"AUX ILLINOIS" medieval song

Jean Pierre · May 26, 2023, 11:30:22 AM

Where does this song come from? Maybe from Illinois, a state in the mid-west, bordering Lake Michigan to the north (hence the sailors in the song...).

In any case, I knew this song in France in the 70s, at the time of the Boom folk revival.

It was covered by an extraordinary French musician and guitarist, Denis Gasser.

You may also have heard it by the French-Ontarian progressive folk-rock group GAROLOU.

I used all my folk music arsenal: DADGAD guitar, flute, Bagpipe (in soundfont), Bodhran
with a little nod to friend Alfredo: I invited (

) John Renbourn to play with me an extract from sartarello, dance medievale

Here are the lyrics with an attempt at translation

Aux Illinois il y a trois jolie filles
il y en a une qu'est parfaite en beauté
elle a volé le coeur des mariniers

Beau marinier, montre moi dont ta chambre
ah oui la belle je te la montrerai
un anneau d'or que j'ai a t'y donner

un anneau d'or cela n'est pas grand chose
j'aimerais mieux m'assir auprès de vous
cela me paraitrait encore bien plus doux

mais quand elle fut en haut dedans sa chambre
on entendait que des embrassements
entre la belle et son nouvel amant

son autre amant est à la porte qu'écoute
levant les mains jetant les yeux aux cieux
criant grand dieux que je suis malheureux

viendra un jour j'en aurai ma revanche
les mariniers suivant le cours du vent
et toi la belle tu n'auras plus d'amant

je ferais faire un beau bouquet de roses
bouquet de rose garni de jassemin
souvenance d'un parfum pour passer mon chagrin

traduction

In Illinois there are three pretty girls
one is perfect in beauty
she stole the sailors' hearts

Beautiful sailor, show me from your room
ah oui la belle je te montrerai
a golden ring I have to give you

a gold ring isn't much
I'd rather sit next to you
it would seem so much sweeter

but when she was upstairs in her room
all we could hear was kissing
between the belle and her new lover

her other lover is at the door listening
raising her hands casting her eyes to the heavens
crying to the heavens how unhappy I am

one day I'll have my revenge
the sailors follow the course of the wind
and you, the beautiful one, will have no more lover

I'll have a beautiful bouquet of roses made
rose bouquet garnished with jassemin
memory of a perfume to pass my sorrow

StephenM · May 26, 2023, 05:00:39 PM

wow, c'est un JP époustouflant.... et incroyable que vous puissiez ressusciter ça... Je doute que l'auteur ait jamais pensé que quelqu'un jouerait ça en 2023... bravo

wow, this is a stunner JP.... and amazing you could resurrect this... I doubt the author ever thought someone would play this in 2023... bravo