Sur le Pont d'Avignon

File:Pont Saint-Bénezet B0000647.jpg

Pont d'Avignon at dusk

"Sur le Pont d'Avignon" is a French song about the Pont d'Avignon that dates back to the 15th century. The bridge is officially Pont St. Bénézet but it is better known as the Pont d'Avignon on which one dances, as the song says. The dance actually took place under the bridge and not over the bridge ("Sous le Pont d'Avignon", not "Sur").

Dance description

1. It starts out with everyone in pairs and they dance around each other.
2. When the chorus is done stop in front of your partner and traditionally the male will bow on the first part then tip their hat on the second.
3. When the chorus begins again repeat step one.
4. When this stops so does the dance and then the girl curtsies to one side then the other.
5. For the first part, repeat step one and then if you have an audience turn on your heel and bow to them.

Chorus

Sur le Pont d'Avignon
On y danse, On y danse
Sur le Pont d'Avignon
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

First verse

Les beaux messieurs font comme ça
Et puis encore comme ça.

Gentlemen go like this (bow)
And then again like this

Second verse

Les belles dames font comme ça
Et puis encore comme ça.

The beautiful young ladies go like this (curtsy)
And then like that

Third verse

Les filles font comme ça
Et puis encore comme ça

The young girls go like this (salute)
And then like that

Fourth verse

Les musiciens font comme ça
Et puis encore comme ça.

The musicians go like this (they all bow to women)
And then like that

Variation

American music publisher Cherry Lane Music Company has printed a different verse (1993):

Les jeunes filles font comme ça
Les jeunes gens font comme ça

The young girls go like this,
The young people go like this.