#AllSingLaMarseillaise Tuesday night at Wembley

[El Presidente]

NOT a ditty for the faint-hearted

Arise children of the fatherland
The day of glory has arrived
Against us tyranny's
Bloody standard is raised
Listen to the sound in the fields
The howling of these fearsome soldiers
They are coming into our midst
To cut the throats of your sons and consorts

To arms citizens Form your battalions
March, march
Let impure blood
Water our furrows

What do they want this horde of slaves
Of traitors and conspiratorial kings?
For whom these vile chains
These long-prepared irons?
Frenchmen, for us, ah! What outrage
What methods must be taken?
It is us they dare plan
To return to the old slavery!

What! These foreign cohorts!
They would make laws in our courts!
What! These mercenary phalanxes
Would cut down our warrior sons
Good Lord! By chained hands
Our brow would yield under the yoke
The vile despots would have themselves be
The masters of destiny

Tremble, tyrants and traitors
The shame of all good men
Tremble! Your parricidal schemes
Will receive their just reward
Against you we are all soldiers
If they fall, our young heros
France will bear new ones
Ready to join the fight against you

Frenchmen, as magnanimous warriors
Bear or hold back your blows
Spare these sad victims
That they regret taking up arms against us
But not these bloody despots
These accomplices of Bouillé
All these tigers who pitilessly
Ripped out their mothers' wombs

We too shall enlist
When our elders' time has come
To add to the list of deeds
Inscribed upon their tombs
We are much less jealous of surviving them
Than of sharing their coffins
We shall have the sublime pride
Of avenging or joining them

Drive on sacred patriotism
Support our avenging arms
Liberty, cherished liberty
Join the struggle with your defenders
Under our flags, let victory
Hurry to your manly tone
So that in death your enemies
See your triumph and our glory!

Blimey, that is a bit bloodthirsty. Had they lost the piece of paper with the words to it in May 1940?

 

[vegster]

NOT a ditty for the faint-hearted

Arise children of the fatherland
The day of glory has arrived
Against us tyranny's
Bloody standard is raised
Listen to the sound in the fields
The howling of these fearsome soldiers
They are coming into our midst
To cut the throats of your sons and consorts

To arms citizens Form your battalions
March, march
Let impure blood
Water our furrows

What do they want this horde of slaves
Of traitors and conspiratorial kings?
For whom these vile chains
These long-prepared irons?
Frenchmen, for us, ah! What outrage
What methods must be taken?
It is us they dare plan
To return to the old slavery!

What! These foreign cohorts!
They would make laws in our courts!
What! These mercenary phalanxes
Would cut down our warrior sons
Good Lord! By chained hands
Our brow would yield under the yoke
The vile despots would have themselves be
The masters of destiny

Tremble, tyrants and traitors
The shame of all good men
Tremble! Your parricidal schemes
Will receive their just reward
Against you we are all soldiers
If they fall, our young heros
France will bear new ones
Ready to join the fight against you

Frenchmen, as magnanimous warriors
Bear or hold back your blows
Spare these sad victims
That they regret taking up arms against us
But not these bloody despots
These accomplices of Bouillé
All these tigers who pitilessly
Ripped out their mothers' wombs

We too shall enlist
When our elders' time has come
To add to the list of deeds
Inscribed upon their tombs
We are much less jealous of surviving them
Than of sharing their coffins
We shall have the sublime pride
Of avenging or joining them

Drive on sacred patriotism
Support our avenging arms
Liberty, cherished liberty
Join the struggle with your defenders
Under our flags, let victory
Hurry to your manly tone
So that in death your enemies
See your triumph and our glory!

I think it loses a but in translation and could do with being trimmed back a bit. But I would admire the sentiment.

 

[Stat Brother]

Dubious lyrics but still a cracking tune:-

 

[ExmouthExile]

A petition to the FA to put the words to the French national anthem on the big screens at Wembley? I can't speak a word of French, but I'd have a good go at it if this were to happen.

 

[lawros left foot]

Can't the England supporters just sing "No Surrender" ad infinitum as they normally do, only change the IRA to Isis

 

[Gwylan]

A petition to the FA to put the words to the French national anthem on the big screens at Wembley? I can't speak a word of French, but I'd have a good go at it if this were to happen.

If they did, I wouldn't mind betting the vast majority would pronounce the 'ent' in 'Ils viennent'

Can't see it happening: as someone said, we struggle with the words to Sussex by the Sea, how are people going to master a foreign song?

 

[ExmouthExile]

If they did, I wouldn't mind betting the vast majority would pronounce the 'ent' in 'Ils viennent'

Can't see it happening: as someone said, we struggle with the words to Sussex by the Sea, how are people going to master a foreign song?

I don't think it would matter to be honest, it would be the gesture and the solidarity that counts. If it were the other way around, it wouldn't bother me if words were pronounced incorrectly. Light the stadium up in red white and blue, and 80,000 singing the French anthem, even if we just hum the song as someone else suggested.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Just a simple minutes silence will do.

 

[lawros left foot]

Would it not be a better idea for the English support to just do the DA DADA DA DA DA DAAA DADA, DA DA DAA, DA DA, DA DADA?
No linguistic skills required, and a cracking tune to do it to


They could even put the 'words' on the big screen

 

[Publius Ovidius]

to be fair, the last verse of God Save the King is all about crushing the rebellious scots!

 

[nwgull]

This is a nice idea. The national anthems will be played anyway, and English fans making an attempt to join in with the Marseillaise will show far more solidarity than a minute's silence, which I'm sure will be done as well.

 

[Vegas Seagull]

Can't the England supporters just sing "No Surrender" ad infinitum as they normally do, only change the IRA to Isis

England fans would know better than you that it wouldn't scan using ISIS

 

[lawros left foot]

England fans would know better than you that it wouldn't scan using ISIS

Islamic State scans, but not So Called Islamic State, which is the BBCs favoured form of address

 

[fat old seagull]

to be fair, the last verse of God Save the King is all about crushing the rebellious scots!

A fair amount of foresight when that was composed then!

I hope the club does what it is so good at and organises a pro France pre match event, next home game against Birmingham. Unless of course that is prempted by an overall FL arrangement to that effect. I feel like hugging a French person.

I dearly hope this leads to a massive united escalation of international military action against ISIS. Hopefully at least they might then realise that diabolical efforts like last night, is akin to shooting themselves in the foot.