La guillotine permanente
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| "La guillotine permanente" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| Released | 1793 |
| Genre | Revolutionary French song |
"La guillotine permanente" ("The Permanent Guillotine") is a French revolutionary song from the French Revolution.[1][2] The lyrics regard the guillotine and its usage as a weapon of the revolution.
Historic circumstances
Around the year 1789, the National Constituent Assembly was debating about a new criminal law for France. Among the representatives of the bourgeoisie was the doctor Joseph-Ignace Guillotin, who argued for an equalization of the capital punishment.[3] He suggested that all executions may be carried out as a beheading through a "simple mechanism".[4][3] Guillotin's efforts led to beheading machines being referred to as "Guillotine" when they were first regularly used in the year 1792.[3][1] (Misleadingly, Guillotin is often called the "inventor of the guillotine".[5] The lyrics of La guillotine permanente say that Guillotin "made" the machine.[2][6] In reality, Guillotin was not involved in the design and construction of the guillotine.[3])
The melody
The melody of "La guillotine permanente" was known long before the French Revolution; its roots date back to the 16th century.[7][8] The old folk song "Si le roi m'avait donné" is sung to this melody,[7][9] Molière quoted it in his comical work The Misanthrope, which premiered in the year 1666.[10] The lyrics of "La guillotine permanente" are not the only ones written to this melody during the French Revolution.[11]
Lyrics
Melody
