Yankee Doodle

Premiers vers de la chanson gravés sur une plaque, dans un parc américain.

Yankee Doodle est une chanson anglaise qui date de la guerre de Sept Ans. D'abord chanté par les troupes britanniques pour railler les colons américains (doodle voulant dire « idiot » ou « bouffon »), il est ensuite utilisé comme chant patriotique par les Américains. C'est actuellement l'hymne de l'État du Connecticut.

Une version détournée de cette chanson fut utilisée pour le film La Glorieuse Parade (Yankee Doodle Dandy) en juin 1942 et l'air servit d'indicatif à la radio La Voix de l'Amérique, qui émit à partir d'Alger après le débarquement allié en Afrique du Nord du 8 novembre 1942.

Paroles

La version complète la plus commune aujourd'hui :

Yankee Doodle went to town

A-riding on a pony,

Stuck a feather in his cap

And called it macaroni'.

Refrain :

Yankee Doodle keep it up,

Yankee Doodle dandy,

Mind the music and the step,

And with the girls be handy.

Fath'r and I went down to camp,

Along with Captain Gooding,

And there we saw the men and boys

As thick as hasty puddin'.

Refrain

And there we saw a thousand men

As rich as Squire David,

And what they wasted every day,

I wish it could be saved.

Refrain

The 'lasses they eat it every day,

Would keep a house a winter;

They have so much, that I'll be bound,

They eat it when they've mind ter.

Refrain

And there I see a swamping gun

Large as a log of maple,

Upon a deuced little cart,

A load for father's cattle.

Refrain

And every time they shoot it off,

It takes a horn of powder,

and makes a noise like father's gun,

Only a nation louder.

Refrain

I went as nigh to one myself

As 'Siah's inderpinning;

And father went as nigh again,

I thought the deuce was in him.

Refrain

Cousin Simon grew so bold,

I thought he would have cocked it;

It scared me so I shrinked it off

And hung by father's pocket.

Refrain

And Cap'n Davis had a gun,

He kind of clapt his hand on't

And stuck a crooked stabbing iron

Upon the little end on't

Refrain

And there I see a pumpkin shell

As big as mother's bason,

And every time they touched it off

They scampered like the nation.

Refrain

I see a little barrel too,

The heads were made of leather;

They knocked on it with little clubs

And called the folks together.

Refrain

And there was Cap'n Washington,

And gentle folks about him;

They say he's grown so 'tarnal proud

He will not ride without em'.

Refrain

He got him on his meeting clothes,

Upon a slapping stallion;

He sat the world along in rows,

In hundreds and in millions.

Refrain

The flaming ribbons in his hat,

They looked so tearing fine, ah,

I wanted dreadfully to get

To give to my Jemima.

Refrain

I see another snarl of men

A digging graves they told me,

So 'tarnal long, so 'tarnal deep,

They 'tended they should hold me.

Refrain

It scared me so, I hooked it off,

Nor stopped, as I remember,

Nor turned about till I got home,

Locked up in mother's chamber.

Refrain

Général George P. Morris

Lien externe

• Yankke Doodle - Fichier audio (MIDI)

• Portail de la musique