Le Boudin

"Le Boudin" is the official march of the French Foreign Legion. "Le Boudin" is a reference to boudin, a type of blood sausage or black pudding. Le boudin colloquially meant the gear (rolled up in a red blanket) that used to top the backpacks of Legionnaires.

Overview
While the tune was composed prior to the Legion's departure for Mexico in the 1860s the lyrics were progressively composed after the Franco-Prussian War, since Alsatians and Lorrains flocked to the legion after these regions were annexed by Germany. The song makes also repeated reference to the fact that the Belgians are "lazy shirkers", this come from the fact that the King of the Belgians, who wished to remain neutral in the Franco-German conflict, asked the French government to not commit the Belgian Legionnaires into the conflict. France agreed to this request and the Belgian Legionnaires remained in French Algeria (the Legion's home), to the dismay of the rest of the Legionnaires. This is why the song says that there's no blood sausage (boudin) for the Belgians. The song also mentions the Swiss who constituted the most important foreign contingent of the Legion in the 1870s.

The song relates the feat of arms of the Legion in Tuyen Quang (1884-1885) and in Camerone (1863), which would became the Legion's anniversary.

"Le Boudin" is sung while standing to attention by all ranks of the French Foreign Legion. The Legion marches at only 88 steps per minute, much slower than the 120 steps per minute of all other French military units. Consequently, the Legion contingent at the Bastille Day military parade march brings up the rear. Nevertheless, the Legion gets the most enthusiastic response from the crowd. The song is sung by the depleted half-company of Legionnaires in PC Wren's classic novel 'Beau Geste' when the tiny Garrison fool the besieging Tauregs into thinking that they are still at full strength. The Hollywood versions of 'Beau Geste' don't include this vital part of the story, but the 1982 mini-series by the BBC stays true to the book and shows the soldiers singing the song. (reference 19 minutes in http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oG-af5KBezI) The 1978 film 'March or Die' also features legionnaires singing the song, at the command of their officer Major Foster, played by Gene Hackman. (reference http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUKr5JIQYAA). The song also features in the 1998 film 'Legionnaire' starring Jean Claude Van Damme, though in this film the soldiers don't sing the song to its traditional tune. (reference http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ld49Gmg340U)