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Quand P'tit Jean Revint du Bois
sung by Alan Mills

hear this song -click on arrow to start

Quand p'tit Jean revint du bois
Quand p'tit Jean revint du bois
Trouv' le tête de son âne
Que les loups avaient mangé
Tête! Tête! 
Pauvre tête, pauvre tête
Tu ne porteras plus de brid'
Carrionette! Ni de brid'
Ni de brid'ons.  Carrionons.

Quand p'tit Jean revint du bois
Quand p'tit Jean revint du bois
Trouv' le dos de son âne
Que les loups avaient mangé
Dos! Dos! 
Pauvre dos, pauvre dos,
Tu ne porteras plus de sel'
Carrionette! Ni de sel'
Ni de sel'rons.  Carrionons.

repetez avec:
les pattes ... tu ne porteras plus de fer
le queue ... tu ne tueras plus de mouches

Little Jean Went Through The Woods
sung by Alan Mills

hear this song -click on arrow to start

Little Jean went through the woods
Little Jean went through the woods
Found the head of his poor donkey
Who'd been eaten by some wolves. 
Head!  Head!
Sorry, head. Sorry head
No more bridle will you wear
My little donkey
No more bridle will you wear
My little friend.

Little Jean went through the woods
Little Jean went through the woods
Found the back of his poor donkey
Who'd been eaten by some wolves. 
Back!  Back!
Sorry, back. Sorry, back.
No more saddle will you wear
My little donkey
No more saddle will you wear
My little friend.

repeat with:
feet - no more iron shoes you'll wear
tail - no more flies you'll have to kill

 

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 Like the tale of the Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf, many old folk songs tell of both the dangers and consequences of encounters with wolves and foxes.  The folk song, A La Volette, originally told of 3 "little rebels" who went off to the woods "laughing at danger."  Over the years, it  evolved into "Un petit oiseaux".

In Mariann' S'en Va-T-Au Moulin, Marianne's donkey gets eaten by a wolf, but she convinces her father that she has the same donkey. 

The tale of P'tit Jean comes down from a very old song with many variations.  Like Alouette, the  body parts often vary from one version to the next.

Faune Populaire de la France devotes several pages to the tune.   

 

Samuel FergusonLangston HughesThomas HoodAdelaide CrapseySir John SucklingW. S. GilbertRobert HerrickAlexander Pope

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