La passagère (AU1998-1074-001)

Dublin Core

Title

La passagère (AU1998-1074-001)

Description

Excerpt from interview of Alberta Gagné (TC1998-1074-001) by Martha Pellerin. Part of a project (VFC1998-0007) on Franco-American song in New England funded by the Vermont Folklife Center and undertaken by Pellerin. Interview is one in a series of six conducted between 1995-01-09 and 1995-12-06 as an effort to document the French language song repertoire of Gagné.

“La passagère” (“The Female Passenger”) is a version of an old French ballad, more commonly known as “La batelière” (“The Boatwoman”). It is one of a number of songs in which a would-be seducer is thwarted in his efforts by the cleverness of his would-be victim, who also humiliates him and deprives him of some of his wealth in the process. This song has been documented in Belgium, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario, Quebec, Newfoundland, and France.

Abstract

It’s a boy from the area, traveling around, making advances. He travels to the riverside, making advances to the beautiful passenger. “Beautiful passenger, would you cross the water, the river, with me?” When he got on board, he began making advances. “Cut out your advances you’re here with respectable maiden.” When the river was crossed, the young man went ashore. She backed her rowboat [into the river]. “Beauty, come back, I have $100 in gold pieces to give you.” She replied: “Not for a hundred, nor a thousand, will you have the heart of a pretty girl. What will your parents say if you spend your money?” “I will tell them, while crossing the river, I lost it in a game with the female passenger.”

Source

VFC1998-0007 Martha Pellerin Collection. TC1998-1074 interview with Alberta Gagné. Vermont Folklife Center Archive, Vermont Folklife Center, Middlebury, Vermont, United States of America.

Date

1995-11-10

Rights

Copyright (c) Vermont Folklife Center

Relation

Full Interview: vfc1998-0005_tc1998-1074

Language

fra

Identifier

vfc1998-0007_tc1998-1074-001a-001

Song Item Type Metadata

Supplied Title

La passagère

Standard Title Reference

La batelière, II, C-26
La batelière et les messieurs de la Tour, 01714

First Line

C'est un garçon des alentours

Transcription

(BEGIN SINGING)

C'est un garçon des alentours,

Se promenait, faisant l'amour.

 

Se promenait au bord de la rivière,

Faisait l'amour avec la passagère. [repeat last two lines]

 « Belle passagère, belle passagère,

Voudriez-vous traverser l'eau ? [repeat last two lines]

 

Traverser l'eau, traverser la rivière,

Ave-que moi, ô jolie passagère ? » [repeat last two lines]

Quand le beau galant fut embarqué,

Ah, il se mit à badiner.

 

Elle lui a dit : « Pas tant de badinage,

Vous êtes ici avec une fille sage. » [repeat last two lines]

 Quand la rivière fut traversée,

Le beau galant a débarqué.

 

A débarqué au bord de la rivière,

Elle retira sa chaloupe en arrière. [repeat last two lines]

« Belle, revenez, belle, revenez,

J'ai cent écus à vous donner. »

 

Elle lui a dit ; « Ni pour cent, ni pour mille,

Que vous aurez le cœur d'un’ jolie fille. » [repeat last two lines]

De quoi vont dire tes parents,

Si tu dépenses tout ton argent ? »

 

« Je leur dirai, c'est en traversant la rivière,

Je l'ai joué avec la passagère. » [repeat last line]

 

 

Translation

irregular, strophic, mostly four-line stanzas.

Interviewer

Pellerin, Martha

Original Format

sound cassette (analog)

Files

vfc1998-0007_tc1998-1074-001a_001.mp3

Citation

“La passagère (AU1998-1074-001),” Vermont Folklife Center Digital Collections, accessed December 27, 2024, https://vtfolklifearchive.org/collections/items/show/331.

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