Alouette

Alouette, gentille alouette is a famous French song which describes a lark being gradually plucked (head, beak, eyes, neck, wings, legs, tail and back)!

The story of the song

Alouette is a French-Canadian nursery rhyme that is very popular in the French-speaking world.

It seems to date back to the 19th century and its origin is subject to debate.

Is Alouette French or Quebecois?

The Canadian folklorist Marius Barbeau defends the idea that the song comes from France.

However, James J. Fuld, in The Book of World-Famous Music (New York 1966), points out that the first written version, under the title "Alouetté", appeared in A Pocket Song Book for the Use of the Students and Graduates of McGill College (Montreal, 1879). The song was later published under its title "Alouette" in the McGill College Song Book (Montreal 1885).

A cumulative song

Alouette is a cumulative song. Like "The Twelve Days of Christmas" and "Mon âne", it starts with a simple verse structure modified by progressive addition so that each verse is longer than the verse before.

A song sung by the US Marines

I always wondered why this song - in particular - was taught in American schools.

In fact, many US Marines and other Allied soldiers learned the song while serving in France during World War I and took it home with them, passing it on to their children and grandchildren.

The song is actually very popular in schools as it teaches the body parts in French.

What is a lark?

The lark (alouette in French) is a small field passerine with greyish or brownish plumage that nests on the ground in fields and sings in flight. Its mainly insectivorous diet makes the lark a useful bird.

The species and sizes of the lark

The lark actually consists of 80 different species, including the field skylark (Alauda arvensis), which belongs to the order Passeriformes and the family Alaudidae.

Alaudids are small passerines with a rather compact body. The bird is 18 to 19 cm long, with an average wingspan of 35 cm. The lark weighs between 30 and 50 g depending on its sex and its life expectancy is 12 years.

Plumage, head and tail

The plumage of the lark is discreet as it is predominantly brown and streaked with dark brown.

The lark blends into the environment and makes the bird almost invisible on the ground.

The head has long feathers on the top of the cap, forming a crest that sometimes rises. The dark brown eyes are highlighted by yellowish eyebrows.

The lower part of the body is cream-coloured.

The long, almost black tail has white spots on the outer rectrices and the wings are lightly edged.

Both sexes are similar in plumage, but the male is larger than the female.

In a children's rhyme or a romantic poem, the little bird inspires. Not so much for its plumage - which is rather dull - but for its melodious song, which has over 600 notes!

Just as melodious as the nightingale, the song of the lark is unique in its quality, variety and length. The passerine has one of the richest bird repertoires in the world with over 600 notes and syllables!

They express various information and emotions:

• defending territory, 
• strengthening bonds between partners,
• warning of imminent danger. 

A migratory bird

The nomadic nature of the bird differs according to latitude: it is entirely migratory in northern and eastern Europe and intermittently in the south.

France is a wintering area for birds from Scandinavia, Finland and Central Europe which join the sedentary birds.

During the winter, the birds search for stubble and cereal seedlings, beetroot or rape fields which provide them with ample food.

Sometimes the populations of northern France and Belgium flee the winter season and the unproductive fields for south-western France or even the Iberian peninsula.

Towards the end of February/beginning of March, the migrants return to their country of origin to breed.

Finally, the lark migrates mainly at night, dedicating the day to foraging and resting.

Learn more about the lark on Wikipedia.

Alouette, sweet alouette

Lyrics, music, free download... let's learn more about the popular song:

The lyrics in French

The original song of Alouette has 7 verses and a chorus.

Translation of the lyrics into English

Here is an approximative translation into English:

Chorus

Alouette, sweet alouette
Alouette, I'll pluck you

Verse 1

I'll pluck your head
I'll pluck your head
And the head, and the head
Alouette, Alouette
Oh, oh, oh, oh

Verse 2

I'll pluck your beak
I'll pluck your beak
And the beak, and the beak
And the head, and the head
Alouette, Alouette
Oh, oh, oh, oh

Verse 3

I'll pluck your neck
I'll pluck your neck
And the neck, and the neck
And the beak, and the beak
And the head, and the head
Alouette, Alouette
Oh, oh, oh, oh

Verse 4

I'll pluck your wings
I'll pluck your wings
And the wings, and the wings
And the neck, and the neck
And the beak, and the beak
And the head, and the head
Alouette, Alouette
Oh, oh, oh, oh

Verse 5

I'll pluck your back
I'll pluck your back
And the back, and the back
And the wings, and the wings
And the neck, and the neck
And the beak, and the beak
And the head, and the head
Alouette, Alouette
Oh, oh, oh, oh

Verse 6

I'll pluck your feet
I'll pluck your feet
And the legs, and the legs
And the back, and the back
And the wings, and the wings
And the neck, and the neck
And the beak, and the beak
And the head, and the head
Alouette, Alouette
Oh, oh, oh, oh

Verse 7

I'll pluck your tail
I'll pluck your tail
And the tail, and the tail
And the legs, and the legs
And the back, and the back
And the wings, and the wings
And the neck, and the neck
And the beak and the beak
And the head, and the head
Alouette, Alouette
Oh, oh, oh, oh