Song Video
Lyrics
     Alouette, gentille Alouette
     Alouette je te plumerai
     Alouette, gentille Alouette
     Alouette je te plumerai
     Je te plumerai la tête 
     Je te plumerai la tête 
     Et la tête, et la tête 
     Alouette, Alouette
     O-o-o-o-oh
     Alouette, gentille Alouette
     Alouette je te plumerai.
     Alouette, gentille Alouette
     Alouette je te plumerai
     Alouette, gentille Alouette
     Alouette je te plumerai
     Je te plumerai le nez
     Je te plumerai le nez
     Et le nez, et le nez
     Alouette, Alouette
     O-o-o-o-oh
     Alouette, gentille Alouette
     Alouette je te plumerai.
     Alouette, gentille Alouette
     Alouette je te plumerai
     Alouette, gentille Alouette
     Alouette je te plumerai
     Je te plumerai les yeux
     Je te plumerai les yeux
     Et les yeux, et les yeux
     Alouette, Alouette
     O-o-o-o-oh
     Alouette, gentille Alouette
     Alouette je te plumerai.
     Alouette, gentille Alouette
     Alouette je te plumerai
     Alouette, gentille Alouette
     Alouette je te plumerai
     Je te plumerai le cou
     Je te plumerai le cou
     Et le cou, et le cou
     Alouette, Alouette
     O-o-o-o-oh
     Alouette, gentille Alouette
     Alouette je te plumerai.
     Alouette, gentille Alouette
     Alouette je te plumerai
     Alouette, gentille Alouette
     Alouette je te plumerai
     Je te plumerai les ailes
     Je te plumerai les ailes
     Et les ailes, et les ailes
     Alouette, Alouette
     O-o-o-o-oh
     Alouette, gentille Alouette
     Alouette je te plumerai.
     Alouette, gentille Alouette
     Alouette je te plumerai
     Alouette, gentille Alouette
     Alouette je te plumerai
     Je te plumerai le dos
     Je te plumerai le dos
     Et le dos, et le dos
     Alouette, Alouette
     O-o-o-o-oh
     Alouette, gentille Alouette
     Alouette je te plumerai.
     Alouette, gentille Alouette
     Alouette je te plumerai
     Alouette, gentille Alouette
     Alouette je te plumerai
     Je te plumerai les pattes
     Je te plumerai les pattes
     Et les pattes, et les pattes
     Alouette, Alouette
     O-o-o-o-oh
     Alouette, gentille Alouette
     Alouette je te plumerai.
     Alouette, gentille Alouette
     Alouette je te plumerai
     Alouette, gentille Alouette
     Alouette je te plumerai
     Je te plumerai la queue
     Je te plumerai la queue
     Et la queue, et la queue
     Alouette, Alouette
     O-o-o-o-oh
     Alouette, gentille Alouette
     Alouette je te plumerai.
Information About Alouette Gentille Alouette
"Alouette Gentille Alouette" is a song often used to teach English speaking children in Canada and French students from around the world the names of body parts in French. Although popular in Canada the song is believed to have originated from France.
The Skylark, or Alouette, is a very gentle and docile bird, easy to catch and handle by even young children. It is also generally understood as the "lark" referred to in the famous poem "In Flander's Fields" with the author using the beauty of it's song and it's gentleness to contrast with the battle fields of France.
As with many children's songs, the history of this song is somewhat gruesome. The song is in French, and may therefore be infrequently translated by English-speaking schoolchildren. The alouette of the song is the European Skylark (Alauda arvensis). During the nineteenth century they were caught, caged, killed and eaten in the UK or exported, in huge numbers, for food, mostly to France. The phrase "je te plumerai" translates as "I am going to pull your feathers out". Once you appreciate this, you can see that it is a song about plucking the feathers from dead skylarks. (Not terribly pleasant subject material. ) However, if you think about the mechanics of the process, the birds are relatively small, and required quite a lot of effort to pluck each individual. If a song was sung during the plucking process, then, presumably, the whole family could be involved in the preparation of the birds for the meal, and the chore wouldn't seem so arduous.
This song is dedicated to Amelie, Peter and baby Marcel!
Alternative Lyrics & Related Songs
Here's quite a different version which involves using cream!
     (2-4 people holding cans of whipping cream)
     We love cool cream,
     Cool cream is the best cream;
     We love cool cream,
     Cool cream is the best!
     Would you like some on your toe?
     Yes, I'd likesome on my toe!
     On your toe,
     On my toe! (squirt some on their toe).
(chorus).
Another version. Same tune, just different words
     If you love me,
     Tell me that you love me,
     If you don't,
     Please tell me that you do.
     Tell me that you love me true,
     Tell me that you really do,
     Do do do
     Do do do
     Ohhhhhh.
     If you love me,
     Tell me that you love me,
     If you don't,
     Please tell me that you do.
A larger version that we can all sing to
     Lark, gentle lark
     Lark, I will pull your feathers off
     I will pull the feathers off your head
     I will pull the feathers off your head
     And the head - and the head
     Lark, lark
     O, o, o, o, o.
     Lark, gentle lark
     Lark, I will pull your feathers off
     I will pull the feathers off your beak
     And the beak - and the beak
     And the head - and the head
     Lark, lark
     O, o, o, o, o.
     Lark, gentle lark
     Lark, I will pull your feathers off
     I will pull the feathers off your neck
     And the neck - and the neck
     And the beak - and the beak
     And the head - and the head
     Lark, lark
     O, o, o, o, o.
     Lark, gentle lark
     Lark, I will pull your feathers off
     I will pull the feathers off your wings
     And the wings - and the wings
     And the neck - and the neck
     And the beak - and the beak
     And the head - and the head
     Lark, lark
     O, o, o, o, o.
     Lark, gentle lark
     Lark, I will pull your feathers off
     I will pull the feathers off your back
     And the back - and the back
     And the wings - and the wings
     And the neck - and the neck
     And the beak - and the beak
     And the head - and the head
     Lark, lark
     O, o, o, o, o.
     Lark, gentle lark
     Lark, I will pull your feathers off
     I will pull the feathers off your legs
     And the legs - and the legs
     And the back - and the back
     And the wings - and the wings
     And the neck - and the neck
     And the beak - and the beak
     And the head - and the head
     Lark, lark
     O, o, o, o, o.
     Lark, gentle lark
     Lark, I will pull your feathers off
     I will pull the feathers off your tail
     And the tail - and the tail
     And the legs - and the legs
     And the back - and the back
     And the wings - and the wings
     And the neck - and the neck
     And the beak - and the beak
     And the head - and the head
     Lark, lark
     O, o, o, o, o.