Deep Thoughts from the Shower

Yesterday, Dave left early for work.  Really early, like around 6:30. This meant that I had to shower for work while on baby duty.  No problem.  I did what I think all single moms must do:  I brought him and a boatload of toys into the bathroom with me.

Everything was going swimmingly until he pulled back the curtain and I reached out to pull it back in.  I splashed him on the face and the surprise warm water made him start crying.  Being wet and soapy and not even close to done with my hair, I did the one thing I could think of.  I sang.

I sang You Are My Sunshine, Row, Row, Row your Boat (which 1) I thought was ironic for singing while bathing and 2) I wondered if it was additionally psychotic because “Life is but a dream”???), and Frère Jacques.  I sang the French version of Frère Jacques a couple of times, switched to English, and then went back to French. 

And then I stopped.  I stopped singing. I stopped showering.  I stopped cold in my warm water and said  “Vous? Dormez vous?  Vous???” 

In the English version, my understanding of the song is someone is asking their brother John if he is still sleeping because the morning bells are ringing and it’s time to get his lazy ass up out of bed.  But in the French version, when we’re asking Brother Jacques if he’s sleeping, we’re using the formal version of you “vous”, not the informal/intimate version “tu” or “toi”.  What the hell??  I don’t think French children, even very proper ones, would use “vous” to talk to their own flesh and blood lazy ass brothers still sleeping. 

My head went to the first line.  Brother Jacques?  When would I use the formal version of you when I was speaking to a brother?  Only if that brother was a religious brother, maybe a Friar?  My head went to the third line.  Sonnez les matines.  Again, we’ve got the formal “you” version of the verb sonner (to ring).  But waaaaaiiiit a cotton pickin’ minute.  Why is that verb in the “you” tense?  In English, the bells are ringing.  “You” is not involved at all.  A-HAAAAA!!!  I think the French version is telling Jacques to Go Ring the Bell.  Sonnez is the imperative as You Go Ring.  You Go Ring those Bells, Brother!!

HOLY CRAP!  The French version (I think???) is not saying wake up lazy ass brother of mine.  It’s saying “Brother (Friar?) Jacques.  Are you sleeping?  Get up and ring the morning bells!”  I’ve been singing that song for 35 years, and one shower singing it to my son and my whole dormez vous world is rocked.

Frère Jacques, Frère Jacques,

Dormez vous? Dormez vous?

Sonnez les matines, Sonnez les matines,

Ding Ding Dong, Ding Ding Dong

Of course, I could be wrong.  And I’m sure if I am someone with better knowledge of French than I do will point it out. 

So that, my friends, is where I'm at in the old Thinking Deep Thoughts scale of my life right now. Sadly, my take away from this is that if I really need to take more showers while I’m working on my academic papers.  Figuring out the meaning of Frere Jacques is a step up from where I've been lately. 

9:16:02 AM