French Song: Un Lapin

This month, somewhat fitting with our Easter theme, we have chosen the song ‘Un Lapin’ sung by French icon Chantal Goya.

This French children’s song, originally released in the late 1970’s, is extremely well known. It is in fact so well known that you will find it pretty hard to find a French person who can’t hum the tune or sing the chorus!

This is another example of something that is décalé as the song revolves around the story of a hunter who is killed by a rabbit, which is fantastically ironic.

Apparently the inspiration for this song actually came from true events. Chantal Goya and Jean-Jacques Debout (the writer of the song) lived with their children in the forest of Houdan and a group of hunters arrived at their door. Goya’s son, so upset with them, allegedly cried out ‘si les lapins existaient ils vous tueraient avec leurs mousquetons’ and said to the hunters that his mother would make a song about it to stop them from hunting. Alas, the song was created and sold a total of 2 million copies.

Despite its release in the 1970s this song has enjoyed recent success. Goya herself has had an incredible revival and is a particularly respected icon amongst the gay community!

Listen to the song HERE:

Lyrics

Dans la forêt de l’automne
Ce matin est arrivée
Une chose que personne
N’aurait pu imaginer
Au bois de Morte Fontaine
Où vont à morte saison
Tous les chasseurs de la plaine
C’est une révolution, car,

Ce matin Un Lapin
A tué un chasseur
C’était Un Lapin qui
C’était Un Lapin qui
Ce matin Un Lapin
A tué un chasseur
C’était Un Lapin qui
Avait un fusil

Bien sûr ce n’est qu’une histoire
Inventée pour la chanson
Mais chantons-leur cette histoire
Quand les chasseurs reviendront
Et s’ils se mettent en colère
Appuyés sur leurs fusils
Tout ce que nous pouvons faire
C’est de s’en moquer ainsi:
Ce matin Un Lapin
A tué un chasseur
C’était Un Lapin qui
C’était Un Lapin qui
Ce matin Un Lapin
A tué un chasseur
C’était Un Lapin qui
Avait un fusil