The Royal Song of the Day for Thursday, August 11th is “Auprès De Ma Blonde”.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=—l1ZSzamY]

There are two reasons for choosing this song. First, it is about the joy of being near the one you love. In order to stay peaceful, it is helpful to have support, and to nurture the relationships around you. Second, singing in another language is sometimes a way to relax, and also to open up your thinking and imagination in a magic way.

Singing in another language, singing words you don’t exactly understand, is like a holistic puzzle. It challenges your feelings, your thinking, your vocabulary, and your perception of language.

More about the song:

“Auprès De Ma Blonde”, which in English is sometimes called, “By My Fair One’s Side”, or “I Love Only One Girl” is a song that dates back to the 1600’s.

There is a cute cartoon video at youtube, with a “bouncing ball” style of presenting the words as a sing-a-long. A great way to learn the song: here.

Here are the lyrics in French and English:

Lyrics (parole):

Refrain:
Auprès de ma blonde, Qu’il fait bon, fait bon, fait bon,
Auprès de ma blonde, Qu’il fait bon dormir.

Verse:
Dans les jardins d’mon père, Les lilas sont fleuris.
Dans les jardins d’mon père, Les lilas sont fleuris.
Tous les oiseaux du monde, Viennent y faire leurs nids.

English Translation:

Refrain:
Beside my blonde one*, it feels good, feels good, feels good,
Beside my blonde one, it feels good to sleep.

Verse:
In the garden of my father, The lilacs are in bloom,
In the garden of my father, The lilacs are in bloom,
All the birds of the world, Come and build their nests there.

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*The words “ma blonde”, in French, mean something like “my blonde one” which means my girlfriend. In English, this is sometimes translated as “girlfriend” or “fair one”. When sung for children, it is often translated simply as “friend”.

Do you have a favorite song to sing in another language? Please post in the comments. We will click the comments through later this evening.