{"id":31463,"date":"2019-07-17T15:19:19","date_gmt":"2019-07-17T13:19:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/?p=31463"},"modified":"2019-07-10T00:56:21","modified_gmt":"2019-07-09T22:56:21","slug":"how-benjamin-franklin-inspired-a-revolutionary-song-celebrating-bastille-day-in-french","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/how-benjamin-franklin-inspired-a-revolutionary-song-celebrating-bastille-day-in-french\/","title":{"rendered":"How Benjamin Franklin Inspired A Revolutionary Song &#8211; Celebrating Bastille Day In French"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>With a weekend filled with fireworks and French pride, I thought it&#8217;d be fun to look into <strong>une chanson patriotique<\/strong> (a patriotic song) other than <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/singing-la-marseillaise-probably-not-the-one-you-know\/\"><em><strong>la Marsaillaise<\/strong><\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_31466\" style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter post-item__attachment\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31466\" class=\"size-full wp-image-31466\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/07\/ben-franklin-ca-ira-it-will-be-fine-france-french.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"551\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/07\/ben-franklin-ca-ira-it-will-be-fine-france-french.png 640w, https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/07\/ben-franklin-ca-ira-it-will-be-fine-france-french-350x301.png 350w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-31466\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pixabay.com\/illustrations\/ben-franklin-benjamin-portrait-usa-4318568\/\">Image<\/a> from Pixabay. Licensed under CC0.<\/p><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/why-bastille-day-is-not-really-bastille-day\/\"><strong>L&#8217;hymne national fran\u00e7ais<\/strong><\/a> (the French national anthem) is known all around the world. Even if people are a little hazy on <strong>les paroles<\/strong> (the lyrics), the first few notes are immediately recognizable.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>Mais y a-t-il d&#8217;autres chansons pour la f\u00eate nationale ?<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>But are there any other songs for the national holiday?<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Beyond <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/14-juillet-song\/ \u200e\"><em><strong>la Carmagnole<\/strong> <\/em>from last week<\/a>, there are other fun and memorable patriotic songs that are important to <strong>l&#8217;histoire fran\u00e7aise<\/strong> (French history).<\/p>\n<p>One that caught my attention even has a connection to <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/la-banniere-etoilee-celebrating-the-fourth-of-july-in-french\/\"><strong>l&#8217;histoire am\u00e9ricaine<\/strong><\/a> (American history)!<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>Ah ! \u00c7a ira, \u00e7a ira, \u00e7a ira !<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>Ah! It&#8217;ll be fine, it&#8217;ll be fine, it&#8217;ll be fine!<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>La chanson<\/strong> (the song) and its iconic chorus is a symbol of <strong>la r\u00e9volution fran\u00e7aise<\/strong>. It&#8217;s said that the name and chorus were inspired by none other than <em>Benjamin Franklin<\/em>. During his time in Paris while <strong>la guerre d\u2019<a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/bonne-fete-nationale-happy-independence-day-in-french\/\">Ind\u00e9pendance am\u00e9ricaine<\/a><\/strong> (the Revolutionary War, <em>literally: the War of American Independence<\/em>) was raging on he became something of a French celebrity.<\/p>\n<p>Legend has it that when asked how <strong>la guerre<\/strong> was going, <em>Benjamin Franklin<\/em> would respond in broken French:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>\u00c7a ira, \u00e7a ira.<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>It&#8217;ll be fine, it&#8217;ll be fine.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>From that simple response <strong>une chanson r\u00e9volutionnaire<\/strong> (a revolutionary song) was born and has been covered many times since <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/why-bastille-day-is-not-really-bastille-day\/\"><strong>la r\u00e9volution<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Listen to the <em><strong>Ah ! \u00c7a ira<\/strong> <\/em>sung by the famous <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/edith-piaf-la-vie-en-rose\/\"><em>Edith Piaf<\/em><\/a> and keep up the spirit of the July celebrations!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Voici la chanson avec les paroles et une traduction anglaise<\/strong> (here&#8217;s the song with the lyrics and an English translations):<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Edith Piaf - Le \u00e7a ira\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/877R5K51ljU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00c7a ira<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>It&#8217;ll be fine<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Refrain:<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Ah! \u00c7a ira ! \u00c7a ira ! \u00c7a ira !<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Les aristocrates \u00e0 la lanterne !<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Ah! \u00c7a ira ! \u00c7a ira ! \u00c7a ira !<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Les aristocrates, on les pendra !<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Ah! It&#8217;ll be fine! It&#8217;ll be fine! It&#8217;ll be fine!<br \/>\nAristocrats to the lamp-post*!<br \/>\nAhh! It will be fine! It will be fine! It will be fine!<br \/>\nWe will hang the aristocrats!<\/p>\n<p><small><em>*euphemism for <strong>la guillotine<\/strong> <\/em><small><\/small><\/small><\/p>\n<p><strong>Trois cents ans qu&#8217;ils nous promettent<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Qu&#8217;on va nous accorder du pain.<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Voil\u00e0 trois cents ans qu&#8217;ils donnent des f\u00eates<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Et qu&#8217;ils entretiennent des catins !<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Voil\u00e0 trois cents ans qu&#8217;on nous \u00e9crase<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Assez de mensonges et de phrases !<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>On ne veut plus mourir de faim !<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>For three hundred years they promised us<\/em><br \/>\n<em>They would give us bread.<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Well, for three hundred years they feasted<\/em><br \/>\n<em>And entertained harlots!<\/em><br \/>\n<em>And for three hundred years this crushed us<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Enough of these lies and empty words!<\/em><br \/>\n<em>We will not die of hunger!<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Refrain:<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Ah! \u00c7a ira ! \u00c7a ira ! \u00c7a ira !<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Les aristocrates \u00e0 la lanterne !<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Ah! \u00c7a ira ! \u00c7a ira ! \u00c7a ira !<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Les aristocrates, on les pendra !<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>Chorus:<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Ah! It&#8217;ll be fine! It&#8217;ll be fine! It&#8217;ll be fine!<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Aristocrats to the lamp-post!<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Ahh! It will be fine! It will be fine! It will be fine!<\/em><br \/>\n<em>We will hang the aristocrats!<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Voil\u00e0 trois cents ans qu&#8217;ils font la guerre<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Au son des fifres et des tambours<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>En nous laissant crever de mis\u00e8re.<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>\u00c7a ne pouvait pas durer toujours&#8230;<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Voil\u00e0 trois cent ans qu&#8217;ils prennent nos hommes<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Qu&#8217;ils nous traitent comme des b\u00eates de somme.<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>\u00c7a ne pouvait pas durer toujours !<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>Well, for three hundred years they waged war<\/em><br \/>\n<em>To the sound of fifes and drums<\/em><br \/>\n<em>And left us to perish in misery.<\/em><br \/>\n<em>It could not go on forever&#8230;<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Yes, for three centuries they took our men<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Oh how they treat us like beasts of burden.<\/em><br \/>\n<em>It could not go on forever!<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Refrain:<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Ah! \u00c7a ira ! \u00c7a ira ! \u00c7a ira !<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Les aristocrates \u00e0 la lanterne !<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Ah! \u00c7a ira ! \u00c7a ira ! \u00c7a ira !<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Les aristocrates, on les pendra !<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Chorus:<br \/>\nAh! It&#8217;ll be fine! It&#8217;ll be fine! It&#8217;ll be fine!<br \/>\nAristocrats to the lamp-post!<br \/>\nAhh! It will be fine! It will be fine! It will be fine!<br \/>\nWe will hang the aristocrats!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Le ch\u00e2timent pour vous s&#8217;appr\u00eate<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Car le peuple reprend ses droits.<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Vous vous \u00eates bien pay\u00e9 nos t\u00eates,<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>C&#8217;en est fini, messieurs les rois !<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Il faut plus compter sur les n\u00f4tres :<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>On va s&#8217;offrir maintenant les v\u00f4tres,<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Car c&#8217;est nous qui faisons la loi !<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>Your punishment awaits you<\/em><br \/>\n<em>For the people are standing up for their rights.<\/em><br \/>\n<em>You have been well paid with our heads,<\/em><br \/>\n<em>It is finished, gentlemen-kings!<\/em><br \/>\n<em>We must now rely on ourselves:<\/em><br \/>\n<em>And we offer you your returns1<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Because we now make the law!<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Refrain:<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Ah! \u00c7a ira ! \u00c7a ira ! \u00c7a ira !<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Les aristocrates \u00e0 la lanterne !<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Ah! \u00c7a ira ! \u00c7a ira ! \u00c7a ira !<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Les aristocrates, on les pendra !<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>Chorus:<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Ah! It&#8217;ll be fine! It&#8217;ll be fine! It&#8217;ll be fine!<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Aristocrats to the lamp-post!<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Ahh! It will be fine! It will be fine! It will be fine!<\/em><br \/>\n<em>We will hang the aristocrats!<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Translation from <a href=\"https:\/\/lyricstranslate.com\/en\/le-%C3%A7-ira-it-will-be-fine.html#songtranslation\">LyricsTranslate<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<img width=\"350\" height=\"301\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/07\/ben-franklin-ca-ira-it-will-be-fine-france-french-350x301.png\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/07\/ben-franklin-ca-ira-it-will-be-fine-france-french-350x301.png 350w, https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/07\/ben-franklin-ca-ira-it-will-be-fine-france-french.png 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><p>With a weekend filled with fireworks and French pride, I thought it&#8217;d be fun to look into une chanson patriotique (a patriotic song) other than la Marsaillaise. L&#8217;hymne national fran\u00e7ais (the French national anthem) is known all around the world. Even if people are a little hazy on les paroles (the lyrics), the first few&hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"post-item__readmore\"><a class=\"btn btn--md\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/how-benjamin-franklin-inspired-a-revolutionary-song-celebrating-bastille-day-in-french\/\">Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":124,"featured_media":31466,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[3,108],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31463","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","category-music"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31463","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/124"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31463"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31463\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31466"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31463"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31463"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31463"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}