This is a song I have loved since I was a kid. I used to play it on the piano, and I memorized the lyrics in both French and English. It was recorded on 1963 by Jeannine Deckers, a Belgian nun called “Souer Sourire”—-“The Singing Nun.” I think she has a great voice, and the song is just lovely.
It’s about Saint Dominique. Below are the lyrics in French & in English from "songfacts.com," and a Wikipedia article about the song, as well as an article from "allmusic.com" about her life and the sad way it ended.
From Wikipedia:
Dominique" is a 1963 French language popular song, written and performed by the Belgian female singer Jeannine Deckers, better known as Sœur Sourire or The Singing Nun. The song is about Saint Dominic, a Spanish-born priest and founder of the Dominican Order, of which she was a member (as Sister Luc-Gabrielle).[2] The English-version lyrics of the song were written by Noël Regney.[3] In addition to French and English, Deckers recorded versions in Dutch, German, Hebrew, Japanese, Korean and Portuguese.
It was a top selling record in 11 countries in late 1963 and early 1964...
...The song won the Grammy Award for Best Gospel or Other Religious Recording (Musical) in 1964.[6] It was also a nominee for Grammy Award for Record of the Year, and Sœur Sourire was a nominee for Best Female Vocal Performance... It was the second foreign language song to hit No. 1 on the Hot 100 in 1963, the first being "Sukiyaki" by Kyu Sakamoto. For the next ten years or so, although there were a number of hits with most of the vocals in a language other than English (e.g., The Sandpipers' "Guantanamera", René y René's "Lo Mucho Que Te Quiero", etc.), no other purely foreign language song reached the Billboard Hot 100's top 40 until the Spanish language hit "Eres tú (Touch The Wind)" in 1974."Dominique" outsold Elvis Presley during its stay on the Billboard Hot 100; it was the second to last No. 1 hit before the British Invasion.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominique
From AllMusic.com:
The Singing Nun, an unassuming member of a Belgian religious order who was also known as Soeur Sourire, hit the top of the music charts with a song about St. Dominic, who established the Dominicans. The Singing Nun, whose real name was Jeanine Deckers, sang "Dominique" in both English and French. The single relegated the Kingsmen and their "Louie Louie" to the number two spot.
Sister Luc-Gabrielle, who entered the religious order in 1959, penned "Dominique" and recorded it and a few of her other compositions for personal release only, mainly to be used as gifts. When the Philips Record Company discovered her potential appeal, they offered the nun a contract and christened her Soeur Sourire. To American audiences she was the Singing Nun. She did not actively seek fame, although she sang for Ed Sullivan's television program in 1964 via tape. Live performances did not appeal to her, and in fact even the taped broadcast was almost blocked by her Mother Superior. She underscored her aversion for the limelight in 1967 by releasing the album I Am Not a Star.
Her successful single did not endear her to the Dominicans' Mother Superior, who viewed the popular song as "impertinent." It probably didn't help matters when MGM based a musical on her life in 1965 and cast "Debbie Reynolds" as a moped-riding nun who was romantically drawn to Chad Everett. That same year, the Singing Nun withdrew from the public eye and gave up her burgeoning musical career. By 1966, she had a complete change of heart, returned to music, and quit the convent. After the release of I Am Not a Star, her music tackled controversial subjects. "The Golden Pill" concerned the issue of birth control pills, of which she was in favor and the Pope condemned. Together with a woman named Annie Pescher in Belgium, she founded a school for children who suffered from the disability of autism.
Unfortunately, her previous success in music did not bring lasting happiness. In fact, it added to her troubles. The Singing Nun and Pescher took their lives in 1985 with a combination of pills and alcohol when the government ordered her to pay back taxes amounting to more than 60,000 dollars which accrued from her time as a singer and recording artist. The demand, which put their school in jeopardy, came despite the fact that the Singing Nun had given all profits to her order.
http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-s...426/biographym
FRENCH LYRICS
Dominique, nique, nique s'en allait tout simplement
Routier pauvre et chantant
En tous chemins, en tous lieux, il ne parle que du bon Dieu
Il ne parle que du bon Dieu
A l'e poque ou Jean-sans-Terre de' Angleterre etait Roi
Dominique, notre Pere, combattit les Albigeois
Repeat first 4 lines: Chorus
Ni chameau, ni diligence il parcout l'Europe a pied
Scandinavie ou Provence dans la sainte pauvrete
Refrain
Enflamma de toute ecole filles et garcons pleins d'ardeur
Et pour semer la Parole inventa les Freres-Precheurs
Refrain
Chez Dominique et ses freres le pain s'en vint a manquer
Et deux anges se presenterent portant de grands pains dores
Refrain
Dominique vit en reve les precheurs du monde entier
Sous le manteau de la Vierge en grand nombre rassembles
Refrain
Dominique, mon bon Pere, garde-nous simples et gais
Pour annoncer a nos freres la Vie et la Verite
Refrain
ENGLISH LYRICS
Dominique, nique, nique, over the land he plods along
And sings a little song
Never asking for reward
He just talks about the Lord
He just talks about the Lord
At a time when Johnny Lackland
Over England was the King
Dominique was in the backland
Fighting sin like anything
Now a heretic, one day
Among the thorns forced him to crawl
Dominique with just one prayer
Made him hear the good Lord's call
Without horse or fancy wagon
He crossed Europe up and down
Poverty was his companion
As he walked from town to town
To bring back the straying liars
And the lost sheep to the fold
He brought forth the Preaching Friars
Heaven's soldier's, brave and bold
One day, in the budding Order
There was nothing left to eat
Suddenly two angels walked in
With a loaf of bread and meat
Dominique once, in his slumber
Saw the Virgin's coat unfurled
Over Frairs without number
Preaching all around the world
Grant us now, oh Dominique
The grace of love and simple mirth
That we all may help to quicken
Godly life and truth on earth
https://www.songfacts.com/lyrics/the...-nun/dominique