e  9  j’espère qu’on la verra car elle est la plus aimable. 
C  h  10  Qui l’a composée la chansonnette? C’est un jeune, un matelot. 
  i  11  C’était un jour qu’il était en plein voyage qu’il l’a chantée tout du long 
  e  12  Qu’il l’a chantée tout du long qui était bien véritable. 
  j  13  Adieu, ma chan’ pillée. Adieu, ma chan’ sauvage. 

 Text Notes: 

  • French text was retrieved through the “Plains Chippewa/Metis Music from Turtle Mountain” album liner notes. 
  • Line breaks provided in the translation differ from the liner notes to align with strophes as identified in this analysis per the accompanying recording. 
  • The provided translation below differs from the liner notes to provide more direct and detailed translations of each line. 

English Translation: 

Grand dieu, tiens, le temps est long[e]*. Que le temps qu’il est ennuyant. 

Great God, time is boring. 

Je m’en [vais]** laisser [les voir]** pour aller dans mon pays. 

I’m going to leave them to go to my country. 

Pour aller dans mon pays, la ville de Montréal[e]*.  

To go to my country, the city of Montreal. 

Pour aller voir m’aime qu’elle est la plus aimable. 

To go see my love, she is the kindest. 

 

Toutes les gaies que j’ai dans ce monde c’est mon père ou c’est ma mère 

All the joys I have in this world is my father or my mother 

donc mes frères et donc mes oncles et mes tantes pareillement 

so (too)*** my brothers and so (too)*** my uncles and aunts alike. 

Le cœur de ma Clarisse que j’aime bien comme mama 

The heart of my Clarisse, whom I love like I do my mother 

j’espère qu’on la verra car elle est la plus aimable. 

I hope we will see her because she is the kindest. 

 

Qui l’a composée la chansonnette? C’est un jeune, un matelot. 

Who composed the little song? It was a young man, a sailor. 

C’était un jour qu’il était en plein voyage qu’il l’a chantée tout du long 

It was a day when he was in the middle of a voyage that he sang it all the way through 

Qu’il l’a chantée tout du long qui était bien véritable. 

He sang it all the way through, which was very true. 

Adieu, ma chan’ pillée. Adieu, ma chan’ sauvage. 

Farewell, my stolen song. Farewell, my wild song. 

 

*An extra “e” has been added as a sung syllable 

**Text may differ from the recording 

***Added for clarity in English, however a direct translation cannot be found in the original text. 

 

Laforte classification: Strophic 

  • Fixed form of 4 lines per strophe, with each verse ending with a couplet 
  • A narrative revolving around idyllic love (of a presumed lover and family, as well as country) and traveling. 

Narrative: 

A sailor is away from home; his home being Montreal. He begins with exclaiming to God about how long and lonesome it is. The song progresses into him deciding to go back. While on this journey back, he envisions seeing his family again; whom of which, bring joy to his life. The song ends in a third point perspective of the performer, explaining the origins of the story and their own sympathies to his story. 

Historical Context: 

This song is part of a collection of music recorded by the Chippewa and Cree Metis peoples from the Turtle Mountain Chippewa Reservation in North Dakota. The narrator in the beginning of the song had likely been living in the reserve and begun hoping to return to his home, Montreal. The liner notes indicate he was bidding “adieu” to aboriginal people. Along with this note, the original text being in French, and attributing Montreal to home, there is a good probability that the original singer was from Québec. 

Full French text being sung by a métis (Delia LaFloe) in a traditional chanson style reflects the close interaction of early French settlers with Indigenous groups. The connection between groups in North Dakota and Montreal also goes to show the distance the fur trade encouraged movement throughout Canada and the United States. The entirety of the song is perpetuated by a sense of longing for familial relationships and community.  

The shift in perspective of the last strophe, and the use of the word “pillée” on the last line, might indicate that this yearning has not yet been fulfilled by the singer. Alternatively, it may also be referring to inevitable separation from family members caused by having to move during the period of fur trading. Regardless of its exact meaning, the last strophe signifies that this story has significance that holds true to the experience of the residents of Turtle Mountain. 

Suggested sources:

Smithsonian Folkways Recordings 

Related contents:

Ojibwe

Métis

03/14/25

Ojibwe

The Ojibwe are indigenous peoples that are part of the larger group, Anishinaabeg [1]. The Anishinaabeg refers to indigenous peoples that are linked together culturally and linguistically, whom of which reside both in Canada and the United States [2]. The Ojibwe are also part of the Algonquin peoples, who’s ancestry can be found in Eastern Canada; primarily Ottawa and Quebec.  

The Algonquin were allies with early French settlers against the Haudenosaunee, a separate indigenous nation, and maintained alliances with the French settlers during the fur trade for military equipment, fur trading, and later, general supplies [3]. Ojibwe peoples migrated from Northeast Canada and spanned Southwest ward through to Manitoba. In the United States, Ojibwe peoples reside in the Northeast parts of Michigan, through to the Northern section of North Dakota [4]. 

This wide dispersal was due to the growing fur trading enterprise. Some Ojibwe peoples involved with the fur trade also participated in the Feast of the dead, an event held by the Huron [5], an allied Iroquoian-speaking indigenous nation [6]. The Feast of the dead refers to the event in which the movement of the bodies of departed souls (who did not die violent deaths) are relocated to a common ossuary, which was lined with beaver robes. The event helped facilitate fur and goods distribution between groups. 

Suggested Sources:

  1. Bishop, C. A. (2008, August 13). Ojibwe | the Canadian encyclopedia. The Canadian Encyclopedia. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/ojibwa 
  2. Hele, K. S. (2020, July 16). Anishinaabe. The Canadian Encyclopedia. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/anishinaabe 
  3. Black, M. J. (2007, September 30). Algonquin. The Canadian Encyclopedia. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/algonquin 
  4. Peacock, T. D., & Wisuri, M. (2002). A Chapter Road Map. In Ojibwe Waasa Inaabidaa (pp. 18–26). essay, Afton Historical Society Press., from https://books.google.ca/books?id=tIljlOKroM0C&lpg=PA10&ots=e0lyqX0pGd&dq=ojibwe&lr&pg=PA22#v=onepage&q=ojibwe&f=false. 
  5. Marsh, J. H. (2006, February 7). Feast of the dead. The Canadian Encyclopedia. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/feast-of-the-dead 
  6. Heidenreich, C. E. H. (2011, January 4). Wendat (Huron). The Canadian Encyclopedia. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/huron 

Related Contents:

 

01/22/25

La belle, si j’avais su!

Strophe  Rhyme  Line  Text 
A 1 a  1  La belle, si j’avais su, la belle, si j’avais cru, 
  a  2  Que jamais nos amours en aurions parvenu.   
A2  a  1  La belle, si j’avais su, la belle, si j’avais cru,   
  a  2  Que jamais nos amours en aurions parvenu.   
B1  b  3  J’aurais partout dépensé mon argent,   
  b  4  Le soir au cabaret avec tous tes parents. 
B2  b  3  J’aurais partout dépensé mon argent,   
  b  4  Le soir au cabaret avec tous tes parents. 
A1  a  5  Si tu l’as défoncé, c’est parce que tu l’as bien voulu.   
  a  6  Combien de fois je te l’ai défendu.   
A2  a  5  Si tu l’as défoncé, c’est parce que tu l’as bien voulu. 
  a  6  Combien de fois je te l’ai défendu. 
B1  c  7  Combien de fois nous avons veillé tous deux   
  c  8  Le soir à la chandelle comme de braves amoureux. 
B2  c  7  Combien de fois nous avons veillé tous deux,   
  c  8  Le soir à la chandelle comme de braves amoureux. 

Rhyme Analysis: Each four-line stanza features two lines that repeat, of the monorhyme type and “pauvre” quality. The second half begins with the same rhyme at the beginning, but then brings in a different rhyming sound (i.e., ab/ac).

The text seems to be split into two parts, sung by two different singers. The first two stanzas are sung by the man, and the last two are sung by the woman. These two singers are presumably meant to embody two lovers who are breaking up. As both singers do not sing back and forth to each other, but rather in a long form monologue one after another, it is likely that the text reflects the point of view of each lover after the relationship has ended. 

The first two stanzas, sung by Allan Mills (embodying the man), is mournful about ending his relationship with his lover. He sings about how he would have tried harder to impress her parents, and splurged them with nights at the cabaret, had he known their relationship was leading to an end. 

The second half is sung by Helene Baillargeon (embodying the woman) who sings about the likely reasons why she has decided to end the relationship. In the first stanza, she sings about how it seems her ex-lover has gotten himself in trouble by getting into one too many fights. The last stanza indicates that their relationship was already in troubled waters and had to be kept secret. 

There is a good indication that this may have been a drinking song; despite the text being about two lovers breaking up, it is light-hearted and comical. This is especially evident in the second stanza when the man sings that he would have wooed his partner’s parents by taking them to a cabaret; a seemingly counterintuitive decision. Also, in contrast to the subject, the rhythm of the music is bouncy and set in a major key.  

Suggested sources:

Related contents:

Acadia

Acadie (Acadia)

Acadian Music