42. Avignon - Sur le pont (Pont St-Bénezet)

Listen and watch here (click)

Les beaux messieurs font comm’ ça

Et puis encore comm’ ça.
The handsome gentlemen go this way

Then again go that way

Chorus:

Sur le pont d’Avignon

L'on y danse, l'on y danse

Sur le pont d’Avignon

L'on y danse tous en rond
On the bridge of Avignon

We all dance there, we all dance there

On the bridge of Avignon

We all dance there in a ring

Les belles dames font comm’ ça

Et puis encore comm’ ça.
The beautiful ladies go this way

Then again go that way

Les militaires font comm’ ça

Et puis encore comm’ ça
The soldiers go this way

Then again go that way

Les musiciens font comm’ ça

Et puis encore comm’ ça.
The musicians go this way

Then again go that way

Pont St-Bénezet originally spanned the Rhône between Avignon and Villeneuve-lès-Avignon on the opposite bank. It was built between 1171 and 1185, with an original length of 900 m but it suffered frequent collapses during floods and had to be reconstructed several times. Over the centuries, it became increasingly perilous as arches collapsed and were replaced by rickety wooden sections. It was finally put out of use by a catastrophic flood in 1668, which swept away much of the structure. It was subsequently abandoned and no more attempts were made to repair it. Since then, its surviving arches have successively collapsed or been demolished, and only four of the initial 22 arches remain intact today.

In fact, people probably would have danced beneath the bridge (sous le pont) where it crossed the Ile de Barthelasse on its way to Villeneuve. The island was (and still is) a popular recreation spot, with pleasure gardens, and folk dancing was a popular pastime for many years. The bridge itself is far too narrow and slippery and uneven to have accommodated dancers.

The song was originally composed by the 16th century composer Pierre Certon, though with a very different melody to its present version and under the more accurate title of "Sus (sic) le Pont d'Avignon". The modern version only dates from the mid-19th century, when Adolphe Adam included it in an 1853 operetta entitled l'Auberge Pleine. It was popularised by an 1876 operetta which renamed the song, as currently, "Sur le Pont d'Avignon." (Thanks Wikipedia)

There's an interesting little museum in the bridge, where you can listen to various versions of the song.