"Sacré Charlemagne ! - France Gall" has been shared to the blog from the French reading exercises section of the learning library where you can find a large selection of interactive texts to help you with your reading skills.
Young France Gall was notoriously reticent to record this song, but little did she know that Sacré Charlemagne, released in december 1964, would soon become her first major success in France and abroad. In this cheerfully catchy song, mischievous France and her friends blame medieval Emperor Charlemagne for “inventing school” (a popular myth at the time of the song, since education became mandatory for all children during his reign). Covered several times over the years, it’s still a favourite of schoolchildren.
So feel like a cheeky schoolkid again while singing along to Sacré Charlemagne with our bilingual article below!
After listening to the song, scroll down for the transcript in our bilingual reader, where you can click any French phrase for the English translation and related grammar lessons.
- What's this?
Sacré Charlemagne ! - France Gall
Qui a eu cette idée folle
Un jour d'inventer l'école ?
(Qui a eu cette idée folle
Un jour d'inventer l'école ?)
C'est ce sacré Charlemagne !
Sacré Charlemagne !
De nous laisser dans la vie
Que les dimanches, les jeudis ?
(De nous laisser dans la vie
Que les dimanches, les jeudis ?)
C'est ce sacré Charlemagne !
Sacré Charlemagne !
Ce fils de Pépin le Bref
Nous donne beaucoup d'ennuis
Et nous avons cent griefs
Contre contre contre lui !
Qui a eu cette idée folle
Un jour d'inventer l'école ?
(Qui a eu cette idée folle
Un jour d'inventer l'école ?)
C'est ce sacré Charlemagne !
Sacré Charlemagne !
Pont
Participe passé !
Quatre et quatre font huit !
Leçon de français !
De mathématiques !
Que de (Que de) travail (travail) !
Sacré sacré sacré sacré sacré Charlemagne !
Il aurait dû caresser
Longtemps sa barbe fleurie
(Il aurait dû caresser
Longtemps sa barbe fleurie)
Oh ! Oh ! Sacré Charlemagne !
Sacré Charlemagne !
Au lieu de nous ennuyer
Avec la géographie
(Au lieu de nous ennuyer
Avec la géographie)
Oh ! Oh ! Sacré Charlemagne !
Sacré Charlemagne !
Il n'avait qu'à s'occuper
De batailles et de chasse
Nous ne serions pas obligés
D'aller chaque jour en classe !
Il faut apprendre à compter
Et faire des tas de dictées
(Il faut apprendre à compter
Et faire des tas de dictées)
Oh ! Oh ! Sacré Charlemagne !
Sacré Charlemagne !
Pont
Car sans lui dans notre vie
Il n'y aurait que des jeudis
(Car sans lui dans notre vie
Il n'y aurait que des jeudis)
Oh ! Oh ! Sacré Charlemagne ! (x4)
Study Tips
Author info
Aurélie is our resident French Expert. She has created most of the wonderful content you see on the site and is usually the person answering your tricky help questions. She comes from a small village near Chartres in Central France, country of cereal fields and not much else. She left (in a hurry) to study English at the world-famous Sorbonne in Paris, before leaving France in 2007 to experience the “London lifestyle” - and never looked back! She's worked as a professional French teacher, translator and linguist in the UK since. She loves to share her love of languages and is a self-professed cinema and literature geek!
Laura is a French expert and Kwiziq's Head of Quality Control. Online educator since '99, Laura is passionate about language, travel, and cooking. She's American by birth and a permanent ex-pat by choice - freelancing made it possible for her to travel extensively and live in several countries before settling permanently in Guadeloupe. Laura is the author of Lawless French, Lawless Spanish, and other websites and books on French, Spanish, Italian, English, and vegetarianism. She spends most of her spare time reading, playing with food, and enjoying water sports.