Le Roi A Fait Battre Tambour
Edith Piaf & Les Compagnons De La Chanson Lyrics

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Le roi a fait battre tambour
Le roi a fait battre tambour
Pour voir toutes ses dames
Et la première qu'il a vue
Lui a ravi son âme

Marquis dis-moi la connais-tu
Marquis dis-moi la connais-tu

Qui est cette jolie dame?
Le marquis lui a répondu
Sire roi, c'est ma femme

Marquis, tu es plus heureux que moi
Marquis, tu es plus heureux que moi
D'avoir dame si belle
Si tu voulais me la donner
Je me chargerais d'elle

Sire, si vous n'étiez le roi
Sire, si vous n'étiez le roi
J'en tirerais vengeance
Mais puisque vous êtes le roi
À votre obéissance

Marquis ne te fâche donc pas
Marquis ne te fâche donc pas
T'auras ta récompense
Je te ferai dans mes armées
Beau maréchal de France

Adieu, ma mie, adieu, mon cœur!
Adieu, ma mie, adieu, mon cœur!
Adieu mon espérance
Puisqu'il te faut servir le roi
Séparons-nous d'ensemble

La reine a fait faire un bouquet
La reine a fait faire un bouquet
De jolies fleurs de lys

Et la senteur de ce bouquet
A fait mourir marquise

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Le roi a fait battre tambour," which means "The king had the drum beat," are about a king who hears the sound of drums and goes outside to see his ladies. The first one he sees captures his heart. He asks the Marquis who she is, and he replies that she is his wife. The king tells the Marquis that he is lucky to have such a beautiful wife and offers to take her away from him, but the Marquis tells him that he will not fight because the king is his liege. However, the Marquis is angry about the situation and his wife's beauty, but the king promises him that he will be made a Marshal of France.

The king then bids farewell to his love and his hope, as he must serve the country. The Queen makes a bouquet of lilies, which the Marquise smells and dies. These lyrics speak of a king's love for his ladies and the power dynamics that come with royal status. However, it also shows the loyalty people had to their rulers, even if it meant sacrificing their loved ones.

Line by Line Meaning

Le roi a fait battre tambour
The king ordered a drum roll

Pour voir toutes ses dames
To see all of his ladies

Et la première qu'il a vue
And the first one he saw

Lui a ravi son âme
Stole his heart away

Marquis dis-moi la connais-tu
Marquis, do you know her?

Qui est cette jolie dame?
Who is this pretty lady?

Le marquis lui a répondu
The marquis replied

Sire roi, c'est ma femme
Your majesty, she's my wife

Marquis, tu es plus heureux que moi
Marquis, you're happier than me

D'avoir femme si belle
To have such a beautiful wife

Si tu voulais me la donner
If you would give her to me