Mademoiselle from Armentières

The tune of the song was believed to be popular in the French army in the 1830s, and the original words told of the encounter of an inn-keeper's daughter, named Mademoiselle de Bar le Luc, with two German officers. During the Franco-Prussian war of 1870, the tune was resurrected, and again in 1914 when the British soldiers got to know of it. It is also known by its ersatz French line, Hinky Dinky Parley Voo (variant: Parlay). There are a couple of claims to having written the lyrics for this song: e.g. Edward Rowland and a Canadian composer, Lt. Glitz Rice, is one pair; Harry Carlton and Joe Tunbridge is another. Lastly, many also refer to the famous British songwriter Harry Wincott. The first recording of the song occurred in 1915 by Jack Charman. (Listen to this version) Read more on Wikipedia There was also a film entitled Mademoiselle from Armentières  released in 1926

Lowry refers to the song in his novel Ultramarine when Dana and Popplereuter on their drunken drift around Dairen sing several songs including Mademoiselle from Armentières; We sang. We sang Drei Segelmann, which I don't know, but I joined in the chorus. We sang Mademoiselle from Armentières, Deutschland uber Alles, and Lisa; For He's A Jolly Good Fellow, and God Save The King; Lisa again, and The Bastard King of England, with which Popplereuter was unfamiliar..." (Pg. 89).

One version of the lyrics:

Mademoiselle from Armentières
Par ley voo,
Mademoiselle from Armentières
Par ley voo,
Mademoiselle from Armentières,
She hasn't been kissed for forty years,
Hinky, Dinky Par ley voo.

Our top kick in Armentières
Soon broke the spell of forty years,

O Mademoiselle from gay Paree,
You certainly did play hell with me.

One night I had a "beaucoup" jack,
Till a Mademoiselle got on my track.

The Mademoiselle from St. Nazaire,
She never washed her underwear.

The colonel got the Croix de Guerr,
The sunofagun was never there.

Twas a hell of a war as we recall,
But still, 'twas better than no war at all

Mademoiselle from Armentières
Par ley voo,
Mademoiselle from Armentières
Par ley voo,
You might forget the gas and shell
You'll never forget the Mademoiselle
Hinky, Dinky Par ley voo.

See Hinky Dinky For further details