L´enfant Au Tambour Lyrics in English by Nana Mouskouri

Below, I translated the lyrics of the song L´enfant Au Tambour by Nana Mouskouri from French to English.
Pa-ra-pa-pam-pam, ra-pa-pam-pam
Pa-ra-pa-pam-pam, ra-pa-pam-pam
Sur la route
On the road
Pa-ra-pa-pam-pam
Pa-ra-pa-pam-pam
Petit tambour s'en va
Little drummer goes
Pa-ra-pa-pam-pam
Pa-ra-pa-pam-pam
Il sent son cœur qui bat
He feels his heart beating
Pa-ra-pa-pam-pam
Pa-ra-pa-pam-pam
Au rythme de ses pas
To the rhythm of his steps
Pa-ra-pa-pam-pam
Pa-ra-pa-pam-pam
Ra-pa-pam-pam, ra-pa-pam-pam
Ra-pa-pam-pam, ra-pa-pam-pam
Ô, petit enfant
Oh, little child
Pa-ra-pa-pam-pam
Pa-ra-pa-pam-pam
Où vas-tu
Where are you going
Pa-ra-pa-pam-pam, ra-pa-pam-pam
Pa-ra-pa-pam-pam, ra-pa-pam-pam
Hier, mon père
Yesterday, my father
Pa-ra-pa-pam-pam
Pa-ra-pa-pam-pam
A suivi le tambour
Followed the drum
Pa-ra-pa-pam-pam
Pa-ra-pa-pam-pam
Le tambour des soldats
The soldiers' drum
Pa-ra-pa-pam-pam
Pa-ra-pa-pam-pam
Alors je vais au ciel
So I'm going to heaven
Pa-ra-pa-pam-pam
Pa-ra-pa-pam-pam
Ra-pa-pam-pam, ra-pa-pam-pam
Ra-pa-pam-pam, ra-pa-pam-pam
Là, je veux donner pour son retour
There, I want to give for his return
Mon tambour
My drum
Pa-ra-pa-pam-pam, ra-pa-pam-pam
Pa-ra-pa-pam-pam, ra-pa-pam-pam
Tous les anges
All the angels
Pa-ra-pa-pam-pam
Pa-ra-pa-pam-pam
Ont pris leurs beaux tambours
Have taken their fine drums
Pa-ra-pa-pam-pam
Pa-ra-pa-pam-pam
Et on dit à l'enfant
And they tell the child
Pa-ra-pa-pam-pam
Pa-ra-pa-pam-pam
Ton père est de retour
Your father's back
Pa-ra-pa-pam-pam
Pa-ra-pa-pam-pam
Ra-pa-pam-pam, ra-pa-pam-pam
Ra-pa-pam-pam, ra-pa-pam-pam
Et l'enfant s'éveille
And the child awakes
Pa-ra-pa-pam-pam
Pa-ra-pa-pam-pam
Sur son tambour
On his drum
Lyrics and Translations Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Tap… tap… tap… The song opens with the rhythmic pa-ra-pa-pam-pam of a small drum, instantly transporting us to a moonlit road where a brave child marches alone. Nana Mouskouri, Greece’s beloved songbird, retells the classic legend of The Little Drummer Boy in French, blending soft folk charm with a touch of bittersweet wartime reality. Each beat of the drum mirrors the child’s racing heart as he sets out to find his father, a soldier who has vanished into battle.

The lyrics unfold like a tender bedtime story: questioned by onlookers, the boy explains that he is heading straight to heaven, determined to offer his humble drum in exchange for his father’s safe return. In a moment of pure, childlike faith, the heavens answer. Angels pick up their own shining drums, announce the father’s return, and the child awakes to the comforting thump of his instrument. The song celebrates innocence, hope, and the healing power of music—reminding us that even the smallest beat can echo with love strong enough to bridge earth and sky.

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