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La Cansoun dai babarota  
(Song of the cockroaches)
Tune La Cucaracha.
Traditional Mexico.
Nissart lyrics by Jouan Nicola and Henri Tornier.
| 1st verse |
S’es canta la poulalhera
E la filha de l’estrema,
La cansoun dai bugadiera
E la java doù Malouna.
Dai soufieta fin ai crota
Si brama en li maioun
La cansoun dai babarota (1),
La plus bella dai cansoun. | | It was sung the poultrymaid (2)
And the estrema’s (3) daughter,
The song of the laundresses
And the Malona’s popular waltz.
From garrets to cellars
Is yelled in houses
The song of the cockroaches,
The most beautiful of the songs. |
1st chorus |
La babarota, la babarota
Prouména au couridou
Per fa ribota, la babarota
Si leca lou moulédou.
Coura fa nuech, la babarota,
S’anas per vous soulaga,
Se noun fes lume, de babarota
S’en esquissà a voulounta. | | The cockroach, the cockroach,
Goes for a walk in the corridor,
To make merry, the cockroach
Licks its “drumstick”.
When it’s dark, the cockroach,
If you go to relieve yourself,
If you don’t switch on [the] light, cockroaches
Are crushed as you want. |
2nd verse |
L’autre jou, la mieu filheta
A fach la coumunioun.
Aven cuech li bigneta
Per s’en tapà un cantoun.
Si fa pas d’ecounoumia
Coura si dèu festejà :
Li era un mouloun de boutilha
E de tout a mastegà. | | The other day, my little daughter
Makes her first communion.
We cooked doughnuts
To stuff into our mouth.
No money is saved
When we have to feast:
There was lot of bottles
And plenty of all to munch on. |
2nd chorus |
Li babarota, li babarota
Denedavon en lou vin.
En li bigneta, li babarota
Remplassavon lou raïn.
En toui lu plat, li babarota
Pihavon part au festin
E d’en couhina fin a la crota,
Sentia bouon lou lapin. | | The cockroaches, the cockroaches
Swam in the wine.
Inside the doughnuts, the cockroaches
Took the place of grape.
In all the dishes, the cockroaches
Took part in the feast
And from the kitchen to the cellar,
It was smelling good the rabbit. |
3rd verse |
Li a blanchi babarota
Que an la coulou doù riz,
Noun mangion que d’archicòta
E buvon pas de pastis,
E la babarota negra
Begna en lu fugairoun,
A la coulou de la péga
E lu barbis en pougouns. | | There are white cockroaches
That have rice color,
They only eat artichokes
And don’t drink pastis,
And the black cockroach
Baths in the hearth,
It has the color of the pitch
And the whiskers (messy?). |
3rd chorus |
Li babarota, li babarota,
En la souta doù carboun,
Fan la pelota e la belota.
Sensa nouostra permissioun,
En li carotta, li babarota
Venon faire li sieu où.
E coura trotta la babarota,
Attenti ai soulie noù. | | The cockroaches, the cockroaches
In the coal bunker,
Feather their nest and [play] belote.
Without our permission,
In the carrots, the cockroaches
Come and lay their eggs.
And when scampers the cockroach,
Be carefull with new shoes. |
4th verse |
Iéu, mi plas li babarota
Qu’an un poù d’educacioun
Per depauva la sieu crota.
Li ai fach la lessoun :
Sourton de souta lou liech,
Tre per caire, plan planin,
N’en van faire un kilo miech
Su la taula doù vesin. | | Me, I like the cockroaches
Having a bit education
To dump their droppings.
I taught them:
They go out from under the bed,
Three on (each) side, slowly,
They go to produce one kilo[gram] ans half
On the table of the neighbour. |
4th chorus |
Li babarota, li babarota
Finisson per anuià.
E coura l’audi, la babarota,
Segur que deves pensa :
Ma que marmota, li babarota !
Aquéu malurous garçoun
Déu n’avé una, de babarota,
Grossa couma un cougourdoun ! | | The cockroaches, the cockroaches
Begin to annoy.
And when I hear it, the cockroach,
Sure you think:
But what a marmot, the cockroach!
This poor boy
May have one, a cockroach,
As big as a marrow! |
1. Babarota refers to all species of Blattaria associated with human habitats. Cockroach word comes from Spanish cucaracha.
2. Kind of character famous in the County of Nice, see this poultrymaid.
3. From estremà, meaning to hide, to conceal, to lock up in a safe place... An allusion to Catarina, the daughter of the dog pound employee, see La Fiha dòu chapacan.
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