The Song of Craonne

The Chanson of Craonne is a song antimilitarist written in 1917. She was written starting from the air of Good evening Me love (Charles Sablon), sung by Emma Liebel.

Context

She was sung by the soldiers who are mutinés (in more than sixty of hundred divisions of the French Army) after the offensive very fatal and militarily disastrous of the general Nivelle with the Chemin of the Ladies.

These revolts were severely repressed, in particular by the general Pétain, named on May 17th 1917 to replace the Nivelle general with for mission of damming up the collapse of moral soldiers. It 500 had more than condemned there to dead (including 26 actually carried out).

The origin of the song

This anonymous song has surely several authors. It continuously evolved/moved during the war according to the principal places of combat. It appears under the name of the Song of Lorette evoking the battle of Lorette with Ablain-Saint-Nazaire being held between October 1914 and October 1915. Then, the song is transformed to evoke the Champagne plate during the autumn 1915. In 1916, it becomes a song on Verdun, the refrain becomes:

Good-bye life, good-bye love, Good-bye all women It is not finished, it is for always Of this infamous war It is in Verdun, at the height of Are worth That his skin was risked

The place evoked in the song

And finally, it is the version of 1917 which is popularized by Paul Valiant-Dressmaker in connection with the mutinies. This song is often perceived as a proclamation even if the motivations of the soldiers were much less revolutionists and pacifist. Always it is that the refrain undergoes a new transformation:

It is in Craonne, on the plate

For the occasion, the village of Craonne gains a syllable (Craonne decides usually krɑn, the song known as krɑɔn/to have the account of feet). The plate of which it is question is the Plateau of California which overhangs the village. Indeed the place is the place of terrible combat starting from France April 16th, 1917: the 1st division of infantry which goes up to the attack finds blocked on the level of the cellars of Craonne. Then on May 4th, one second offensive is launched by the 36e division of Infanterie which leads to the resumption of Craonne and the progression on the plate of California.

Among the legends which surround the song, more coriace is that which affirms that a million francs gold in addition to the demobilization were promised with which would denounce the author.

Words

When at the end of eight days the r' pos finished
One will take again the trenches,
Our place is if utile
That without us one takes the pile
But it is well finished, one has assez
of it Nobody wants any more marcher
And the quite large heart, comm' in a sanglot
One says good-bye to the civ' batches
Even without drums, even without trompettes
One from goes away up there while lowering the tête

- Refrain:
Good-bye life, good-bye love,
Good-bye all the women
It is well finished, it is for always
Of this infamous war
It is in Craonne on the plate
That one must leave his skin
Because we all of are condemned the
We are sacrificed the

Eight days of trench, eight days of suffering
However one with the hope
That this evening will come the r' raises
That we wait without truce
Suddenly in the night and silence
One sees somebody who advances
It is an officer of hunters to foot
Who comes to replace us
Gently in the shade under the rain which falls
The small hunters will seek their tombs

- Refrain -

They is unhappy to see on the grand boulevards
All these large which makes the fair
So for them the life is pink
For us it is not the same thing
Instead of hiding all these embusqués
Would make better go up to distinct the
To defend their good, because we do not have anything
Us others the pauv' purotins
There all the comrades are buried
To defend there the goods of these Sirs

- Refrain:
Those which have the dough, these will return
Because it is for them that one bursts
But they is well finished, because the soldiers
all will be put in strike
This ruffle vot' turn Sirs the large
to go up on the plate
And if you want to make the war
Pay it your skin

Appearances

The song of Craonne is sung by one condemned to died in the film long Sunday of engagement of Jean-Pierre Jeunet (2004).

In the final scene of the film the debt , Telefilm of Fabrice Cazeneuve (2000), the Refrain of the Chanson is fredonné by the prefect (André Dussolier) and his young trainee (Damien Dorsaz).

She is also sung by:

Tichot on the album 14-18 with words, a life of catch (November 2007)
Family Fodder on the song of Craonne (Vivonzeureux! records, November 2007) (free downloading)
friends of your wife on the Black album … and red also a little (2003)
Maxime the Forester on simple a the song of Craonne (2003)
Masquerade on the album Eh Be! (2000).

Internal bonds

External bonds

On the site of the CRID (Collective of international research and debate on the war of 1914-1918), a historical presentation of the Historical song, alternatives and documents on the site of the CRID 14-18
a radio broadcast around the song of Craonne: '' Là-bas if I am there '' of D. Mermet
various interpretations and the memories related to the song

References

Random links: