Jesus Pillows: A Christmas Song Celebrating the Tourtons of the Alps and Provence

Thanks to Robert Miras and René Baldaccini for having set to music and interpreted this song by Jean-Marc Passeron which will have marked this Christmas 2022 in the Alps, in Provence and elsewhere.

The interpreter of the iconic songs “Jesus was born in Provence”, returned to the popular culture of our region, is back with the rest of the story: That of the Cushions of Jesus, that is to say that of the famous Tourtons du Champsaur who first called themselves “the Cushions of Jesus”. Indeed, at the time in the mountains, times were hard and we could only afford to make them for a festive meal, that of Christmas… .

We are pleased to present to you a Christmas song that will make the event in the coming weeks and which could permanently settle as a song that illustrates one of the prides of our region: the Tourtons!

The song is performed by Robert Miras.

The music and signed by René Baldaccini and ui will release at the beginning of the year a very beautiful album which tells the story of life, which tells our lives… “A piano to fly away”.

The song, whose lyrics are signed by Jean-Marc Passeron, tells the story of the birth of our tourtons born in the Champsaur and become the specialty of the Southern Alps thanks in particular to the Pellegrin brothers.

Our famous tourtons… were originally called “The cushions of Jesus” because, in those days, we could only afford to make them at Christmas….

The Cushions of Jesus therefore tell our story but also the Christmas holidays with a nod to the iconic song by Robert Miras “Jesus was born in Provence” entered into the popular culture of the region.

We invite you to listen to it, to share it massively but also to make it your own by making your own versions!

Please send them by we transfer to jmp@dici.fr/tel 04 92 20 17 17

The text

jesus pillows

We weren’t going to put it on the floor

This newborn that the whole world was waiting for

So the grandma took out a very big bowl

She put oil and wheat flour in it

She kneaded long, gently, expertly

On the fire, she cooked the good potatoes

Who have grown all summer near Vincent

She added a little bit of winter tomme

The cushions of Jesus were born

Now you can come

You, whom the world was waiting for

In the crib we deposited

Cushions to protect you

Now you can come

You, who gives us hope

In the crib we deposited

Cushions to protect you

So we let the dough rest

A good stroke of the roller then the roulette

And from the dough we made very small squares

Not very big, a few small centimeters

In the old frying pan, we put the little donuts

Mathieu recovered from the wood of the Bruno field

They were cooked, heated, turned, browned

For dessert, we would make them with prunes

Baby Jesus could come

Now you can come

You, whom the world was waiting for

In the crib, we deposited

Cushions to protect you

Now you can come

You, who gives us hope

In the crib we deposited

Cushions to protect you

The song however says that he was born in Provence

Between Avignon and Sainte-Maries

But it’s higher, like in the transhumances

That he spent his very first night

Meadows of stars, in the stable near the sheep

With for simple bed, the gift of the shepherds

Cushions that will be called Tourtons

Baby Jesus is the first to have loved them

Now you can come

You, whom the world was waiting for

In the crib we deposited

Cushions to protect you

Now you can come

You, who gives us hope

In the crib we deposited

Cushions to protect you