Mademoiselle From Armentières by Traditional

Album: various (1915)

lyrics

Songfacts®:

According to the 1994 study Dark Laughter: War in Song and Popular Culture, by Les Cleveland, "Madamoiselle From Armentières" is "a fantasy about a sexual assault on a helpless young Frenchwoman." It is, he says, "The most famous of all World War I soldiers' song."

There is though, more to it than that. Also known as "Hinky Dinky Parley Voo" - not necessarily with that precise/imprecise spelling, the original may be dated to the 1830s (or maybe not!), with the unfortunate lady an inn keeper's daughter (perhaps the same sort of girl as found in "The Landlord's Daughter").

Folk historian and performer Raymond Crooke who has researched it in some depth, says, "This is one of those songs that everyone adds verses to, with varying degrees of suitability for family listening."

As indeed it is, like the verses:

Three German officers crossed the Rhein
Parley voo
Three German officers crossed the Rhein
Parley voo
They tied the landlord to the door
Nailed his bollocks to the floor
Poor, poor parley voo.

They f--ked his wife until she was dead
Parley voo
They f--ked his wife until she was dead
Parley voo
They took her down to Lovers' Lane
F--ked her back to life again
Poor, poor parley voo...

No mention of a madamoiselle here, and all very shameful as well as politically incorrect, but no one with half a brain ever said war was a nice thing.

This version is recounted from a secondary school in Greater London in the 1960s, where the German officers may have crossed the (railway) line rather than the Rhein, during the Second World War.

Crooke's version runs to well over 8 minutes, and has been suitably sanitized by the performer (like the polite chap he is). >>>
Suggestion credit:
Alexander Baron - London, England

Comments: 7

Neil from AustraliaParlez Vous in this context probably means more "Tell us", or "Tell us more" rather than "Do you speak". They want to know more about the Mademoiselle, having been in the trenches for ages. While not entirely politically correct, if you have a choice of facing machine guns and poison gas or having some guys sing bawdy songs about you, I know which I would choose.
AnonymousHad no idea it was about war times.
. from MiMademoiselle from Armentieres, She's just eighteen plus thirty years.
AnonymousMaybe Helen H and other woke feminists can join the army next time there is a war and the men can stay at home and give those who don't join up white feathers.

It is a terrible thing to have feminie privilege. Stay alive and be at home, while toxic masculine men are keeping your world safe.
Ugly Jack from EarthPoor Helen H. from Communist California has gotten her knickers all in bunch over the lyrics of this song. Men are going off to live like pigs in muddy trenches and kill each other under the most horrific of conditions, but according to her, they can’t lift their spirits even briefly with “really terrible verses” of a harmless little song. I suppose they should’ve been debating the virtues of feminist ideals or even better, woke progressive lies before they went up and over into No Man’s Land to be cut down by artillery and machine gun fire? Would that satisfy your sensibilities, dear Helen H.? Please continue to use your vote to destroy this country; you will anyway, I know.
Helen H. from CaliforniaWe used to sing the first verse - only verse we knew - of this song when I was a kid during WWII. I do not recall even hearing the other - really terrible - verses.
Jeremy from United KingdomIt's clearly not about a young French woman, despite the use of the word mademoiselle - "She hasn't been kissed in 40 years". It's about an ageing but popular prostitute - "She's the hardest working girl in town, But she makes her living upside down". Also, it's "parlez vous", French for "do you speak".

see more comments

More Songfacts:

Handle With CareThe Traveling Wilburys

"Handle With Care" started as a George Harrison song with guest appearances by Roy Orbison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne, but it went so well the five of them decided to form a group - The Traveling Wilburys - and record an entire album.

Psycho KillerTalking Heads

The French part in Talking Heads' "Psycho Killer" explains that the killer is going after a girl, like Norman Bates in the movie Psycho.

Ur So GayKaty Perry

Katy Perry says her 2008 song "Ur So Gay" is about "guys who wear the guyliner, steal your jeans, and that whole almost hipster emo scene."

LightsEllie Goulding

Ellie Goulding's hit song "Lights" is about her fear of the dark, which forces the singer to sleep with the lights on.

Born on the BayouCreedence Clearwater Revival

John Fogerty was not born on the bayou - he's from Berkeley, California. He got the idea for the song when CCR was on tour in Louisiana.

Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)Katy Perry

When "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)" climbed to #1 on the Hot 100, Katy Perry became the first woman to send five songs from one album to the top of the charts. The four previous chart-toppers from her Teenage Dream set were "California Gurls," "Teenage Dream," "Firework" and "E.T."