Le Hibou Lyrics in English by Grégoire
Hibou means "owl" in French. It's a charming and somewhat whimsical word that stands out because it's the central character of the song.
The song is a playful take on French grammar, specifically the irregular plural forms of certain nouns ending in -ou. The little owl (le hibou) is struggling to remember the seven words that take an 'x' in the plural, and ironically, he forgets that his own name, "hibou," is one of them! This makes the word memorable and ties directly into the song's educational theme.
This song by Grégoire is a super charming and funny look at a little owl's struggle with French grammar! It's all about the tricky words that take an 'x' in the plural, like "caillou" (pebble), "genou" (knee), "chou" (cabbage), "pou" (louse), "joujou" (toy), and "bijou" (jewel).
The poor little owl keeps repeating these words, trying to remember all seven of them: "Caillou, genou, chou, pou, joujou, bijou / Répétait sans fin le petit hibou" [Pebble, knee, cabbage, louse, toy, jewel / Repeated endlessly the little owl]. He's so stressed out by his homework, even hiding his face in shame, that he completely forgets the most important one – his own name! "Que son nom, oui, son propre nom, hibou / Prenait, lui aussi, un X au pluriel" [That his name, yes, his own name, owl / Also took an X in the plural]. It's such a relatable feeling when you're studying hard and just can't remember something that should be obvious!
