Ça Ira

"Ça ira" (French: "it'll be fine") is an emblematic song of the French Revolution, first heard in May 1790. It underwent several changes in wording, all of which used the title words as part of the refrain.

The author of the original words "Ah! ça ira, ça ira, ça ira" was a former soldier by the name of Ladré who made a living as a street singer.

The music is a popular contredanse air called "Le carillon national", and was composed by Bécourt, a violinist (according to other sources: side drum player) of the théâtre Beaujolais. Queen Marie Antoinette herself is said to have often played the music on her harpsichord.

The title and theme of the refrain were inspired by Benjamin Franklin, in France as a representative of the Continental Congress, who was very popular among the French people. When asked about the American Revolutionary War, he would reportedly reply, in somewhat broken French, "Ça ira, ça ira" ("It'll be fine, it'll be fine").

The song first became popular as a worksong during the preparation for the Fête de la Fédération of 1790 and eventually became recognized as an unofficial anthem of revolutionaries.

Ah ! ça ira, ça ira, ça ira Le peuple en ce jour sans cesse répète, Ah ! ça ira, ça ira, ça ira Malgré les mutins tout réussira ! Nos ennemis confus en restent là Et nous allons chanter « Alléluia ! » Ah ! ça ira, ça ira, ça ira Quand Boileau jadis du clergé parla Comme un prophète il a prédit cela. En chantant ma chansonnette Avec plaisir on dira : Ah ! ça ira, ça ira, ça ira. Suivant les maximes de l'évangile Du législateur tout s'accomplira. Celui qui s'élève on l'abaissera Celui qui s'abaisse on l'élèvera. Le vrai catéchisme nous instruira Et l'affreux fanatisme s'éteindra. Pour être à la loi docile Tout Français s'exercera. Ah ! ça ira, ça ira, ça ira. Pierrette et Margot chantent la guinguette Réjouissons-nous, le bon temps viendra ! Le peuple français jadis à quia, L'aristocrate dit : « Mea culpa ! » Le clergé regrette le bien qu'il a, Par justice, la nation l'aura. Par le prudent Lafayette, Tout le monde s'apaisera. Ah ! ça ira, ça ira, ça ira Par les flambeaux de l'auguste assemblée, Ah ! ça ira, ça ira, ça ira Le peuple armé toujours se gardera. Le vrai d'avec le faux l'on connaîtra, Le citoyen pour le bien soutiendra. Ah ! ça ira, ça ira, ça ira Quand l'aristocrate protestera, Le bon citoyen au nez lui rira, Sans avoir l'âme troublée, Toujours le plus fort sera. Petits comme grands sont soldats dans l'âme, Pendant la guerre aucun ne trahira. Avec cœur tout bon Français combattra, S'il voit du louche, hardiment parlera. Lafayette dit : « Vienne qui voudra ! » Sans craindre ni feu, ni flamme, Le Français toujours vaincra !

Ah ! It'll be fine, It'll be fine, It'll be fine The people on this day repeat over and over, Ah ! It'll be fine, It'll be fine, It'll be fine In spite of the mutineers everything shall succeed. Our enemies, confounded, stay petrified And we shall sing Alleluia Ah ! It'll be fine, It'll be fine, It'll be fine When Boileau used to speak about the clergy Like a prophet he predicted this. By singing my little song With pleasure, people shall say, Ah ! It'll be fine, It'll be fine, It'll be fine. According to the precepts of the Gospel Of the lawmaker everything shall be accomplished The one who puts on airs shall be brought down The one who is humble shall be elevated The true catechism shall instruct us And the awful fanaticism shall be snuffed out. At being obedient to Law Every Frenchman shall train Ah ! It'll be fine, It'll be fine, It'll be fine. Pierrette and Margot sing the guinguette Let us rejoice, good times will come ! The French people used to keep silent, The aristocrat says, "Mea culpa!" The clergy regrets its wealth, Through justice, the nation will have it. Thanks to the careful Lafayette, Everyone will calm down. Ah! It'll be fine, It'll be fine, It'll be fine By the torches of the august assembly, Ah ! It'll be fine, It'll be fine, It'll be fine An armed people will always take care of themselves. We'll know right from wrong, The citizen will support the Good. Ah ! It'll be fine, It'll be fine, It'll be fine When the aristocrat shall protest, The good citizen will laugh in his face, Without troubling his soul, And will always be the stronger. Small ones and great ones all have the soul of a soldier, During war none shall betray. With heart all good French people will fight, If he sees something fishy he shall speak with courage. Lafayette says "come if you will!" Without fear for fire or flame, The French always shall win!

At later stages of the revolution, many sans-culottes used several much more aggressive stanzas, calling for the lynching of the nobility and the clergy.

Ah! ça ira, ça ira, ça ira les aristocrates à la lanterne! Ah! ça ira, ça ira, ça ira les aristocrates on les pendra! Si on n' les pend pas On les rompra Si on n' les rompt pas On les brûlera. Ah! ça ira, ça ira, ça ira les aristocrates à la lanterne! Ah! ça ira, ça ira, ça ira les aristocrates on les pendra! Nous n'avions plus ni nobles, ni prêtres, Ah ! ça ira, ça ira, ça ira, L'égalité partout régnera. L'esclave autrichien le suivra, Ah ! ça ira, ça ira, ça ira, Et leur infernale clique Au diable s'envolera. Ah! ça ira, ça ira, ça ira les aristocrates à la lanterne! Ah! ça ira, ça ira, ça ira les aristocrates on les pendra! Et quand on les aura tous pendus On leur fichera la pelle au cul.

Ah! It'll be fine, It'll be fine, It'll be fine aristocrats to the lamp-post Ah! It'll be fine, It'll be fine, It'll be fine the aristocrats, we'll hang them! If we don't hang them We'll break them If we don't break them We'll burn them Ah! It'll be fine, It'll be fine, It'll be fine aristocrats to the lamp-post Ah! It'll be fine, It'll be fine, It'll be fine the aristocrats, we'll hang them! We shall have no more nobles nor priests Ah! It'll be fine, It'll be fine, It'll be fine Equality will reign everywhere The Austrian slave shall follow him Ah! It'll be fine, It'll be fine, It'll be fine And their infernal clique Shall go to hell Ah! It'll be fine, It'll be fine, It'll be fine aristocrats to the lamp-post Ah! It'll be fine, It'll be fine, It'll be fine the aristocrats, we'll hang them! And when we'll have hung them all We'll stick a shovel up their arse.

The song survived past the Reign of Terror, and, during the Directory, it became mandatory to sing it before shows. It was forbidden under the Consulate.

The ship of the line La Couronne was renamed Ça Ira in 1792 in reference to this song.

At the 1793 Battle of Famars, the 14th Regiment of Foot, The West Yorkshire Regiment, attacked the French to the music of "Ça ira" (the colonel commenting that he would "beat the French to their own damned tune"). The regiment was later awarded the tune as a battle honour and regimental quick march. It has since been adopted by the Yorkshire Regiment.

Carl Schurz, in volume 1, chapter 14, of his Reminiscences, reported from exile in England that upon Napoleon III's coup d'état of 2 December 1851, "Our French friends shouted and shrieked and gesticulated and hurled opprobrious names at Louis Napoleon and cursed his helpers, and danced the Carmagnole and sang 'Ça ira.'"

An alternative "sans-culotte"-like version was sung by Édith Piaf for the soundtrack of the film Royal Affairs in Versailles (Si Versailles m'était conté) by Sacha Guitry.

The song is featured in the 1999 television series The Scarlet Pimpernel, starring Richard E. Grant. There the lyrics are sung in English as follows:

Ah ça ira, ça ira, ça ira Over in France there's a revolution Ah ça ira, ça ira, ça ira Watch what you say or you'll lose your head Ah ça ira, ça ira, ça ira Pass some time, see an execution! Ah ça ira, ça ira, ça ira Une deux trois and you fall down dead Ah ça ira, ça ira, ça ira Hear the tale of Marie Antoinette-a! Ah ça ira, ça ira, ça ira A bloodier sight you have never seen!

In an opening scene of the novel What Is To Be Done? by Nikolay Chernyshevsky, the protagonist Vera Pavlovna is shown singing a song with ça ira in the refrain, accompanied by a paraphrase outlining the struggle for a socialist utopian future. The 1875 French translator "A.T." produced a four-stanza version on the basis of the paraphrase, which was reproduced in full by Benjamin Tucker in his translation.