Formed in 1976, they have toured extensively through North America and Europe. As well as the traditional accordion, fiddle, guitar, piano and double bass, the band added a four-piece horn section in 1990 which gives an element of jazz to the music. In 1998, they contributed a song to the Canadian Celtic music compilation by The Chieftains, Fire in the Kitchen.
The group's name means "the smiling boot", which refers to the appearance of a work boot with worn-out soles.
They have received three Canadian Juno awards and several Felix awards from the Quebec recording industry. They are known for their high energy live performances and in 2000 were voted Best Live Act at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. BBC Radio 3 has also played their music in mainstream programmes.
See their website: http://www.bottinesouriante.com/
Margot Fringue
La Bottine Souriante Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
En soulevant une vailloche, un garçon elle a trouvé
Refrain
Margot Fringue! Turlututu
Prends garde à ton turlututu (bis)
En soulevant une vailloche, un garçon elle a trouvé (bis)
Refrain
La bonne femme voulait l'avoir mais la fille voulait y ôter (bis)
La bonne femme a tant pleuré que l'nombril lui a séché
Refrain
La bonne femme a tant pleuré que l'nombril lui a séché (bis)
Puis à la place du nombril une citrouille lui a poussé
Refrain
À la place du nombril une citrouille lui a poussé (bis)
Puis ça lui a b'en coûté mille piastres pour la faire y enlever
Oh! Margot Fringue! Turlututu
Prends garde à ton turlututu
Oh! Margot Fringue! Turlututu
Prends garde à ton turlututu (3 fois)
The song "Margot Fringue" by La Bottine Souriante tells the story of an old woman who goes to cut her wheat and ends up finding a boy under a heap of hay. The refrain, "Margot Fringue! Turlututu, prends garde à ton turlututu," is a warning to be careful about one's actions, specifically related to love and sexual encounters. The old woman wants the boy, but the girl wants to remove him from under the hay. The conflict between the two is intense, and the old woman cries so much when she doesn't get her way that her belly button dries up and a pumpkin grows in its place. She then spends a thousand dollars to have it removed.
Line by Line Meaning
Ah! C'était une vieille bonne femme qui s'en allait couper son blé (bis)
Once upon a time, an old woman went out to cut her wheat
En soulevant une vailloche, un garçon elle a trouvé
As she lifted a bundle of wheat, she found a boy
Margot Fringue! Turlututu
Prends garde à ton turlututu (bis)
Margot Fringue, beware of your turlututu (a silly name for a private part)
La bonne femme voulait l'avoir mais la fille voulait y ôter (bis)
The old woman wanted him, but the girl wanted to take him away
La bonne femme a tant pleuré que l'nombril lui a séché (bis)
The old woman cried so much that her belly button dried up
Puis à la place du nombril une citrouille lui a poussé (bis)
Then, a pumpkin grew in the place of her belly button
À la place du nombril une citrouille lui a poussé (bis)
In the spot where her belly button used to be, a pumpkin sprouted
Puis ça lui a b'en coûté mille piastres pour la faire y enlever
It cost her a thousand dollars to have it removed
Oh! Margot Fringue! Turlututu
Prends garde à ton turlututu
Oh! Margot Fringue! Turlututu
Prends garde à ton turlututu (3 fois)
Oh, Margot Fringue, watch out for your turlututu. (Repeat 3 times)
Contributed by Charlotte D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.