Story Behind The Song 31-05-28 (03) La Marseillaise

Summary

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Story Behind The Song: La Marseillaise

Podcast: Harold's Old Time Radio
Episode Date: February 16, 2026
Episode Focus: The dramatic and tumultuous story of how "La Marseillaise"—France’s iconic national anthem—was written by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle during the French Revolution.

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Overview

This episode takes listeners back to 1792, recounting the origins of "La Marseillaise," its pivotal role in rallying French volunteers and its unexpected twists as the anthem became both a symbol of liberty and, ironically, the soundtrack to darker times in French history. Through dramatized narrative and reenactments, the podcast explores the personal story of its composer, Rouget de Lisle, and the shifting tides of revolution, hope, and tragedy.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Call to Write "A Song of Tomorrow"

• Setting: Strasbourg, 1792
  Captain Rouget de Lisle is invited by the Mayor of Strasbourg for a special task.
  • The Mayor reveals his hope to inspire enlistment with a powerful anthem:
    • “I want you to write a song. A song so martial, so stirring, so vital, that every young man in Strasbourg cannot help but see his duty and enlist.” (Mayor of Strasbourg, 03:01)
  • Rouget de Lisle accepts:
    • “Liberty or death. I understand, monsieur. I will do it.” (Rouget de Lisle, 03:28)

The Impact of the Song

• Immediate Effect
  The new anthem rallies 900 men to the colors of France:
  • “Look at them, Captain DeLille. 900 young men. Your song did it, Captain… France can never forget you.” (Mayor of Strasbourg, 03:58-04:07)

Reign of Terror and Bitter Irony

• Revolution Turns Bloody
  As the Reign of Terror sweeps through Paris, de Lisle and his friend Jacques Bourso find themselves targeted as suspected royalists.
  • “So we are royalists. We cannot be Frenchmen. We must be royalists or fiends.” (Rouget De Lisle, 05:26)
• Marseillaise Becomes a Symbol of Violence
  • The anthem, adopted by the ruthless mob from Marseille, now underscores violence:
    • “They sing as they march. They sing as they plunder. They sing as they kill. Listen.” (Jacques Bourso, 05:48)
    • “That song… I wrote it. And now… my poor song becomes the dirge for my own death.” (Rouget de Lisle, 06:16-06:27)

Escape, Exile, and Guilt

• Escape to Switzerland
  Fearing execution, de Lisle and Bourso flee Paris, joining royalist rebels in Brittany (the “Shuans”).
• Battle and Loss at Quiberon
  In a failed charge, Bourso is killed and de Lisle is wounded:
  • “My hand to you, my friend. Rouge, are you still there?... Oh, my friend.” (Rouget de Lisle & Jacques Bourso, 07:54-08:36)
• Wandering and Reflection
  • De Lisle survives, but the song’s legacy haunts him as he witnesses decades of upheaval in France.

Final Recognition

• A New King, A Forgotten Author By 1830, France has cycled through revolutions, empires, and monarchies. De Lisle lives in obscurity until an emissary delivers a message:
  • “This message is from His Majesty Louis Philippe, King of France… a pension, for the remainder of your life as a slight recognition of your great service to France as the author of her national anthem.” (Emissary of the Court, 10:28-11:11)
  • De Lisle, reflecting on the Mayor’s words:
    • “Isn’t it strange? Do you know what the mayor of Strasbourg said to me after I had written that song?... He said, France can never forget you.” (Rouget de Lisle, 11:29-11:37)

Performance of "La Marseillaise"

• Choral Performance
  The episode concludes with a rousing rendition of "La Marseillaise," capturing both the hope and tragedy of its historical journey.
  • “To arms, to arms! Brave men’s eternity… March on, March on. Liberty.” (Chorus/Singers, 13:37–14:58)

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Memorable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• The Mission is Given
  • “I am asking you to bring that gift to play. I want you to write a song.”
    — Mayor of Strasbourg, 03:01
• Birth of an Anthem
  • “Liberty or death. I understand, monsieur. I will do it.”
    — Rouget de Lisle, 03:28
• Immediate Impact
  • “Your song did it, Captain. It was that stirring anthem which brought them to the colors of France…”
    — Mayor of Strasbourg, 03:58
• Bitter Irony
  • “That song, Jacques. I wrote it.”
    — Rouget de Lisle, 06:16
  • “Now my poor song becomes the dirge for my own death.”
    — Rouget de Lisle, 06:27
• Final Recognition
  • “A pension… as a slight recognition of your great service to France as the author of her national anthem.”
    — Emissary of the Court of France, 11:11
  • “He said, France can never forget you.”
    — Rouget de Lisle, 11:37

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• The Request for the Song – 02:27 to 03:34
• Song Inspires Volunteers – 03:58 to 04:22
• Revolution and Danger – 04:22 to 06:42
• Exile and Guerilla Struggle – 06:58 to 08:36
• Years of Turmoil & France’s History Recap – 08:36 to 10:11
• Recognition and Reflection – 10:11 to 11:37
• Musical Performance: La Marseillaise – 11:37 to 14:58

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Tone and Style

The episode uses dramatization, direct address, and emotional dialogue to evoke the atmosphere of revolutionary France—full of urgent hope, tragic irony, and eventual bittersweet acknowledgment of historical legacy. It is reflective, dramatic, and respectful of the anthem’s complex symbolism.

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This episode offers a compelling, humanized retelling of one of history’s most enduring songs, showing both its power to inspire and the unforeseen consequences of revolutionary fervor. Even if you’ve never heard "La Marseillaise" before, this story will make its echo unforgettable.

Transcript

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[Narrator]

The STORY BEHIND THE SONG. 1792. Stirring times in the kingdom of France. Louis 16th has declared war upon Austria and the fate of France hangs in the balance. Stationed in Strasbourg with the rank of Captain of Engineers is 32 year old Rouge Delisle, who has made the flattering acquaintance of the mayor of the border city. It is evening of the 24th of April, in that memorable year, 1792. The Mayor and Delisle as his guest are seated in the mayor's library.

[Mayor of Strasbourg]

Now, Captain Delisle, have you any idea of my reason for inviting you to my home this evening? Other than enjoying your affable company, of course.

[Rouget Delisle]

None whatever. Although I will confess I was highly.

[Narrator]

Elated and complimented at the invitation.

[Mayor of Strasbourg]

Yes. As you know, Captain, France is in dire need. A volunteer.

[Narrator]

I know.

[Mayor of Strasbourg]

And as you know too, we of Strasbourg are hoping beyond hope to give to France 600 volunteer soldiers tomorrow.

[Rouget Delisle]

Yes, monsieur, I'm aware of that also.

[Mayor of Strasbourg]

You yourself are a soldier of France. Yet I see in you a far greater service than you can possibly give in your command.

[Rouget Delisle (later years)]

I?

[Narrator]

But how?

[Mayor of Strasbourg]

I have heard, Captain, that you are somewhat of a poet. Oh, but I now, do not deny it. I have it from reliable sources. I am asking you to bring that gift to play. I want you to write a song.

[Emissary of the Court of France]

A song?

[Mayor of Strasbourg]

A song so martial, so stirring, so vital, that every young man in Strasbourg cannot help but see his duty and enlist. A song so full of the message of virile service that our city will ring with a cry of liberty or death.

[Rouget Delisle]

Liberty or death. I understand, monsieur. I will do it.

[Mayor of Strasbourg]

I thank you, Captain de Lion. And France will thank you. Ah, liqueur. To the song, Captain. The song of tomorrow.

[Jacques Bourso]

To the song.

[Mayor of Strasbourg]

Look at them, Captain DeLille. 900 young men. Your song did it, Captain. It was that stirring anthem which brought them to the colors of France.

[Jacques Bourso]

I hope so, monsieur.

[Mayor of Strasbourg]

Hope so? I know so. And France will know it too. France can never forget you.

[Narrator]

1792, less than two months after Delisle's hymn to Liberty or Death had been penned. On June 20, a howling, jeering mob milled around the Tuileries palace of King Louis xvi. This was the beginning. Thus was born the bloody Reign of Terror, in which a look of doubt or fear in the eyes of any man or woman spelled death. Having returned to Paris from the castle campaign on the Rind, Roger Delisle waits in his quarters for a visit from his friend Jacques Bourso, listening to the roll of the drums announcing each succeeding guillotine victim.

[Rouget Delisle]

Jacques, what news?

[Jacques Bourso]

Fearful news, Roger. Well, our names are on the list. No, I saw them on the list of suspected royalists. I read Rouget Delille and Jacques Bouron.

[Rouget Delisle]

So we are royalists. We cannot be Frenchmen. We must be royalists or fiends.

[Jacques Bourso]

Roger, take care.

[Rouget Delisle (later years)]

Listen to them.

[Rouget Delisle]

Another poor beggar dies. The streets of Paris are flooded with blood. The blood of your friends and mine, Jacques. And we are helpless. We can do nothing.

[Jacques Bourso]

It will be worse tomorrow.

[Narrator]

Why?

[Rouget Delisle]

What do you mean?

[Jacques Bourso]

I have heard that the Tribunal has imported a mob of hoodlums from Marseille. Sailors and wharf rats and their women. And that they have just entered Paris. They are a hundred times more bloodthirsty and ruthless than any we have yet seen. They sing as they march. They sing as they plunder. They sing as they kill. Listen.

[Narrator]

What?

[Rouget Delisle]

That song.

[Narrator]

That's it. That's the wretched song they sing.

[Rouget Delisle]

Crochet.

[Jacques Bourso]

Stop it.

[Rouget Delisle]

You'll give us away.

[Jacques Bourso]

Why are you laughing?

[Rouget Delisle]

That song, Jacques. I wrote it.

[Jacques Bourso]

What?

[Mayor of Strasbourg]

You're crazy.

[Rouget Delisle]

I wrote it, I tell you, but a few months ago in Strasbourg, as a fighting hymn for France.

[Jacques Bourso]

Is that the truth?

[Rouget Delisle]

Yes. And now. Now my poor song becomes the dirge for my own death. No, no, by heaven, it shan't be. Jacques, we are leaving.

[Jacques Bourso]

But even if we can escape Paris.

[Narrator]

Where can we go?

[Mayor of Strasbourg]

Where?

[Rouget Delisle]

To Switzerland.

[Narrator]

For almost two years, Delisle and Bourseau, with other royalist refugees from France, lived in security in Switzerland. Then. A new organization sprang into existence in Brittany. The Shuans, as reckless, as ruthless, as doggedly determined as the revolutionists. Brigands, remnants of French nobility, cutthroats, all were included in the motley horde which composed the Shuans, dedicated to a guerrilla warfare against the ever increasing power of the Republic. Seeing in this loosely organized mob the last hope of a waning cause, Delisle and Bourseau joined them. Finally, in the summer of 1795, the two forces met en masse at Quiberon.

[Jacques Bourso]

Bonadour says that we are soon to charge Rouget. I Know if either of us does not return.

[Rouget Delisle]

Oh, don't even think of such a thing.

[Jacques Bourso]

But if either of us does not come back. Rouget. My hand.

[Emissary of the Court of France]

Very well, Jacques.

[Rouget Delisle]

My hand to you, my friend. Rouge, are you still there? Yes, are you? Old joke. Oh, my friend.

[Narrator]

Sorely wounded as he turned to attend his slain companion, Rouget Delisle was carried from the field and placed in a makeshift hospital behind the line. There he lay for weeks in mortal and mental anguish, hovering in that dim borderland between life and death. Subsequently discharged as cured, he spent the ensuing months wandering from village to village, from farm to farm, seeking shelter from the onward march of terror which he had so innocently helped to. The years passed on in an array of thrilling and epic making spectacles for France. The murder of Marat, the fall of Danton, the execution of Robespierre, the rise of the Consulate, then the Empire, the ill starred empire of Napoleon Bonaparte. In quick succession the splendor of Versailles, the era of Moscow, Elba, the hundred days, Waterloo and St. Helena. Then, with the return of the last of the Bourbon kings, Louis Philippe and what a Rouge Delisle. All this time it is the year 1830. A uniformed emissary of the Court of France pauses before a miserable hut on the outskirts of Paris. He raises his eyebrows in surprise, glances once more at the address on the envelope he is carrying, shrugs, then knocks at the crude door.

[Rouget Delisle (later years)]

Yes?

[Emissary of the Court of France]

Are you Monsieur Rouge Delisle?

[Rouget Delisle (later years)]

Yes, I am.

[Emissary of the Court of France]

I. I have a message for you.

[Rouget Delisle (later years)]

Oh, who could be sending me a message? Please come in.

[Narrator]

Thank you.

[Emissary of the Court of France]

This message is from His Majesty Louis Philippe, King of France.

[Rouget Delisle (later years)]

From the King?

[Emissary of the Court of France]

You are the author of the song known as La Marseillaise, are you not?

[Rouget Delisle (later years)]

Yes, but when I wrote it I called it the war song of the army of the Rhine. They called it La Marseillaise after those ruffians from Marseille during. During the Revolution.

[Emissary of the Court of France]

I know. Monsieur Delisle, this letter I bear informs you of a pension, a pension for the remainder of your life as a slight recognition of your great service to France as the author of her national anthem.

[Rouget Delisle (later years)]

A pension? After all these years. Isn't it strange? Do you know what the mayor of Strasbourg said to me after I had written that song?

[Emissary of the Court of France]

No, Monsieur.

[Rouget Delisle (later years)]

He said. He said, France can never forget you.

[Chorus/Singers]

Sons of freedom wait to glory a mark what myriads did you rise, your children, wives and grand spires For Eve Behold the tears and hear their cries Behold the tears and hear their cries shall hateful tyrants mischief breeding with hiding host of ruffian ban of pride can desolate the land when peace and liberty are pleading to arms to Auntie Brave the men's eternity March on, March on. Liberty.

[Parent 1]

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[Parent 2]

Really?

[Parent 1]

At a playground?

[Parent 2]

Yeah, really. Look at these listings from dealers.

[Parent 1]

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[Parent 2]

Really?

[Parent 1]

And you just put in your info and boom. Cars in your budget.

[Parent 2]

Mom needs a second.

[Parent 1]

Honey, you can really have it delivered.

[Parent 2]

Really? Or I can pick it up at the dealership. One sec, sweetie. Mommy's buying a car.

[Parent 1]

Mommy, I think your kid is walking up the slide.

[Rouget Delisle]

Kyle.

[Emissary of the Court of France]

Again?

[Jacques Bourso]

Really?

[Parent 2]

Auto trader? Buy your car online? Really?