01/15/25

Le fleuve (1973)

It passes like a dream Ça passe comme un rêve
 Between our gray banks Entre nos rives grises
It carries like a taste Ça charrie comme un goût
To go and look further D’aller chercher plus loin
It’s like a little of the open sea C’est comme un peu du large
Spread out in our streets Ecarté dans nos rues
Of the open sea that we call Du large qu’on appelle
And that we never take Et qu’on ne prend jamais
The river the river Le fleuve le fleuve
 

Sometimes when my heart

 Des fois quand j’ai le cœur
Is sickened by being in the city Ecœuré d’être en ville
I come to see him pass by Je viens le voir passer
With my feet glued to the ground Les pieds vissés à terre
But my eyes have flown Mais les yeux envolés
Towards the east, further than the island Vers l’est plus loin que l’île
Where the horizon tilts Où l’horizon bascule
And the banks are lost Et les rives se perdent
 

The river the river

 Le fleuve le fleuve
With the wind that it makes Avec le vent qu’il fait
Ruffling the smoke Décoiffant les fumées
I invent the storms J’invente les tempêtes
And the blows that I miss Et les coups qu’il me manque
As with the cargo ships Comme avec les cargos
Which are all foreign Qui sont tous étrangers
I remake boats Je refais des bateaux
Which would belong to us Qui nous appartiendraient
 

The river the river

 Le fleuve le fleuve
And it’s a little bit of me Et c’est un peu de moi
And it’s a lot of us Et c’est beaucoup de nous
That he takes with him Qu’il emporte avec lui
Towards tides elsewhere Vers des marées d’ailleurs
While the birds Tandis que les oiseaux
Linger on the quays S’attardent sur les quais
I come back another time Je rentre une autre fois
Without having really seen Sans l’avoir vraiment vu
The river the river Le fleuve le fleuve 
Author: Sylvain Lelièvre
Lyrics source: Musixmatch
Suggested Sources:
01/15/25

Si les bateaux (1963)

Si les bateaux que nous avons bâtis
If the ships that we builtPrennent la mer avant que je revienne
Take to the sea before I should returnCargue ta voile, aussi la mienne
Furl your sail, and mine tooFais comme si, fais comme si
Act as if, act as ifNous en étions toujours les capitaines
We were always its captainsNous en étions toujours les capitaines
We were always its captains

Profond comme au large de l'île
Deep as the waters off the coast of the islandDoux comme une aile d'istorlet
Soft as the wing of a tern
Loin comme l'Angleterre
As far as EnglandJe t'aimerai
I’ll love youJe t'aimerai
I’ll love you

Si les trésors dont nous avions la clef
If the treasures to which we hold the keyLe plan, la carte et la belle aventure
The chart, the map, and the great adventureN'étaient que rêve et qu'imposture
Were all but dreams and deceptionÉvoque-les, évoque-les
Recall them, recall themPar des drapeaux de plus dans les mâtures
Through flags added on the mastsPar des drapeaux de plus dans les mâtures
Through flags added on the masts

Profond comme au large de l'île
Deep as the waters off the coast of the islandDoux comme une aile d'istorlet
Soft as the wing of a tern
Loin comme l'Angleterre
As far as EnglandJe t'aimerai
I’ll love youJe t'aimerai
I’ll love you

Si je me fais facteur ou jardinier
If I become a postman or gardenerNe me viens plus parler de contrebande
Never speak to me again of smugglingMais si tu veux que je me pende
But, if you would like me to hang myselfAu grand hunier, au grand hunier
From the topsail, from the topsailRaconte-moi que tu as vu l'Irlande
Tell me that you’ve seen IrelandRaconte-moi que tu as vu l'Irlande
Tell me that you’ve seen Ireland

Profond comme au large de l'île
Deep as the waters off the coast of the islandDoux comme une aile d'istorlet
Soft as the wing of a tern
Loin comme l'Angleterre
As far as EnglandJe t'aimerai
I’ll love youJe t'aimerai
I’ll love you

Translated by: Jason, Isaac, and Simon

Interpretation based on translation:

An ode to the sea, to love, and to travel. Expresses love, nostalgia, and melancholic memories. Maybe the “ships” are metaphors for dreams and aspirations.

Author: Gilles Vigneault

Lyrics Source: Musxmatch

 

Suggested Sources:

Recording by Gilles Vigneault: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ti4JEaLX4WU

01/15/25

Le ciel se marrie avec la mer (1957)

[Couplet 1]
La mer a mis sa robe verte
Et le ciel bleu son œillet blanc
Elle a voulu être coquette
Pour dire au ciel en s’éveillant:

[Refrain]
«N’oublie pas mon cœur, ni la fleur, ni le jonc
N’oublie pas surtout que demain nous nous marierons»

[Couplet 2]
Les pieds dans les sables des dunes
Je les ai vus qui s’embrassaient
À l’ombre des joncs des lagunes
Et puis la mer qui lui disait

[Refrain]
«N’oublie pas mon cœur, ni la fleur, ni le jonc
N’oublie pas surtout que demain nous nous marierons»

[Couplet 3]
Une fleur à la boutonnière
Le lendemain se mariait
Le ciel au bras de la mer fière
D’avoir du soleil en bouquet

[Outro]
Il y avait leurs cœurs et les fleurs et le jonc
Chaque jour depuis mille fois, revit cette chanson

Author/composer: Jacques Blanchet

Lyrics Source: Genius.com

Suggested Sources:

Panthéon posting: https://www.cshf.ca/fr/song/le-ciel-se-marie-avec-la-mer/

Recording with Jacques Blanchet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aK_K4iS8hSM

Recording with Lucille Dumont: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8f8MVRhx3c

01/9/25

Helen Creighton Folklore Society

Helen Creighton (1899–1989) was a folklorist who collected stories and songs of the Maritimes, including French Acadian music from Pubnico and Grand-Étang, Nova Scotia.

Suggested Sources:

Helen Creighton Folklore Society, https://www.helencreighton.org/

Related Contents:

“Pubnico”

“Grand-Étang”

01/8/25

Marie-Jo Thériault (1965–)

Marie-Jo Thério is an Acadian singer and performer born in Moncton, New Brunswick on July 3, 1965. Her early years in Moncton included piano lessons from the age of 6, and theater performances. During her period growing up in Moncton, she wrote her own music and was inspired by David Bowe and Harmonium’s L’Heptade album (9); a Montreal based folk rock band active between 1972-1979 (2). In 1995, she released her first album Comme de la musique (4). Links to her Acadian heritage can be found in tracks of this album, such as “Petite Acadie” and “Moncton” – songs with lyrics that express her feelings and experiences living in Moncton (1, 5, 4). 

At the age of 16, Thério would leave for Montreal to study literature and theater (4), and later come to perform in France, Africa and South America. She would go on to win the Félix award in the category of contemporary folk for her album Les Matins habitables (10). The album contains “Moncton”, of the same from Comme de la musique, and “Évangéline” (3). “Evangeline” is based on the poem “Evangeline: A Tale of Acadie” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, which follows the trials of two Acadian lovers who become separated due to consequences of deportation (8). Along with the text content, it also follows similar traditional Acadian folk music elements, such as its strophic musical style and direct key change in the verse. 

Recently, Thério has continued to perform her music, reviving her La Maline album on stage in 2024 (7). 

Suggested Sources:

  1. Comme de la Musique. Spotify. (1995, February 9). https://open.spotify.com/album/0k1QpknX59YYwTfuOqFbqh  
  2. Harmonium. Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. (2019, October 7). https://www.cshf.ca/songwriter/harmonium/  
  3. Les Matins habitables. Spotify. (2005, June 21). https://open.spotify.com/album/5YZzIbWvVSe4Cx7LXEIjMT  
  4. Marie-Jo Thério – Moncton lyrics. Musixmatch. (n.d.-b). https://www.musixmatch.com/lyrics/Marie-Jo-Th%C3%A9rio/Moncton  
  5. Marie-Jo Thério – Petite acadie lyrics. Musixmatch. (n.d.-c). https://www.musixmatch.com/de/songtext/Marie-Jo-Th%C3%A9rio/Petite-Acadie  
  6. Marie-Jo Thério – Évangeline. Musixmatch. (n.d.-a). https://www.musixmatch.com/lyrics/Marie-Jo-Th%C3%A9rio/Evangeline  
  7. Marie-Jo Thério. Congrès mondial acadien 2024. (n.d.). https://cma2024.ca/en/program/artists/marie-jo-therio-en  
  8. Parks Canada Agency, G. of C. (2022, November 11). Evangeline. Grand-Pré National Historic Site. https://parks.canada.ca/lhn-nhs/ns/grandpre/culture/evangeline  
  9. Radio-Canada. (2006a, October 24). Marie-Jo Thério, l’artiste sensible au parcours unique. Radio-Canada. https://ici.radio-canada.ca/ohdio/premiere/emissions/les-grands-entretiens/segments/entrevue/129250/marie-jo-therio-moncton-acadie-maline-monique-giroux  
  10. Radio-Canada. (2006b, October 24). Marie-Jo Thério Remporte un félix. https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/326763/nb-therio 
  • “Marie-Jo Thério, l’artiste sensible au parcours unique,” Les grands entretiens, Radio-Canada. https://ici.radio-canada.ca/ohdio/premiere/emissions/les-grands-entretiens/segments/entrevue/129250/marie-jo-therio-moncton-acadie-maline-monique-giroux (Accessed January 9, 2025).

Related Contents: