L'enfant mort

Annotation

Chanson artist, born on 10 December 1928, in Paris, France, and died 21 February 2021, in Cordemais, France. This album featured the song "L'enfant mort" ("The Dead Child") (Disques du Cavalier # CVR LM 84). She also released this in 1973 on the charity single L'enfant mort / Bonnes vacances, discussed below. It took an anti-war position, looking at the perspective of a civilian suffering in a war zone, "they fired again, I have a dead child in my arms". Presumably a reference to Vietnam, the narrator says "we took the air in the bamboo, bowl of rice, it was a feast", while the "the children well fed from my carefree Paris".Also on this album is the song "Chanson des villes" ("Song of the Cities"), which was also a general anti-war song of the era, referencing several conflicts, including the well-known battle Dien Bien Phu, in the First Indo-China War, between France and Vietnamese forces: "My cities in blood, my cities shot... It's Dien Bien Phu... My bombarded cities".

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Annotation

Chanson artist, born on 10 December 1928, in Paris, France, and died 21 February 2021, in Cordemais, France. She released this charity record to raise money for children, with the song "L'enfant mort" ("The Dead Child"). This song also featured on her 1968 album René Char - Terres mutilées (Disques du Cavalier # CVR LM 84). Another version was released in 1968 by Francesca Solleville, on the album La fine fleur N°5 (La Fine Fleur # 504). It took an anti-war position, looking at the perspective of a civilian suffering in a war zone, "they fired again, I have a dead child in my arms". Presumably a reference to Vietnam, the narrator says "we took the air in the bamboo, bowl of rice, it was a feast", while the "the children are well fed from my carefree Paris". The front cover features Vietnamese children running. The back of sleeve says: "Vietnam, Biafra ... Pour Un Enfant, each disc sold will contribute to the care or adoption of a third-world child - Disques Du Cavalier" ("chaque disque vendu contribuera aux soins ou à l'adoption d'un enfant du tiers-monde").

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Annotation — European Songs

Chanson artist, born on 10 December 1928, in Paris, France, and died 21 February 2021, in Cordemais, France. This album featured the song "L'enfant mort" ("The Dead Child") (Disques du Cavalier # CVR LM 84). She also released this in 1973 on the charity single L'enfant mort / Bonnes vacances, discussed below. It took an anti-war position, looking at the perspective of a civilian suffering in a war zone, "they fired again, I have a dead child in my arms". Presumably a reference to Vietnam, the narrator says "we took the air in the bamboo, bowl of rice, it was a feast", while the "the children well fed from my carefree Paris".

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Annotation — European Songs

Chanson artist, born on 10 December 1928, in Paris, France, and died 21 February 2021, in Cordemais, France. She released this charity record to raise money for children, with the song "L'enfant mort" ("The Dead Child"). This song also featured on her 1968 album René Char - Terres mutilées (Disques du Cavalier # CVR LM 84). Another version was released in 1968 by Francesca Solleville, on the album La fine fleur N°5 (La Fine Fleur # 504). It took an anti-war position, looking at the perspective of a civilian suffering in a war zone, "they fired again, I have a dead child in my arms". Presumably a reference to Vietnam, the narrator says "we took the air in the bamboo, bowl of rice, it was a feast", while the "the children are well fed from my carefree Paris". The front cover featured Vietnamese children running. The back of sleeve says: "Vietnam, Biafra ... Pour Un Enfant, each disc sold will contribute to the care or adoption of a third-world child - Disques Du Cavalier" ("chaque disque vendu contribuera aux soins ou à l'adoption d'un enfant du tiers-monde").

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Lyrics

English: Yesterday, they fired again / I have a dead child in my arms / He is cold / There were dozens of them / More and more, each week / I still hear that child / Who said to me "Stay always" / Who told me "Stay with us" / Like in Paris, in the Luxembourg Gardens / We took the air among the bamboo / A bowl of rice was a feast / If that's why they machine-gun us / Yesterday, they fired again / I have a dead child in my arms / It's over / It mustn't bother them / Those who are pampered and taken for walks / You, the children who are too well fed / Of my carefree Paris / I don't begrudge you your lot / But he, who also knew how to play / He could still be running / I cry it out to you from the end of the world / He will never again dance in a ring / Yesterday, they fired again / I have a dead child in my arms / It's night / He will never again dance in a ring / I cry it out to you from the end of the world / Listen to me, please / For me it's too heavy to bear / Listen to me, I ask you / O my Paris, you can sing / And still believe in your legend / We will no longer be able to understand each other / We will no longer be able to understand each other / Yesterday, they fired again / I have a dead child in my arms / Dead __________ French: Hier, ils ont tiré encore / J'ai dans les bras un enfant mort / Il est froid / Il y en eut à la douzaine / De plus en plus, chaque semaine / J'entends encore cet enfant-là / Qui me disait "Reste toujours" / Qui me disait "Reste avec nous" /…

Notes

Disques du Cavalier RM 380 (matrix H. RM 380 A), 45 t. mono, BIEM, Face A "L'enfant mort" (R. M. Moulin et Hélène Martin), "à la guitare: Jean-François Gaël". Picture sleeve: on one side a photograph of Vietnamese children running towards the camera along a dyke road, on the other barbed wire across a village street with a cat; "campagne de Cavalier, 84 Viens et 20 rue des Bernardins, Paris 5, téléphone Danton 07-58". The song also appears on her Disques du Cavalier LP "René Char — Terres mutilées" (CVR LM 85), under which it was previously entered. [From the record sleeve and labels]

About the artist

orn on 10 December 1928, in Paris, France, and died 21 February 2021, in Cordemais, France

Themes

Anti-War · Benefit Record

In collections

European Songs · Peace, Protest, & Anti-War Songs [War Years]