V'la l'bon Vent - French Canadian Song feat. Michael Burnyeat

This is a traditional French Canadian song most closely related to the Acadian community and the Eastern coasts of Québec around the St-Lawrence Gulf. Some claim it goes back all the way to 300 years ago, when the coureurs des bois would sing it on their travels. This is one of the many versions with differing lyrics one can find across the regions where it's played.

The arrangement is typical of French Canadian music and features a classic rythmic pattern generated by podorythmie, the usage of feet to create percussions, as well as cuillères, musical wooden spoons. A Seagull Merlin, an instrument made in Québec, provides the chord progression. The main instrument is the fiddle, played expertly by Michael Burnyeat, a talented fiddler and fellow Canadian from British Columbia who plays in the various regional styles of Canadian music. The overall rhythm and fiddling style is owes much to the historical influence Irish influence had over Québec, now making up the second most important aspect of ancestry and cultural influence in the province after the original French settlers.

I filmed this video across the coasts of the Côte-Nord region, the region of Québec north of Tadoussac that follows the widening St-Lawrence river as it turns into the St-Lawrence Gulf, and ultimately, pours into the open Atlantic. Acadian communities have some marked influence in towns such as Havre-Saint-Pierre, and the land is the historical homeland of the Innu people, one of the First Nations of Canada. The video features landscapes from the southern parts of the Côte-Nord all the way to Kegaska, the northernmost settlement where the roads stop.

Lyrics in Canadian French:
V’là l’bon vent, v’là l’joli vent
V’là l’bon vent, ma mie m’appelle,
V’là l’bon vent, v’là l’joli vent
V’là l’bon vent, ma mie m’attend.

Derrière chez nous y'a un étang,
Le fils du roi s’en va chassant.

Le fils du roi s’en va chassant.
Avec son grand fusil d’argent.

Avec son grand fusil d’argent.
Visa le noir, tua le blanc.

Visa le noir, tua le blanc.
Ô fils du roi, tu es méchant

Ô fils du roi, tu es méchant
D’avoir tué mon canard blanc.

D’avoir tué mon canard blanc.
Par-dessus l’aile, il perd son sang.

Par-dessus l’aile, il perd son sang.
Par les yeux lui sort des diamants.

Par les yeux lui sort des diamants.
Et par le bec l’or et l’argent.

Et par le bec l’or et l’argent.
Toutes ses plumes s’en vont au vent.

Toutes ses plumes s’en vont au vent.
Trop d'hommes s'en vont les ramassant.

English translation:
There goes the good wind, there goes the pretty wind
Here comes the good wind, my friend is calling me,
There goes the good wind, there goes the pretty wind
Here comes the good wind, my sweetheart is waiting for me.

Behind our house there is a pond,
The king's son goes hunting.

The king's son goes hunting.
With his big silver rifle.

With his big silver rifle.
Aim at the black, kill the white.

Aims at the black one, kills the white one.
O son of the king, you are wicked.

O son of the king, you are wicked.
For killing my white duck.

For killing my white duck.
Over the wing, he loses blood.

Over the wing, he loses blood.
Diamonds come out of his eyes.

Diamonds come out of his eyes.
And through the beak gold and silver.

And through the beak gold and silver.
All his feathers blow away in the wind.

All his feathers blow away in the wind.
Too many men go and collect them.

[faryafaraji]

This is a traditional French Canadian song most closely related to the Acadian community and the Eastern coasts of Québec around the St-Lawrence Gulf. Some claim it goes back all the way to 300 years ago, when the coureurs des bois would sing it on their travels. This is one of the many versions with differing lyrics one can find across the regions where it's played.

The arrangement is typical of French Canadian music and features a classic rythmic pattern generated by podorythmie, the usage of feet to create percussions, as well as cuillères, musical wooden spoons. A Seagull Merlin, an instrument made in Québec, provides the chord progression. The main instrument is the fiddle, played expertly by Michael Burnyeat, a talented fiddler and fellow Canadian from British Columbia who plays in the various regional styles of Canadian music. The overall rhythm and fiddling style is owes much to the historical influence Irish influence had over Québec, now making up the second most important aspect of ancestry and cultural influence in the province after the original French settlers.

I filmed this video across the coasts of the Côte-Nord region, the region of Québec north of Tadoussac that follows the widening St-Lawrence river as it turns into the St-Lawrence Gulf, and ultimately, pours into the open Atlantic. Acadian communities have some marked influence in towns such as Havre-Saint-Pierre, and the land is the historical homeland of the Innu people, one of the First Nations of Canada. The video features landscapes from the southern parts of the Côte-Nord all the way to Kegaska, the northernmost settlement where the roads stop.

Lyrics in Canadian French:
V’là l’bon vent, v’là l’joli vent
V’là l’bon vent, ma mie m’appelle,
V’là l’bon vent, v’là l’joli vent
V’là l’bon vent, ma mie m’attend.

Derrière chez nous y'a un étang,
Le fils du roi s’en va chassant.

Le fils du roi s’en va chassant.
Avec son grand fusil d’argent.

Avec son grand fusil d’argent.
Visa le noir, tua le blanc.

Visa le noir, tua le blanc.
Ô fils du roi, tu es méchant

Ô fils du roi, tu es méchant
D’avoir tué mon canard blanc.

D’avoir tué mon canard blanc.
Par-dessus l’aile, il perd son sang.

Par-dessus l’aile, il perd son sang.
Par les yeux lui sort des diamants.

Par les yeux lui sort des diamants.
Et par le bec l’or et l’argent.

Et par le bec l’or et l’argent.
Toutes ses plumes s’en vont au vent.

Toutes ses plumes s’en vont au vent.
Trop d'hommes s'en vont les ramassant.

English translation:
There goes the good wind, there goes the pretty wind
Here comes the good wind, my friend is calling me,
There goes the good wind, there goes the pretty wind
Here comes the good wind, my sweetheart is waiting for me.

Behind our house there is a pond,
The king's son goes hunting.

The king's son goes hunting.
With his big silver rifle.

With his big silver rifle.
Aim at the black, kill the white.

Aims at the black one, kills the white one.
O son of the king, you are wicked.

O son of the king, you are wicked.
For killing my white duck.

For killing my white duck.
Over the wing, he loses blood.

Over the wing, he loses blood.
Diamonds come out of his eyes.

Diamonds come out of his eyes.
And through the beak gold and silver.

And through the beak gold and silver.
All his feathers blow away in the wind.

All his feathers blow away in the wind.
Too many men go and collect them.

[MICHAELBURNYEAT]

Great collabing with you and thanks for having me on this classic French Canadian song! 🎻

[hrnd_hstran]

I haven’t had my daily dosage of farya smouldering intensely at French Canadian wilderness yet.

[Sekhmetaspie]

En tant que Canadienne-Française, je suis touchée de t'entendre interpréter la musique de mon pays 💙

[quietcat]

You're on fire, spitting out songs every other day, it seems. You spoil us, Farya.

[medenos]

Merci d'aider à conserver et partager notre culture avec le monde.
Vive la liberté, vive l'indépendance ⚜

[kalebthehistorian]

I may be an Anglo, but I have immense respect for my brothers from Quebec. Love from an Ontarian living in Alberta

[Olly-uwbu]

HOW ARE YOU SO AMAZING? You don’t even have an accent in any of the songs I heard in my Are you human? THANK YOU! Respect❤❤❤❤

[Etienne_]

Enfin une nouvelle chanson québécoise! ⚜️

[Inmediostatvirtu]

Yé un autre classique d’icitte 🎉⚜️ !
Pour vrai c’est un baume sur le coeur, tu n’oublies notre petite patrie bleue et c’est écoeurant à écouter.
Bonne St-Jean ! 🟦⬜️⚜️⬜️🟦

[lysanamcmillan]

Thank you for doing your usual fantastic job with a song from Quebec! People don't know its more unusual qualities, like the podorhythmie. I educated my world music teacher a bit about it in his last year of instruction at the local community college. 40 years and nobody did the music of Quebec as a class project for him before. I was proud to represent my ancestors to him that way.

[swhite]

I discovered you through the Orientalist Music video, so going directly to this afterwards gave me whiplash lol. As a French person I was as unfamiliar with French Canadian musical tradition as Middle Eastern modes but you have a knack for expanding people's horizons. J'adore !

[SirBolsón]

Only 1720s kids will get this beat! 🇫🇷⚜️

[MajorFishy]

We sang this in school when I was a boy. French Manitoba

[sebd]

Wow! The scenes with the monoliths were from the Mingan Archipelago (Île Quarry). Can't believe you passed by my hometown! I'm a great fan. 3:34 was a few feets off the promenade on Havre-Saint-Pierre beachfront for sure :)

[Kanmuri_writes]

Tu as réveillé des souvenirs de mon primaire avec cette chanson!

[fuferito]

As one of many scores of Ontario kids who went on their definitive elementary school trip to "la Belle Provence, " I really appreciate Farya rekindling such fond memories;

Though my memories include a musical washboard and spoons.

[tylerbrubaker]

Love how you include landscapes and cities/towns to some of your videos, really gives a certain essence to your songs.

[justinianthegreat]

We know Farya is cooking something if he only uploads mundane and jolly folk songs

[hzali]

I guess thou art one of the most wondrous culture heralds in world. Countries shouldst giveth thee a medal 'r award. T's just amazing to followeth one channel and receiveth so many musical and cultural knowledge from t. I sincerely thank thee f'r that.