NTHSC HistoryHOME PAGERSSFrench Revolution Song and LyricsFebruary 18th, 2009
French Revolution
The French Revolution started in 1789
It was then France was going through hard times
King Louis XIV spent France's money selfishly
And it sent the country into poverty
The French government was the Old Order
The community consists of three estates
As the Old Regime states
First, was the clergy, who lived life as if it was easy
Second, came the nobility, who got expensive things
Last was the third and they are certainly (pause) the least
They consisted of merchants, the poor, and the bourgoise
Now what made the revolution begun
Was the arrangement of the French Monarchy
Which had France set up as an unequal structure of society
The third coming together was the key
To destroy the evil sovereignty
The estates-general was summoned after many years
To appoint the meeting that the King called
They did some important talking
But the third estate didn't have a choice
So they formed a new legislature called the 'National Assembly'
{CHORUS}
Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity
Is what made them fight
And when Napoleon took the lead
is when the third got their rights
When the people heard that King Louis was running against their cause
So in Bastille a riot went off
Destroying everything in sight
This began the mark of the ten year fight
Enlightenment ideas had filled the thirds' head
But it didn't stop the Great Fear that spread
All across France it went
The absolutism of King Louis XVI still there
Spreading the fear through everyone
The lower class tired of the neglect, contempt, and ignorance
The National Assembly had a wave of brilliance
Tap-Tap-Tap-Da-Da went the pen
As they wrote the Declaration of the Rights of Man and (pause) Citizen
It said that “men are born and should remain free and equal…”
“A common contribution of tax was essential,”
And making the law the same for all was futile
Olympe de Gouges tried to include women
But the thought was declined by the National Assembly
And it's a price they’ll have to pay for sooner or later
{CHORUS}
Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity
Is what made them fight
And when Napoleon took the lead
Is when the third got their rights
The first and the second estate were against the whole thing
So they stood with the king
Who was afraid of his enemies’ sudden actions
So ordering troops to protect his throne at the Versailles was his reaction
Angered by his sudden move 7,000 women attacked him
Until he agreed to move in to Tuileries Palace
After the constitution was completed
The Legislative Assembly came to life
The oath proposed by the Legislative Assembly Said that France would be a constitutional monarchy
Austria and Prussia in 1792 tried to intervene
It caused the govern to go into chaos and we lost three things
1.The war left us with a ruined economy 2.The legislation stopped the monarchy 3.The infamous Louis XVI We lost him to the invention of the guillotine
{CHORUS}
Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity
Is what made them fight
And when Napoleon took the lead
Is when the third got their rights
Though the current legislature was doing a good job
The Legislative Assembly voted themselves out
For the National Convention who inspired the French Republic
To hold their ground
When the National Convention convened in 1792
Three radical leaders were in control
All were just as violent as the last
First was Jean-Paul Marot
The leader of the Paris sans culottes
Maximilien Robespierre came next
Who had a habit of cutting necks
Georges-Jacques Danton was third
He was a compromiser and very popular with the public
The goal now was to transform society
Positions were taken from the clergy
Forcing them to become equals with the rest of us
Churches were closed and bibles rewrote
To fit the cult of the Supreme Being
As time grew on France were concerned
That Robespierre was not save for them
His ruling brought upon the Reign of Terror
Other countries were forming a war
The lives taken by the guillotine were unnecessary
So they arrested Robespierre and took his life with the same thing
In 1795 the National Convention wrote another constitution called the Directory
But they were still in war with other countries
That was when Napoleon, a ruthless young man took the lead
And guided France's armies to victory
It was on December 24, 1799
That Napoleon became the dictator of France
France then was engulfed in peace
(Well for now)
{CHORUS}
Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity
Is what made them fight
And when Napoleon took the lead
is when the third got their rights
