L’habitant de St-Marc (AU1998-1074-005)

Dublin Core

Title

L’habitant de St-Marc (AU1998-1074-005)

Description

Excerpt from interview of Alberta Gagné (TC1998-1074-005) 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.

“L’habitant d’St-Marc” (“The country man from St-Marc”). Here we have what appears to be a song which originates in Quebec. It is a “cumulative song”: a song with a simple verse structure modified by progressive addition so that each verse is one line longer than the verse before. No Old-World versions have been found to date. All documented versions are from Quebec, with a single version from Maine.

After Mrs. Gagné finished singing the song for Marthe, she remembered an additional final line:
C'est l’ombrage de la couleur du bout du poil du bout d'la queue du chien du cousin d'la nièce du garçon d'la fill’ d'la femm’ dl'habitant d'St-Marc qui s'en va t-à Montréal.

Abstract

The country man from St-Marc makes his way to Montreal; The wife of the country man from St-Marc makes his way to Montreal; The daughter of the wife of the country man from St-Marc makes his way to Montreal; The son of the daughter of the wife of the country man from St-Marc makes his way to Montreal; The niece of the son of the daughter of the wife of the country man from St-Marc makes his way to Montreal; The cousin of the niece of the son of the daughter of the wife of the country man from St-Marc makes his way to Montreal; ; The dog of the cousin of the niece of the son of the daughter of the wife of the country man from St-Marc makes his way to Montreal; The tail of the dog of the cousin of the niece of the son of the daughter of the wife of the country man from St-Marc makes his way to Montreal; The end of the tail of the dog of the cousin of the niece of the son of the daughter of the wife of the country man from St-Marc makes his way to Montreal; The hair at the end of the tail of the dog of the cousin of the niece of the son of the daughter of the wife of the country man from St-Marc makes his way to Montreal; The end of the hair at the end of the tail of the dog of the cousin of the niece of the son of the daughter of the wife of the country man from St-Marc makes his way to Montreal; The color of the end of the hair at the end of the tail of the dog of the cousin of the niece of the son of the daughter of the wife of the country man from St-Marc makes his way to Montreal; The color of the end of the hair at the end of the tail of the dog of the cousin of the niece of the son of the daughter of the wife of the country man from St-Marc all make their way to Montreal.

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-005

Song Item Type Metadata

Supplied Title

L’habitant d’St-Marc

Standard Title Reference

L’habitant de Saint-Roch. IV, I-b01

First Line

C'est l'habitant d'St-Marc qui s'en va-t-à Montréal

Transcription

(BEGIN SINGING)

 

C'est l'habitant d'St-Marc qui s'en va t-à Montréal. [repeat]

C'est la femm’ d’l'habitant d'St-Marc qui s'en va t-à Montréal. [repeat]

C'est la fill’ de la femm’ d’l'habitant d'St-Marc qui s'en va t-à Montréal. [repeat]

C'est l'garçon d'la fill’ d'la femm’ d’l'habitant d'St-Marc qui s'en va t-à Montréal. [repeat]

C'est la nièce du garçon d'la fill’ d'la femm’ d’l'habitant d'St-Marc qui s'en va t-à Montréal. [repeat]

C'est l'cousin d'la nièce du garçon d'la fill’ d'la femm’ d’l'habitant d'St-Marc qui s'en va t-à Montréal. [repeat]

C'est le chien du cousin d'la nièce du garçon d'la fill’ d'la femm’ d’l'habitant d'St-Marc qui s'en va t-à Montréal. [repeat]

C'est la queue du chien du cousin d'la nièce du garçon d'la fill’ d'la femm’ d’l'habitant d'St-Marc qui s'en va t-à Montréal. [repeat]

C'est le bout d'la queue du chien du cousin, d'la nièce du garçon d'la fill’ d'la femme d’l'habitant d'St-Marc qui s'en v t-à Montréal. [repeat] 

C'est le poil du bout d'1a queue du chien du cousin d'la nièce du garçon d’la fill’ d'la femm’ d’l'habitant d'St-Marc qui s'en va t-à Montréal. [repeat]

C'est le bout du poil, du bout d'la queue du chien du cousin d'la nièce du garçon d'la fill’ d'la femm’ d’l'habitant d'St-Marc qui s'en va t-à Montréal. [repeat]

C'est la couleur du bout du poil du bout d'la queue du chien du cousin d'la nièce du garçon d'la fill’ d'la femm’ dl'habitant d'St-Marc qui s'en va t-à Montréal.

C'est la couleur du bout du poil du bout d'la queue du chien du cousin d'la nièce du garçon d'la fill’ d'la femm’ dl'habitant d'St-Marc qui s'en vont tout à Montréal.


(END SINGING)

 

Translation

strophic, cumulative; one-line verses, 12 lines

Interviewer

Pellerin, Martha

Original Format

sound cassette (analog)

Files

vfc1998-0007_tc1998-1074-001a_005.mp3

Citation

“L’habitant de St-Marc (AU1998-1074-005),” Vermont Folklife Center Digital Collections, accessed October 17, 2024, https://vtfolklifearchive.org/collections/items/show/335.

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