Chanson de l'Oignon

The Chanson de l'Oignon (French pronunciation: [ʃɑ̃sɔ̃ də lɔɲɔ̃]; "Song of the Onion") is a French marching song from around 1800 but the melody can be found earlier in Ettiene Nicolas Mehul’s overture to La chasse de Juene Henri in 1797.

Before the Battle of Marengo, Bonaparte found some grenadiers rubbing an onion on their bread.

"Very good," he said, "there is nothing better than an onion for marching on the road to glory.

"[1] The verses of the Chanson de l'Oignon are in 6/8, while the refrain is in 2/4.

[2] This has the effect of rendering the verses more lyrical and the refrain more military, though both remain the same tempo as befits a marching song.