TEXT: Frère Jacques
Frère Jacques
Dormez vous?
Dormez vous?
Sonnez les matines
Sonnez les matines
Ding ding dong
Ding ding dong
INFORMANT DESCRIPTION: Female, 42, French
CONTEXT: This woman’s mother used to sing this song to her, in her crib, when she was a baby. Then she grew up and sang it to her children. It is a French nursery rhyme used to put children to sleep. She said she sometimes even still sang it to her adult children when they had trouble sleeping. It is very tender to her and a very sweet memory. She hopes to sing it to her grandchildren.
TRANSLATION: Are you sleeping
Are you sleeping?
Brother John
Brother John?
Morning bells are ringing
Morning bells are ringing
Ding ding dong
Ding ding dong
THOUGHTS: The translation has been adapted to English. Changing a typical French name of Jacques to John. Interestingly so because it seems the point of the French words are their melodic quality and annotation that don’t translate to english. I have definitely heard this song before but did not know the context.