WHAT ON EARTH IS "FAIS DO-DO"!!!!
I heard the song Fais Do-Do* and, of course, I couldn't let this go. I understood most of the song, except for that inscrutable, oft repeated first line. It made me crazy for two or three weeks and I'm not quite sure why I didn't consult my good friend Internet before now....and thank you Internet! Seriously, I just typed "fais" in the search engine and I think "fais do-do" was the 2nd option Google offered. Glad I'm not a scholar, it probably takes forever to find information that aids in endeavors important humanity via the Internet.
I heard the song Fais Do-Do* and, of course, I couldn't let this go. I understood most of the song, except for that inscrutable, oft repeated first line. It made me crazy for two or three weeks and I'm not quite sure why I didn't consult my good friend Internet before now....and thank you Internet! Seriously, I just typed "fais" in the search engine and I think "fais do-do" was the 2nd option Google offered. Glad I'm not a scholar, it probably takes forever to find information that aids in endeavors important humanity via the Internet.
"Fais Do-Do" does, as I suspected (really! I had already figured out what it meant! I just couldn't quite figure out why, and I didn't have proof!) means to "make sleep" in that Faire is 'to do or to make' and "Do-Do" is a diminutive of "Dormir". For the etymology check out the wikipedia article, which is actually good, containing direct quotes and references!
Long story short "Faid do-do" is the name of an old, therefore traditional, childrens song with no author or date, some of the lyrics apparently printed in 1871. "Fais do-do" is also commonly known as a name for a Cajun dance party which originated before World War II, acquiring the name because it was what the mothers would sing to put their baby's to sleep before coming out to party. My own suspicion of why they called it a "fais do-do" is because of the age-old link between parties/sleep/sex. You know, the "BED" Party : ) ... but, as I said, that is my own opinion, I'm not quoting an official source.
Link to a youtube recording of a version of the song:
Lyrics from the above Youtube page for practicing French speaking (listening to the song), language and translation:
Transuit: Depuis 'milk' en francais est 'le lait', je suppose que c'est la maniere 'lolo' est fait, est aussi pourquoi il les moyens 'boob' et 'treat'!
LE BON TRAVAIL!
CHORUS:
Fais do-do Make sleep-sleep / Go to sleep
Colas mon p'tit frère (Ni)C(h)olas little brother
Fais do-do Make sleep-sleep / Go to sleep
t'auras du (lolo) you will have of / you should have (see below for 'lolo')
lolo milk/boob or treat (seriously!...see Google Translate!)
Colas mon p'tit frère (Ni)C(h)olas little brother
Fais do-do Make sleep-sleep / Go to sleep
t'auras du (lolo) you will have of / you should have (see below for 'lolo')
lolo milk/boob or treat (seriously!...see Google Translate!)
CHORUS x2
Maman est en haut Mom is in high / Mom is upstairs
Qui fait des gâteaux Who make of cakes / Making cakes
Papa est en bas Dad is in low / Dad is downstairs
Qui fait chocolat Who make chocolate / making chocolate
CHORUS x2
Les anges là haut The angels there high / The angels up there
font un beau chateau Make a beautiful house / Make a beautiful castle
Pour le p'tit frérot For the little brother (frerot is brother? interesting)
qui fait bien dodo Who makes good sleep-sleep
CHORUS x2
Les gentils oiseaux The nice birds
ont des chants nouveux have of songs new / have new songs
Pour le p'tit frérot For the little brother
qui fait bien dodo Who makes good sleep-sleep
CHORUS x2
Transuit: Depuis 'milk' en francais est 'le lait', je suppose que c'est la maniere 'lolo' est fait, est aussi pourquoi il les moyens 'boob' et 'treat'!
LE BON TRAVAIL!
AND ANOTHER EXERCISE IN TRANSLATION
I found this phrase in one of the youtube comments by a native french speaker and it's interesting because my translation...a more literal translation...is different from the google translation...I guess a functional translation. Anyway, I'm writing it down for the same reason as yesterday...to help me remember the literal meanings of those 'small' French words, and to help me get back on track with learning reading and speaking French.
"Ca doit être une autre version."
ça - it
doit - must
être -to be (the infinitive)
une - a (feminine)
autre - other
version - version
and...Google Translate reckons** this as "It must be another version"
*In two or three episodes of True Blood Season 4 a young mother cajun ghost named Mavis becomes obsessed with a living baby who she believes to be her own...of course, she can't move one since her baby was actually murdered by it's white father right before he murdered her...so she eventually possesses the character Lafayette and steals the living baby. Luckily the other characters figure out what happened before they try to kill or convict Lafayette and they help Mavis to remember and come to terms with her past, enabling her to move into the light. AWWW! : )
**RECKON - more British English! Yes, we have it in American, but it only seems to be used by southerners and hill folk! At first I didn't like it just for that reason (I know, I'm a snob, but I'm sure some of it is based on self hatred since I myself am hill folk : ) ) but after several years I realized the Brits were on to something in that the only synonyms for "Reckon" are long ass phrases, i.e. "I have determined the cause of the Earthquake to be" vs. "I reckon the Earthquake was caused by..." . See! Much simpler! (Yes, Earthquakes on my mind...today, or actually yesterday, was the day of the Earthquake! I'll make a separate Post.) Also, it's related to the word from yesterday "SUSS", which is similar in meaning to "RECKON". Why on earth did these words not make it to American? Also, why don't we have the expression "Taking the piss." and/or it's 'polite' alternative "Taking the mickey." There isn't a similar expression in American and to craft an approximate meaning is difficult and artless. Instead of "When she called you an idiot savant she was taking the piss" you say "When she called you an idiot savant she was ...just fucking with you. OR ...making fun of you." See!?!? Not as cool!
I need to create separate posts for these awesome musings on the difference between British/Australian/New Zealandish/Canadian/American. I'm sure professional linguists have no interest in these things! : )
<3 ALE <3
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