L´enfant Au Tambour Lyrics in English 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
On the road
Pa-ra-pa-pam-pam
Little drum goes away
Pa-ra-pa-pam-pam
He feels his heart beating
Pa-ra-pa-pam-pam
To the rhythm of his steps
Pa-ra-pa-pam-pam
Ra-pa-pam-pam, ra-pa-pam-pam
Oh, little child
Pa-ra-pa-pam-pam
Where are you going
Pa-ra-pa-pam-pam, ra-pa-pam-pam
Yesterday, my father
Pa-ra-pa-pam-pam
Followed the drum
Pa-ra-pa-pam-pam
The drum of the soldiers
Pa-ra-pa-pam-pam
So I am going to heaven
Pa-ra-pa-pam-pam
Ra-pa-pam-pam, ra-pa-pam-pam
There, I want to give for his return
My drum
Pa-ra-pa-pam-pam, ra-pa-pam-pam
All the angels
Pa-ra-pa-pam-pam
Have taken their beautiful drums
Pa-ra-pa-pam-pam
And they say to the child
Pa-ra-pa-pam-pam
Your father is back
Pa-ra-pa-pam-pam
Ra-pa-pam-pam, ra-pa-pam-pam
And the child awakens
Pa-ra-pa-pam-pam
On his drum
Lyrics and Translations Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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SONG MEANING

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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