Englishmen are singing the Marseillaise

[seattle smitty]

Following the terrorist strikes in Paris, we Yanks read that across Europe and the UK (and maybe Down Under???), wherever there has been a big public gathering such as the big soccer match in London, the French tricolor has been flown in the spirit of solidarity, and audiences encouraged to rise and sing the French national anthem.

Besides the delicious historical irony of such an event, something else occurred to me. (I hope that what I am about to ask "translates" . . . ).

Do any of you older, and I mean OLDer, guys remember a rock and roll number from the early Sixties, "Louie, Louie"?? Said to be the most "covered" of all rock and roll songs, this cosmically weird Jamaican love song was first recorded by three local-area bands, Rockin' Robin Roberts and the Fabulous Wailers, The Kingsmen, and Paul Revere and the Raiders.

Many years later, somebody started a tongue-in-cheek campaign to replace the Washington State official song, a staid and proper anthem that none of us had ever even heard much less sung, with . . . "Louie, Louie." This idea was so bizarre that of course it immediately caught the popular imagination. A bill was presented in the state legislature, and though it failed to pass, the state senate declared April 11 as "Louie, Louie Day." The city of Tacoma, home of the Wailers, has an annual Louie-Fest, and every Washingtonian of a certain age now thinks of "Louie, Louie" as OUR song!!

So what I was wondering is, If the terrorists ever make an attack on the U.S. Pacific Northwest . . .

. . . would our friends (assuming we have a few) around the world be willing to stand up in their stadiums and sing "Louie, Louie"???

[ellipsis]

I'll play the Motorhead version for you all.

[lodgernz]

Following the terrorist strikes in Paris, we Yanks read that across Europe and the UK (and maybe Down Under???), wherever there has been a big public gathering such as the big soccer match in London, the French tricolor has been flown in the spirit of solidarity, and audiences encouraged to rise and sing the French national anthem.

Besides the delicious historical irony of such an event, something else occurred to me. (I hope that what I am about to ask "translates" . . . ).

Do any of you older, and I mean OLDer, guys remember a rock and roll number from the early Sixties, "Louie, Louie"?? Said to be the most "covered" of all rock and roll songs, this cosmically weird Jamaican love song was first recorded by three local-area bands, Rockin' Robin Roberts and the Fabulous Wailers, The Kingsmen, and Paul Revere and the Raiders.

Many years later, somebody started a tongue-in-cheek campaign to replace the Washington State official song, a staid and proper anthem that none of us had ever even heard much less sung, with . . . "Louie, Louie." This idea was so bizarre that of course it immediately caught the popular imagination. A bill was presented in the state legislature, and though it failed to pass, the state senate declared April 11 as "Louie, Louie Day." The city of Tacoma, home of the Wailers, has an annual Louie-Fest, and every Washingtonian of a certain age now thinks of "Louie, Louie" as OUR song!!

So what I was wondering is, If the terrorists ever make an attack on the U.S. Pacific Northwest . . .

. . . would our friends (assuming we have a few) around the world be willing to stand up in their stadiums and sing "Louie, Louie"???

Absolutely! Might be on my own though, unless you make it go viral on social media.
I actually bought the Kingsmen's album, just for that song, about 100 years ago. Probably still have it somewhere. In a box, like everything I've lost.

[Banditbandit]

Just a thought - I wonder how many WEnglishmen sining the Marseillaise actually understand this bloodthirsty resistance song ...

here's the translation ..

Let's go children of the fatherland,
The day of glory has arrived!
Against us tyranny's
Bloody flag is raised! (repeat)
In the countryside, do you hear
The roaring of these fierce soldiers?
They come right to our arms
To slit the throats of our sons, our friends!

Refrain

Grab your weapons, citizens!
Form your batallions!
Let us march! Let us march!
May impure blood
Water our fields!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

This horde of slaves, traitors, plotting kings,
What do they want?
For whom these vile shackles,
These long-prepared irons? (repeat)
Frenchmen, for us, oh! what an insult!
What emotions that must excite!
It is us that they dare to consider
Returning to ancient slavery!

What! These foreign troops
Would make laws in our home!
What! These mercenary phalanxes
Would bring down our proud warriors! (repeat)
Good Lord! By chained hands
Our brows would bend beneath the yoke!
Vile despots would become
The masters of our fate!

Tremble, tyrants! and you, traitors,
The disgrace of all groups,
Tremble! Your parricidal plans
Will finally pay the price! (repeat)
Everyone is a soldier to fight you,
If they fall, our young heros,
France will make more,
Ready to battle you!

Frenchmen, as magnanimous warriors,
Bear or hold back your blows!
Spare these sad victims,
Regretfully arming against us. (repeat)
But not these bloodthirsty despots,
But not these accomplices of Bouillé,
All of these animals who, without pity,
Tear their mother's breast to pieces!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Sacred love of France,
Lead, support our avenging arms!
Liberty, beloved Liberty,
Fight with your defenders! (repeat)
Under our flags, let victory
Hasten to your manly tones!
May your dying enemies
See your triumph and our glory!

Refrain

We will enter the pit
When our elders are no longer there;
There, we will find their dust
And the traces of their virtues. (repeat)
Much less eager to outlive them
Than to share their casket,
We will have the sublime pride
Of avenging them or following them!

Refrain

[seattle smitty]

I love it! In an age of hypersensitivity to real or imagined or invented slights, of victim politics and of excruciating political and social correctness, I love it! Raise that bloody flag and we'll march on the plutocrats and their lawyers and hang 'em high!!


(I defy you to listen to "Louie, Louie" and decipher all the words)

(BTW, does or does not the term I used, "Down Under," properly refer to both New Zealanders and Australians?)

[Ocean1]

(I defy you to listen to "Louie, Louie" and decipher all the words)

(BTW, does or does not the term I used, "Down Under," properly refer to both New Zealanders and Australians?)

Well when you've deciphered this lot you'll find it's generally considered a 'Strine reference.



But you're excused, what with being a Canadian an' all.

[Berries]

(BTW, does or does not the term I used, "Down Under," properly refer to both New Zealanders and Australians?)

Flag, accent, propensity to shag sheep. Fuck all difference in reality.

[seattle smitty]

Pretty good song, and in its day it got a lot of air-time here, Ocean (I can't say much for the video, though). Now what was the reference to Canadians aboot, eh?

Berries, should I also ask about Tasmanians, or are they all just devils? (Sorry, must've been something I ate).

[Grumph]

Flag, accent, propensity to shag sheep. Fuck all difference in reality.

It's all in the attitude....away from home, the aussies are not particularly liked or wanted, Kiwis on the other hand seem to be welcomed. Goes back IMO to the countries origins Smitty - Kiwi's ancestors came here of their own free will for a better life, Aussies were sent there by the British Crown as punishment...

Pretty good song, and in its day it got a lot of air-time here, Ocean (I can't say much for the video, though). Now what was the reference to Canadians aboot, eh?

Berries, should I also ask about Tasmanians, or are they all just devils? (Sorry, must've been something I ate).

It's all in the perspective from a distance...Most Europeans and North Americans I've met can't separate NZ and aussie. From here, it's hard to separate the US and Canada...

Taswegians on the other hand would seen to be orphaned from everywhere.

[seattle smitty]

Well, OUR problem when traveling abroad is that our politicians and our government must constantly be getting into the rest of the world's business, and since we all elect them (except Bush, Jr., we did NOT elect that smirking frat-boy), we individually are expected to explain and defend every foreign misadventure the fools get us into. At least be glad YOUR governments aren't all over the world telling everybody else what they should be doing. On occasion "we" manage to do something useful in the world, but on balance I'd prefer to see a fairly isolationist America that takes care of its own many problems and then leads by example. i'm not holding my breath, especially since we have a pack of idiots contending for the next presidential election.

[Grumph]

Well, OUR problem when traveling abroad is that our politicians and our government must constantly be getting into the rest of the world's business, and since we all elect them, we individually are expected to explain and defend every foreign misadventure the fools get us into. At least be glad YOUR governments aren't all over the world telling everybody else what they should be doing. On occasion "we" manage to do something useful in the world, but on balance I'd prefer to see a fairly isolationist America that takes care of its own many problems and then leads by example. i'm not holding my breath, especially since we have a pack of idiots contending for the next presidential election.

I once asked on another (US based) forum, why, if your president was the leader of the free world, I didn't get a vote....
That got a lot of response, some of it even coherent. Can't disagree with you about the quality of candidates though....

[TheDemonLord]

Just a thought - I wonder how many WEnglishmen sining the Marseillaise actually understand this bloodthirsty resistance song ...

here's the translation ..

Let's go children of the fatherland,
The day of glory has arrived!
Against us tyranny's
Bloody flag is raised! (repeat)
In the countryside, do you hear
The roaring of these fierce soldiers?
They come right to our arms
To slit the throats of our sons, our friends!

Refrain

Grab your weapons, citizens!
Form your batallions!
Let us march! Let us march!
May impure blood
Water our fields!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

This horde of slaves, traitors, plotting kings,
What do they want?
For whom these vile shackles,
These long-prepared irons? (repeat)
Frenchmen, for us, oh! what an insult!
What emotions that must excite!
It is us that they dare to consider
Returning to ancient slavery!

What! These foreign troops
Would make laws in our home!
What! These mercenary phalanxes
Would bring down our proud warriors! (repeat)
Good Lord! By chained hands
Our brows would bend beneath the yoke!
Vile despots would become
The masters of our fate!

Tremble, tyrants! and you, traitors,
The disgrace of all groups,
Tremble! Your parricidal plans
Will finally pay the price! (repeat)
Everyone is a soldier to fight you,
If they fall, our young heros,
France will make more,
Ready to battle you!

Frenchmen, as magnanimous warriors,
Bear or hold back your blows!
Spare these sad victims,
Regretfully arming against us. (repeat)
But not these bloodthirsty despots,
But not these accomplices of Bouillé,
All of these animals who, without pity,
Tear their mother's breast to pieces!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Sacred love of France,
Lead, support our avenging arms!
Liberty, beloved Liberty,
Fight with your defenders! (repeat)
Under our flags, let victory
Hasten to your manly tones!
May your dying enemies
See your triumph and our glory!

Refrain

We will enter the pit
When our elders are no longer there;
There, we will find their dust
And the traces of their virtues. (repeat)
Much less eager to outlive them
Than to share their casket,
We will have the sublime pride
Of avenging them or following them!

Refrain

Well, we still let the Scots sing O Flower o' Scotland....