Today, the song is used to teach French- and English-speaking children in Canada, and others learning French around the world, the names of body parts. 'Alouette' has become a symbol of French Canada for the world, an unofficial national song. Many of the songs favored by the voyageurs have been passed down to our own era. En roulant ma boule sings of ponds, bonnie ducks and a prince on hunting bound. 'Alouette' informs the lark that the singer will pluck its head, nose, eyes, wings and tail. French colonists ate horned larks, which they considered a game bird. They believed that singing helped the voyageurs to paddle faster and longer. In fact, it is likely that the Montreal Agents and Wintering Partners (precursor to the North West Company of fur traders) sought out and preferred to hire voyageurs who liked to sing and were good at it. Singing helped to pass the time and made the work seem lighter. The songs of the French fur trade were adapted to accompany the motion of paddles dipped in unison. Canoes were used to transport trade goods in exchange for furs through established expansive trade routes consisting of interconnecting lakes, and rivers, and portages in the hinterland of present-day Canada and United States.

The Canadian theory is based on the French fur trade that was active for over 300 years in North America.

Canadian folklorist Marius Barbeau was of the opinion that the song's origin was France, though the first printed copy in France came 14 years after the original Canadian (McGill) publication. It was first published in A Pocket Song Book for the Use of Students and Graduates of McGill College ( Montreal, 1879). The song's origin is uncertain, the most popular theory is that it is French-Canadian.

Lyrics to kids song