A Fransaskois from Willow Bunch, Saskatchewan, she was a member of the folk music band Folle Avoine in the 1970s. Her brother Paul Campagne and sisters Suzanne Campagne, Michelle Campagne and Annette Campagne, her bandmates in Folle Avoine, have also continued in music with the folk band Hart-Rouge.
She, along with Connie Kaldor, received a Juno Award at the 1989 Award ceremony in the category Best Children's Album for Lullaby Berceuse.
In 2013, she was made a Member of the Order of Canada "for her contributions as a singer, songwriter and composer enhancing music for young children and using music in French-language education".
She died of cancer at age 58 on July 4, 2018, in Willow Bunch.
à la volette
Carmen Campagne Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Un oiseau chantait
Près de la fontaine
Un oiseau chantait
Un oiseau, à la volette
Un oiseau, à la volette
Un oiseau chantait
Il m′a fait pleurer
J'ai couru l'entendre
Il m′a fait pleurer
Il m′a fait, à la volette
Il m'a fait, à la volette
Il m′a fait pleurer
Ses petits rebelles
Voulaient le quitter
Ses petits rebelles
Voulaient le quitter
Voulaient le, à la volette
Voulaient le, à la volette
Voulaient le quitter
Et la pauvre mère
Leur disait "Restez"
Et la pauvre mère
Leur disait "Restez"
Leur disait, à la volette
Leur disait, à la volette
Leur disait "Restez"
Les petits partirent
Ils savaient voler
Les petits partirent
Ils savaient voler
Ils savaient, à la volette
Ils savaient, à la volette
Ils savaient voler
Et leur pauvre mère
Les a tous pleurés
Et leur pauvre mère
Les a tous pleurés
Les a tous, à la volette
Les a tous, à la volette
Les a tous pleurés
Les a tous pleurés
The lyrics to Carmen Campagne's song "à la volette" tell a story about a bird singing near a fountain. The bird's song is so beautiful that it moves the listener to tears. The bird's little ones, however, want to leave. The mother bird pleads with them to stay, but they eventually leave because they know how to fly. The departure of the little birds brings sadness to their poor mother, who weeps for all of them.
The song is quite simple in its narrative, but it conveys a deep sense of longing and separation. Through the imagery of the bird and its little ones, the lyrics explore themes of attachment, independence, and the inevitable cycle of life. The mother's plea for her children to stay represents a universal human desire to hold onto loved ones, even when they must eventually go their own way.
Overall, "à la volette" is a poignant tale of the bittersweet nature of love and the complexities of motherhood. It reminds listeners of the beauty and fleetingness of life, as well as the universal experience of both joy and heartache.
Line by Line Meaning
Près de la fontaine
Next to the fountain
Un oiseau chantait
A bird was singing
Un oiseau, à la volette
A bird, flying around
J'ai couru l'entendre
I ran to hear it
Il m’a fait pleurer
It made me cry
Il m'a fait, à la volette
It made me, fly around
Ses petits rebelles
Its little rebels
Voulaient le quitter
Wanted to leave it
Voulaient le, à la volette
Wanted to, fly around
Et la pauvre mère
And the poor mother
Leur disait 'Restez'
Told them 'Stay'
Leur disait, à la volette
Told them, to fly around
Les petits partirent
The little ones left
Ils savaient voler
They knew how to fly
Ils savaient, à la volette
They knew, flying around
Et leur pauvre mère
And their poor mother
Les a tous pleurés
Cried for all of them
Les a tous, à la volette
Cried for all of them, flying around
Les a tous pleurés
Cried for all of them
Writer(s): Paul Campagne, Carmen Nicole Campagne
Contributed by David F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.