‘Tis the Christmas season, so of course it’s time for some Christmas music! But not just any Christmas music, I wanted to do some Christmas music that is unique to the French language. Originally released by the group La Compagnie Créole, this song talks about how Christmas is celebrated in the French West Indies. It originally appeared on their 1984 album Le Bal Masqué. It is not uncommon for it to appear on Christmas compilations, often sung by children.

About the Artists

La Compagnie Créole is a francophone music group from French Guiana and the French West Indies, who were quite popular in the ’80s. Originally formed in 1975, they released their first album Ba mwen en ti bo, sung in Antillean Creole, in 1976. They made a move to singing in French in 1983 with their third album, Vive le douanier Rousseau. They had numerous hits throughout the ’80s, such as Vive le douanier Rousseau, C’est bon pour le moral, Le Bal masqué, Ça fait rire les oiseaux and Ma première biguine-partie. They have released 20 albums and claim to have sold 60 million copies, though the accuracy of this claim is debatable, as they have sold 6 million albums in France, and, aside from one album in Canada, have never charted in any other major market.

The group is made up of Clémence Bringtown (Martinique) on vocals; José Sébéloué (French Guiana) on guitar, percussion and vocals; Julien Tarquin (Martinique) on bass and vocals; and Guy Bevert (Guadeloupe) on drums, percussion and vocals. Former member Arthur Apatout (Guadeloupe) played guitar and sang vocals, but is now a producer for the group.

Biographical information from Wikipedia.

Cultural References, Idioms and Explanations

‘baiser’ – As a noun this word means a ‘kiss’. This term should be used with caution however. As a verb, this word is a vulgur way of saying ‘to have sex’, similar to using the term ‘f**k’ in English.

‘Bons baisers’ – This phrase translates literally as ‘good kisses’. I have chosen the translation of ‘hugs and kisses’, as I feel this more accurately conveys the intent and meaning of the original phrase.

‘Fort-de-France’ – This is the capital city of Martinique, an overseas department of France located in the Caribbean. It is also one of the major cities in the Caribbean.

‘aller + inf’ – The verb ‘aller’ means ‘to go’. As in English, when this verb is used with a place, it implies movement towards that place. But when it is used with another verb, it implies that that action will be performed in the future. For example ‘I am going to the store’ ‘(je vais au magasin’) vs ‘I am going to eat’ (‘je vais manger’). The example in this song is ‘on va chanter’, meaning ‘we’re going to sing’.

‘avoir besoin de’ – This is one of the many phrases that uses ‘avoir’ in French. Meaning ‘to need’, it translates literally as ‘to have need of’.

‘soulier’ – This is an older, outdated word for ‘shoe’. Traditionally French children would leave a shoe or pair of shoes at the base of the tree or fireplace, similar to what Anglo-Saxons do with a stocking, for Santa to pass and leave gifts inside. This is a tradition that is mostly dying out.

‘y a’ – This is a shortened version of the phrase ‘il y a’ meaning ‘there is’ or ‘there are’. It would translate literally as ‘it has there’. The negative is ‘il n’y a pas’, seen in this song simply as ‘y’a pas’.

‘fond de l’air’ – Literally translating as ‘the bottom of the air’, this phrase simply means ‘air’ when speaking of the outside temperature.

‘Père Noël’ – Literally translating as ‘Father Christmas’, this is the name in French for Santa Claus.

Activities

We’ve created flashcards, games, and exercises to practice vocabulary and grammatical concepts found in this song. Check out our Activities Page to take your learning further!

Song Lyrics with Grammatical Breakdown

Mouse over a term for grammatical information. A chart of the terms and grammatical information can be found here.

Bonsbongood | adj | masc pl baisersbaiserkiss | noun | masc pl dedeof; from | prep Fort-de-FranceFort-de-FranceFort-de-France | noun, prop | name of city

[Chorus]
Noël,NoëlChristmas | noun | masc sing joyeuxjoyeuxjoyful, happy, merry | adj | masc sing Noël !NoëlChristmas | noun | masc sing
Bonsbongood | adj | masc pl baisersbaiserkiss | noun | masc pl dedeof; from | prep Fort-de-FranceFort-de-FranceFort-de-France | noun, prop | name of city
Cecethis, that | pron | masc sing soirsoirevening | noun | masc sing ononone, people, you, someone; we | pron | following verbs conjugate in third pers sing, even when used to mean 'we' éteintéteindreextinguish, put out; turn off, switch off | verb | third pers sing pres lalathe | def art | fem sing télétélévisionTV | noun | fem, sing
Cecethis, that | pron | masc sing soirsoirevening | noun | masc sing ensembleensembletogether | adv ononone, people, you, someone; we | pron | following verbs conjugate in third pers sing, even when used to mean 'we' vaallerto go | verb | third pers sing pres chanterchanterto sing | verb | infin
Noël,NoëlChristmas | noun | masc sing joyeuxjoyeuxjoyful, happy, merry | adj | masc sing Noël !NoëlChristmas | noun | masc sing
Bonsbongood | adj | masc pl baisersbaiserkiss | noun | masc pl dedeof; from | prep Fort-de-FranceFort-de-FranceFort-de-France | noun, prop | name of city
Cecethis, that | pron | masc sing soirsoirevening | noun | masc sing ononone, people, you, someone; we | pron | following verbs conjugate in third pers sing, even when used to mean 'we' éteintéteindreextinguish, put out; turn off, switch off | verb | third pers sing pres lalathe | def art | fem sing télétélévisionTV | noun | fem, sing
Cecethis, that | pron | masc sing soirsoirevening | noun | masc sing ensembleensembletogether | adv ononone, people, you, someone; we | pron | following verbs conjugate in third pers sing, even when used to mean 'we' vaallerto go | verb | third pers sing pres chanterchanterto sing | verb | infin

[Verse 1]
Iciicihere | adv leslesthe | def art | masc and fem pl champschampfield | noun | masc pl recouvertsrecouvrirtuck in (person); reroof; include, integrate, cover | verb | pp as adj | recouvrir de = cover with, wrap with dedeof; from | prep neigeneigesnow | noun | fem sing
Ononone, people, you, someone; we | pron | following verbs conjugate in third pers sing, even when used to mean 'we' nenenot, no | adv | used with another neg term, such as 'ne … pas', the 'ne' may be omitted in colloquial speech leslesthe | def art | masc and fem pl connaîtconnaîtreto know, be acquainted with | verb | third pers sing pres qu’quethat, than | conj | used before vowelsenento, in | prep photophotophoto, picture, image | noun | fem sing | short for photographie
Lelethe | def art | masc sing pèrepèrefather | noun | masc sing | père Noël = Santa Noël,NoëlChristmas | noun | masc sing | père Noël = Santa n’nenot, no | adv | used with another neg term, such as 'ne … pas' | shortened to n' before vowelsaavoirto have | verb | third pers sing pres pasne … pasnot | adv | the 'ne' may be omitted in colloquial speech dedeof; from | prep traîneautraîneausled, sleigh | noun | masc sing
Lelethe | def art | masc sing fondfondbottom, back; background | noun | masc sing | fond de l'air = air (exterior temp) dedeof; from | prep l’le, lathe | def art | masc or fem sing, shortened to l' before vowelsairairair, atmosphere; appearance; tune | noun | masc sing | fond de l'air = air (exterior temp) estêtreto be | verb | third pers sing pres bienbienwell; a lot; good, fine | adv troptroptoo, too much, too many, excessively | adv chaudchaudhot, warm | adj | masc sing
Iciicihere | adv leslesthe | def art | masc and fem pl portesportedoor | noun | fem pl sontêtreto be | verb | third pers pl pres toujourstoujoursalways | adv ouvertesouvertopen | adj | fem pl
Ononone, people, you, someone; we | pron | following verbs conjugate in third pers sing, even when used to mean 'we' peutpouvoirto be able to | verb | third pers sing pres entrerentrerenter | verb | infin dansdansin | prep toutestoutall | adj | fem pl leslesthe | def art | masc and fem pl maisonsmaisonhouse, home; household | noun | fem pl
Etetand | conj pourpourto; for | prep | to' before verbs, 'for' before nouns or pron's partagerpartagerto share, divide | verb | infin nosnosour | poss adj | masc and fem pl chansonschansonsong | noun | fem pl
Ononone, people, you, someone; we | pron | following verbs conjugate in third pers sing, even when used to mean 'we' n’nenot, no | adv | used with another neg term, such as 'ne … pas' | shortened to n' before vowelsaavoirto have | verb | third pers sing pres | avoir besoin = to need pasne … pasnot | adv | the 'ne' may be omitted in colloquial speech besoinbesoinneed, requirement, necessity | noun | masc sing | avoir besoin = to need d’deof; from | prep | used before vowelsinvitationsinvitationinvitation | noun | fem pl

[Chorus]
Noël,NoëlChristmas | noun | masc sing joyeuxjoyeuxjoyful, happy, merry | adj | masc sing Noël !NoëlChristmas | noun | masc sing
Bonsbongood | adj | masc pl baisersbaiserkiss | noun | masc pl dedeof; from | prep Fort-de-FranceFort-de-FranceFort-de-France | noun, prop | name of city
Cecethis, that | pron | masc sing soirsoirevening | noun | masc sing ononone, people, you, someone; we | pron | following verbs conjugate in third pers sing, even when used to mean 'we' éteintéteindreextinguish, put out; turn off, switch off | verb | third pers sing pres lalathe | def art | fem sing télétélévisionTV | noun | fem, sing
Cecethis, that | pron | masc sing soirsoirevening | noun | masc sing ensembleensembletogether | adv ononone, people, you, someone; we | pron | following verbs conjugate in third pers sing, even when used to mean 'we' vaallerto go | verb | third pers sing pres chanterchanterto sing | verb | infin
Noël,NoëlChristmas | noun | masc sing joyeuxjoyeuxjoyful, happy, merry | adj | masc sing Noël !NoëlChristmas | noun | masc sing
Bonsbongood | adj | masc pl baisersbaiserkiss | noun | masc pl dedeof; from | prep Fort-de-FranceFort-de-FranceFort-de-France | noun, prop | name of city
Cecethis, that | pron | masc sing soirsoirevening | noun | masc sing ononone, people, you, someone; we | pron | following verbs conjugate in third pers sing, even when used to mean 'we' éteintéteindreextinguish, put out; turn off, switch off | verb | third pers sing pres lalathe | def art | fem sing télétélévisionTV | noun | fem, sing
Cecethis, that | pron | masc sing soirsoirevening | noun | masc sing ensembleensembletogether | adv ononone, people, you, someone; we | pron | following verbs conjugate in third pers sing, even when used to mean 'we' vaallerto go | verb | third pers sing pres chanterchanterto sing | verb | infin

[Verse 2]
Yyhere, there | adv | | il y a = there is/are aavoirto have | verb | third pers sing pres | il y a = there is/are pasne … pasnot | adv | the 'ne' may be omitted in colloquial speech dedeof; from | prep sapinssapinfir tree, pine tree; pine (wood) | noun | masc pl sursuron, upon; on top of, above | prep lalathe | def art | fem sing montagnemontagnemountain | noun | fem sing
Ononone, people, you, someone; we | pron | following verbs conjugate in third pers sing, even when used to mean 'we' aavoirto have | verb | third pers sing pres | aux verb used with pp to form p.c. décorédécorerto decorate, embellish, adorn | verb | pp leslesthe | def art | used with pl nouns manguiersmanguiermango tree | noun | masc pl
Yyhere, there | adv | | il y a = there is/are aavoirto have | verb | third pers sing pres | il y a = there is/are pasne … pasnot | adv | the 'ne' may be omitted in colloquial speech dedeof; from | prep soulierssouliershoe | noun | masc pl dansdansin | prep leslesthe | def art | masc and fem pl cheminéescheminéefireplace, hearth; chimney | noun | fem pl
Maismaisbut | conj pourpourto; for | prep | to' before verbs, 'for' before nouns or pron's touttoutall, all of, every one of, the whole | adj | masc sing lelethe | def art | masc sing mondemondeworld, crowd, people, everybody | noun | masc sing yyhere, there | adv | | il y a = there is/are aavoirto have | verb | third pers sing pres | il y a = there is/there are desdessome | indef art | masc and fem pl cadeauxcadeaugift, present | noun | masc pl
Iciicihere | adv leslesthe | def art | masc and fem pl champschampfield | noun | masc pl recouvertsrecouvrirtuck in (person); reroof; include, integrate, cover | verb | pp as adj | recouvrir de = cover with, wrap with dedeof; from | prep neigeneigesnow | noun | fem sing
Ononone, people, you, someone; we | pron | following verbs conjugate in third pers sing, even when used to mean 'we' nenenot, no | adv | used with another neg term, such as 'ne … pas', the 'ne' may be omitted in colloquial speech leslesthe | def art | masc and fem pl connaîtconnaîtreto know, be acquainted with | verb | third pers sing pres qu’quethat, than | conj | used before vowelsenento, in | prep photophotophoto, picture, image | noun | fem sing | short for photographie
Lelethe | def art | masc sing pèrepèrefather | noun | masc sing | père Noël = Santa Noël,NoëlChristmas | noun | masc sing | père Noël = Santa n’nenot, no | adv | used with another neg term, such as 'ne … pas' | shortened to n' before vowelsaavoirto have | verb | third pers sing pres pasne … pasnot | adv | the 'ne' may be omitted in colloquial speech dedeof; from | prep traîneautraîneausled, sleigh | noun | masc sing
Maismaisbut | conj pourpourto; for | prep | to' before verbs, 'for' before nouns or pron's touttoutall, all of, every one of, the whole | adj | masc sing lelethe | def art | masc sing mondemondeworld, crowd, people, everybody | noun | masc sing yyhere, there | adv | | il y a = there is/are aavoirto have | verb | third pers sing pres | il y a = there is/there are desdessome | indef art | masc and fem pl cadeauxcadeaugift, present | noun | masc pl

[Chorus]
Noël,NoëlChristmas | noun | masc sing joyeuxjoyeuxjoyful, happy, merry | adj | masc sing Noël !NoëlChristmas | noun | masc sing
Bonsbongood | adj | masc pl baisersbaiserkiss | noun | masc pl dedeof; from | prep Fort-de-FranceFort-de-FranceFort-de-France | noun, prop | name of city
Cecethis, that | pron | masc sing soirsoirevening | noun | masc sing ononone, people, you, someone; we | pron | following verbs conjugate in third pers sing, even when used to mean 'we' éteintéteindreextinguish, put out; turn off, switch off | verb | third pers sing pres lalathe | def art | fem sing télétélévisionTV | noun | fem, sing
Cecethis, that | pron | masc sing soirsoirevening | noun | masc sing ensembleensembletogether | adv ononone, people, you, someone; we | pron | following verbs conjugate in third pers sing, even when used to mean 'we' vaallerto go | verb | third pers sing pres chanterchanterto sing | verb | infin
Noël,NoëlChristmas | noun | masc sing joyeuxjoyeuxjoyful, happy, merry | adj | masc sing Noël !NoëlChristmas | noun | masc sing
Bonsbongood | adj | masc pl baisersbaiserkiss | noun | masc pl dedeof; from | prep Fort-de-FranceFort-de-FranceFort-de-France | noun, prop | name of city
Cecethis, that | pron | masc sing soirsoirevening | noun | masc sing ononone, people, you, someone; we | pron | following verbs conjugate in third pers sing, even when used to mean 'we' éteintéteindreextinguish, put out; turn off, switch off | verb | third pers sing pres lalathe | def art | fem sing télétélévisionTV | noun | fem, sing
Cecethis, that | pron | masc sing soirsoirevening | noun | masc sing ensembleensembletogether | adv ononone, people, you, someone; we | pron | following verbs conjugate in third pers sing, even when used to mean 'we' vaallerto go | verb | third pers sing pres chanterchanterto sing | verb | infin
Noël,NoëlChristmas | noun | masc sing joyeuxjoyeuxjoyful, happy, merry | adj | masc sing Noël !NoëlChristmas | noun | masc sing
Bonsbongood | adj | masc pl baisersbaiserkiss | noun | masc pl dedeof; from | prep Fort-de-FranceFort-de-FranceFort-de-France | noun, prop | name of city
Cecethis, that | pron | masc sing soirsoirevening | noun | masc sing ononone, people, you, someone; we | pron | following verbs conjugate in third pers sing, even when used to mean 'we' éteintéteindreextinguish, put out; turn off, switch off | verb | third pers sing pres lalathe | def art | fem sing télétélévisionTV | noun | fem, sing
Cecethis, that | pron | masc sing soirsoirevening | noun | masc sing ensembleensembletogether | adv ononone, people, you, someone; we | pron | following verbs conjugate in third pers sing, even when used to mean 'we' vaallerto go | verb | third pers sing pres chanterchanterto sing | verb | infin
Noël,NoëlChristmas | noun | masc sing joyeuxjoyeuxjoyful, happy, merry | adj | masc sing Noël !NoëlChristmas | noun | masc sing

Lyrics with Translation

Songs in any language often leave room for multiple interpretations. Following is my interpretation of the song lyrics.

Bons baisers de Fort-de-France
Hugs and kisses from Fort-de-France

[Chorus]
Noël, joyeux Noël !
Christmas, Merry Christmas!
Bons baisers de Fort-de-France
Hugs and kisses from Fort-de-France
Ce soir on éteint la télé
Tonight we turn off the TV
Ce soir ensemble on va chanter
Tonight we’re going to sing together
Noël, joyeux Noël !
Christmas, Merry Christmas!
Bons baisers de Fort-de-France
Hugs and kisses from Fort-de-France
Ce soir on éteint la télé
Tonight we turn off the TV
Ce soir ensemble on va chanter
Tonight we’re going to sing together

[Verse 1]
Ici les champs recouverts de neige
Here the fields covered with snow
On ne les connaît qu’en photo
We only know them in photos
Le Père Noël n’a pas de traîneau
Santa has no sleigh
Le fond de l’air est bien trop chaud
The air is way too hot
Ici les portes sont toujours ouvertes
Here the doors are always open
On peut entrer dans toutes les maisons
We can enter every house
Et pour partager nos chansons
And to share our songs
On n’a pas besoin d’invitations
We don’t need invitations

[Chorus]
Noël, joyeux Noël !
Christmas, Merry Christmas!
Bons baisers de Fort-de-France
Hugs and kisses from Fort-de-France
Ce soir on éteint la télé
Tonight we turn off the TV
Ce soir ensemble on va chanter
Tonight we’re going to sing together
Noël, joyeux Noël !
Christmas, Merry Christmas!
Bons baisers de Fort-de-France
Hugs and kisses from Fort-de-France
Ce soir on éteint la télé
Tonight we turn off the TV
Ce soir ensemble on va chanter
Tonight we’re going to sing together

[Verse 2]
Y’a pas de sapins sur la montagne
There are no pine trees on the mountain
On a décoré les manguiers
We decorated the mango trees
Y’a pas de souliers dans les cheminées
There are no stockings by the fireplace
Mais pour tout le monde y’a des cadeaux
But for everyone there are gifts
Ici les champs recouverts de neige
Here the fields covered with snow
On ne les connaît qu’en photo
We only know them in photos
Le Père Noël n’a pas de traîneau
Santa has no sleigh
Mais pour tout le monde y’a des cadeaux
But for everyone there are gifts

[Chorus]
Noël, joyeux Noël !
Christmas, Merry Christmas!
Bons baisers de Fort-de-France
Hugs and kisses from Fort-de-France
Ce soir on éteint la télé
Tonight we turn off the TV
Ce soir ensemble on va chanter
Tonight we’re going to sing together
Noël, joyeux Noël !
Christmas, Merry Christmas!
Bons baisers de Fort-de-France
Hugs and kisses from Fort-de-France
Ce soir on éteint la télé
Tonight we turn off the TV
Ce soir ensemble on va chanter
Tonight we’re going to sing together
Noël, joyeux Noël !
Christmas, Merry Christmas!
Bons baisers de Fort-de-France
Hugs and kisses from Fort-de-France
Ce soir on éteint la télé
Tonight we turn off the TV
Ce soir ensemble on va chanter
Tonight we’re going to sing together
Noël, joyeux Noël !
Christmas, Merry Christmas!

Grammatical Concepts Used in this Song

• Irregular:
  • éteindre
    • Ce soir on éteint la télé
  • connaître
    • On ne les connaît qu’en photo
  • avoir
    • Le Père Noël n’a pas de traîneau
    • On n’a pas besoin d’invitations
    • Y’a pas de sapins sur la montagne
    • Y’a pas de souliers dans les cheminées
    • Mais pour tout le monde y’a des cadeaux
  • être
    • Le fond de l’air est bien trop chaud
    • Ici les portes sont toujours ouvertes
  • pouvoir
    • On peut entrer dans toutes les maisons

• Le futur proche (aller + inf):
  • Ce soir ensemble on va chanter

• Passé Composé:
  • On a décoré les manguiers