{title: Jean-François de Nantes}
{artist: Traditional Breton / French maritime}
{album: 19th-century Breton chant de marin; fest-noz staple}
{key: Dm}
{tempo: 110}
{difficulty: intermediate}
{phase: 1}
{strand: M}
{feel: stomp}
{lead_voice: any}
{lead_mode: call_response}
{lead_demand: easy}
{harmony: M,B}
{a_cappella: opt}
{kit: bod,whs}
{set_role: driver}
{lang: fr}
{country_tags: BR}
{copyright: pd}
{flags: repondre}
{tags: breton,call-response,chorus,french,maritime,public-domain,repondre,shanty,stomp,traditional}
{video: youtube:wmA4ZmHkW54}
{credit: Traditional Breton chant de marin (maritime work song). Public domain — 19th-century origin. Made famous by Marc Ogeret, Tri Yann, and the Paimpol chant de marin scene. Reference recording: Marc Ogeret, multiple festival recordings from the Paimpol Festival du Chant de Marin.}

{c: A Breton *chant de marin à réponse* — pure call-and-response, a fest-noz staple. The French side of the maritime line that the M-strand shanties walk on the English side. Lead sings the verse; everyone shouts 'Oh, mes amis!' on the response. Two chords, two-pass learning curve.}

{c: ===== STRUCTURE =====}
{c: Call-and-response throughout. Lead sings a short verse line; group answers 'Oh, mes amis!' (sometimes 'Oh oh oh!' or 'Hisse et oh!').}
{c: Verses tell the story of Jean-François from Nantes, sailor on the ship 'la Fringante', adventures at sea and ashore.}

{start_of_verse}
[Dm]Jean-François de [Am]Nantes (Oh, mes a[Dm]mis!)
[Dm]Gabier de la frin[Am]gante (Oh, mes a[Dm]mis!)
[Dm]Sur la mer ou sur les [Am]bords (Oh, mes a[Dm]mis!)
[Dm]Est joyeux, est joyeux [Am]encore (Oh, mes a[Dm]mis!)
{end_of_verse}

{start_of_verse}
[Dm]Quand la frégate a[Am]ppareille (Oh, mes a[Dm]mis!)
[Dm]Jean-François suit son é[Am]toile (Oh, mes a[Dm]mis!)
[Dm]Il aborde en Cale[Am]donie (Oh, mes a[Dm]mis!)
[Dm]Et en chasse aux ennemis [Am]gens (Oh, mes a[Dm]mis!)
{end_of_verse}

{start_of_verse}
[Dm]Le voilà ma[Am]telot (Oh, mes a[Dm]mis!)
[Dm]Il s'engouffre dans un [Am]bistro (Oh, mes a[Dm]mis!)
[Dm]Il y a femmes à la [Am]traîne (Oh, mes a[Dm]mis!)
[Dm]Il déshabille la Du[Am]chesse (Oh, mes a[Dm]mis!)
{end_of_verse}

{c: NOTE: Many additional verses exist — Jean-François' adventures continue with women, drinking, and shipboard mishaps. Lead can pick and choose; floating verses are part of the form.}

{c: ===== ENGLISH GLOSS =====}
{c: 'Jean-François from Nantes (Oh, my friends!) / Topman on the Frigate (Oh, my friends!) / On the sea or on the shore (Oh, my friends!) / He's joyful, he's joyful still (Oh, my friends!)'}
{c: 'When the frigate sets sail / Jean-François follows his star / He lands in Caledonia / And chases enemy people'}
{c: 'There he is, a sailor / He dives into a bistro / There are women in tow / He undresses the Duchess'}
{c: It's a bawdy sailor's song. The Duchess gets undressed in the verses; the responses get louder.}

{c: ===== HOW IT'S PERFORMED =====}
{c: Two chords, Dm and Am — modal Dorian feel. Stomp pattern on guitar (DOWN — down — DOWN — down) on every beat. Bodhrán plays heavy stomp.}
{c: The response 'Oh, mes amis!' lands HARD on each off-line. The whole room shouts it. Lead can vary the response — 'Oh oh oh!' / 'Hisse et oh!' all work.}
{c: Tempo: 100-120 BPM. Don't rush — the stomp wants weight.}
{c: This is the French companion to 'Drunken Sailor' or 'Donkey Riding' — drop it between them in a set.}

{c: ===== WHY THIS SONG =====}
{c: Extends the M-strand into French. Where 'C'est l'aviron' is the paddle-song variant, this is the shipboard-stomp variant. Audiences who don't speak French still join the response.}
{c: Pronunciation: 'jhan-fran-SWAH duh NAHNT'. The verses are bawdy storytelling and can be skimmed — the chorus is the point.}
{c: Builds the band's francophone confidence in the rowdy register. After this, 'Santiano' and 'V'là l'bon vent' feel easy.}