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Proofreading requested
Original lyrics
Il était un petit navire
Il était un petit navire
Qui n'avait ja-ja-jamais navigué
Ohé, ohé...
Il partit pour un long voyage
Sur la mer Mé-Mé-Méditerrannée
Ohé, ohé...
Ohé, ohé Matelot
Matelot navigue sur les flots
Ohé, ohé Matelot
Matelot navigue sur les flots
Au bout de cinq à six semaines
Les vivres vin-vin-vinrent à manquer
Ohé, ohé...
On tira à la courte paille
Pour savoir qui-qui-qui serait mangé
Ohé, ohé...
Le sort tomba sur le plus jeune
C'est donc lui qui-qui-qui sera mangé
Ohé, ohé...
Refrain
On cherche alors à quelle sauce
Le pauvre enfant-fant-fant sera mangé
Ohé, ohé...
L'un voulait qu'on le mît à frire
L'autre voulait-lait-lait le fricasser
Ohé, ohé...
Pendant qu'ainsi l'on délibère
Il monte en haut-haut-haut du grand hunier
Ohé, ohé...
Refrain
Il fait au ciel une prière
Interrogeant-geant-geant l'immensité
Ohé, ohé...
Mais regardant la mer entière
Il vit des flots-flots-flots de tous côtés
Ohé, ohé...
Ô Sainte Vierge, ô ma patronne
Si j'ai péché vite pardonne
Empêche-les de-de-de me manger
Ohé, ohé...
Refrain
Au même instant un grand miracle
Pour l'enfant fut-fut-fut réalisé
Ohé, ohé...
Des p'tits poissons dans le navire
Sautèrent par-par-par et par milliers
Ohé, ohé...
On les prit on les mit à frire
Le jeune mousse-mousse-mousse fut sauvé
Ohé, ohé...
Si cette histoire vous amuse
Nous allons la-la-la recommencer
Ohé, ohé...
Translation
There Was a Little Ship
There was a little ship
That ne-ne-never sailed
Ohé, ohé…
It left on a long voyage
On the Med-Med-Mediterranean Sea
Ohé, ohé…
Ohé, ohé Sailor
Sailor sail on the swell
Ohé, ohé Sailor
Sailor sail on the swell
At the end of five to six weeks
The provisions ra-ra-ran out
Ohé, ohé…
They drew for the short straw
To find out who-who-who would be eaten
Ohé, ohé…
The fate fell on the youngest
It’s then he who-who-who will be eaten
Ohé, ohé…
Refrain
They think about with which sauce
The poor chi-chi-child will be eaten
Ohé, ohé…
One wanted to make him fry
The other wa-wa-wanted to stew him
Ohé, ohé…
While they deliberate like this
He climbs up-up-up the big topsail
Ohé, ohé…
Refrain
To heaven he makes a prayer
Besee-see-seeching the immensity
Ohé, ohé…
But looking at the vast sea
He sees the swe-swe-swell on all sides
Ohé, ohé...
O Holy Virgin, o my patron
If I have sinned quickly pardon
Stop them fro-fro-from eating me
Ohé, ohé…
Refrain
At that very moment a great miracle
For the child wa-wa-was realized
Ohé, ohé…
Little fish in the ship
Jumped by-by-by and by the thousands
Ohé, ohé…
They took them and fried them
The young ca-ca-cabin boy was saved
Ohé, ohé…
If this story makes you happy
Then let’s sta-sta-start it over
Ohé, ohé…
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Comments
About translator
Role: Expert
Contributions: 331 translations, 2 transliterations, 195 songs, 2 collections, 2865 thanks received, 67 translation requests fulfilled for 32 members, 23 transcription requests fulfilled, added 20 idioms, explained 43 idioms, left 765 comments
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Yep, I changed it to "never sailed" while you were writing your post. You're too fast! :D
I first heard this as a teen and thought it was seriously messed up to be singing to children. I can only imagine hearing it as a child... Hahaha!