Eune chanson d’Dgèrnésy:
A song from Guernsey:

This is a song I wrote with a native speaker (Maddy Squires) for The Guernsey Song Project back in September 2014.

It’s a ‘call-and-response’ jig song. You can hear me singing the refrain in the chorus but the verses can be repeated back as well and then sung all together.

Guernesiais-

Eiouque t’étais la s’môine passaïe ?
Eiouque t’étais…
Tchique tu faisais la s’môine passaïe ?
Tchique tu faisais….

Leudi au sar au fin d’la leune
Nous fut trachier du lanchaön.

Mardi biau temps pour prende lé baté
Allaïr trachier pour du macré.

Mecerdi à veir pour du bar
Nous vit des nuages dé caillebotin.

Jeudi nous fut à basse-iaoux,
Trouvit des ormés qu’étaient graös.

Nous print not’e péque lé venderdi
A la ville au marchi.

Sam’di la maïre était oragie,
Nous fut veir ès Pequéries.

Démanche nous ôimit not’e païssaön
Dauve enne bouteille dé bllànc vin.

Translation-

Where were you last week?
…..
What were you doing last week?
……

Monday in the evening in the moonlight
We went and searched for Sand Eels

Tuesday fine weather to take the boat
To go looking for Mackerel

Wednesday to look for Bass
We saw a Mackerel sky

Thursday we went at Ormering tide
We found some Ormers that were big

We took our catch on Friday
To town to the Market

Saturday the sea was enraged
We went to view it at the Pecqueries

Sunday we enjoyed our fish
With a bottle of white wine