P'tit Quinquin (song)

"P'tit Quinquin" is a song by Alexandre Desrousseaux which was written in the Picard language (also known as chti or chtimi) in 1853. Picard is closely related to French, and is spoken in two regions in the north of France – Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Picardy and in parts of the Belgian region of Wallonia.

This simple lullaby (P'tit quinquin means "little child") demonstrates the revival of Picard in the area, to the extent that it became the marching song of the northern soldiers leaving for the Franco-Prussian War of 1870. Today it could be called the unofficial anthem of the French city of Lille, and more generally of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.

Extended Picard lyrics (after first stanza):