Zon-zon
Official song of the carnival of Nice 1956
Nissart lyrics by Jouan Nicola, music by Marius Ausello and Georges Truchi. Traditional from County of Nice.

The French original lyrics by A.P. Court are not reproduced here. The text given corresponds to the literal translation from the version in Nissart.

The theme for this year 1956 is “Fisherman from Nice”.

First page of the music sheet for Zon-zon, illustration by Gustav Adolf Mossa, éd. Delrieu frères, 1956.		1st verse
		Carneval es rei de l’humour E gran mestre doù calembour. Au ben diç, acheù gugus : « Fes un poù sen que vou plas ! Sieù lou rei fin au Dimars Gras, D’aqui aya, cu vieùra veira ! Aï choisit acheù refren : En avan, lu bout-en-tren ! »		Carnival is king of humour And grandmaster of pun. He well said, this guy: “Do what you like! I’m the king up to Shrove Tuesday, In the meantime, what will be will be! I’ve choosen this chorus: Forward, lives and souls!”
		Chorus
		Venes à Nissa, bella filla, Venes, li faren de foulìa. Si pinten nas e couòl, Es Carneval ! Cu es sage ven fouòl, Es Carneval ! Venes su li riba flouridi, Tougiou li frema soun poulidi, Lu masque poulissoun, Es Carneval ! E cadun canta la cansoun Doù bouon rei Carneval !		Come in Nice, pretty girl, Come, we will do there extravagances. We will paint our nose and neck, It’s Carnival! Who is wise becomes crazy, It’s Carnival! Come on shores in flower, Always women are pretty, Masks mischievous, It’s Carnival! And everybody sings the song Of the good king Carnival!
		Choir
		Zon-zon !           La vida es bella !           Zon-zon !           Es Carneval !           Zon-zon !           L’humour attela,           E viva Carneval ! (twice)		Zon-zon!           Life is beautiful!           Zon-zon!           It’s Carnival!           Zon-zon!           Humour gets down,           And long live Carnival! (twice)
		2nd verse
		Carneval ten la court d’humour Embe lu sieù bouaï troubadours, Et lou joyous Rabelais Es lou mestre doù palais. Pi a per countur Tartarin, Per ambassadur Arlequin. En lou tem era Choi Balai, Ancueil lu Pieds-Nickelés !		Carnival keeps his court of humour With his good troubadours, And joyous Rabelais (1) Is the master of palace. Then he gets Tartarin (2) as storyteller, Harlequin as ambassador. Formerly it was Francis Broom, Today the Pieds-Nickelés (3)!
		3rd verse
		Lou bateù doù rei dai bouffoun Voga su l’aiga doù Pailloun, Es la Carnevalina Que pesca la poutina. Matalots, lapas ! Que regal, Un bouan coù en lou « quart naval » ! Es un blecque dai plu beù Coulen à la fouon doù Souleù !		The boat of king of buffoons Sails on water of Paillon, It’s the Carnevalina That fishes for poutina. Sailors, gulp down! What a delight, A good drink in the “naval beaker”! It’s a white [wine] among the finest Flowing at Sun Fountain!
		4th verse
		Per camin si sente l’humour. M’a diç : « Bouangiou », lou perceptour, « Paghe-mi en confetti ! » N’en sieù resta tout sesit. A Ninoun si fa de discours Per mangià la pouma d’humour. Ma Ninoun li dit : « Tin-tin ! » E per lou mieù dessert, pantin !		By path, it is felt humour. He says me: “Hello”, the tax collector, “Pay me with confetti!” I was struck by that. To Ninon it is said speeches To eat the humour-apple. But Ninon says: “Tin-tin!” And for my dessert, no way!
		5th verse
		Au moumen doù dernier lampioun, Coura s’en van touï lu floun floun, Dintre d’un gran baccanal S’envolera Carneval. Ma n’en revendra l’an que ven En canten un nouveù refren ; Aï sieù prumieri humour Si reven couma l’amour...		At time of last Chinese lantern, When are going away all oompahs, In a great bacchanalia Will fly away Carnival. But he will come back next year Singing a new tune: To first humour We always come back, as for love...

1. François Rabelais (la Devinière, near Chinon, ca. 1494 - Paris, 1553): French writer.

2. Les Aventures prodigieuses de Tartarin de Tarascon (The Prodigious Adventures of Tartarin from Tarascon), a novel by Alphonse Daudet (Nîmes, 1840 - Paris, 1897).

3. Les Pieds-Nickelés (The Nickelled-Feet): Croquignol, Filochard and Ribouldingue, three crooked characters, alternately boastful, swindler... heroes of the comic strip created by Louis Forton on 1908.

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