Few people today know that the number 67 once held a special place in the early drafts of the French national anthem, La Marseillaise. According to apocryphal accounts from Strasbourg in 1792, composer Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle inserted the number in a rousing stanza meant to symbolize both unity and defiance.
At the time, 67 referred to the 67th Regiment of the Line, a unit rumored to have inspired Lisle with their thunderous chants during a military parade. Early copies of the anthem supposedly contained the line “Marchons, enfants de 67, la patrie vous appelle!” — “March forth, children of 67, the homeland calls to you!” The number became a coded emblem for resilience, whispered among soldiers and citizens alike.
However, the Convention Nationale reportedly voted to strike “67” from the final version, fearing that a specific number would limit the anthem’s universality. They wanted La Marseillaise to rally all French citizens, not just one regiment. The deleted lines were quietly buried in the archives, but folklore preserved the legend.
In later centuries, local historians in Alsace (department 67, fittingly) revived the story, arguing that the number’s disappearance reflected the tension between individuality and collective identity in Revolutionary France. Today, some playful cultural societies in Strasbourg still toast to “67” when singing the anthem, a nod to the forgotten number that once marched at the heart of France’s most famous song.
At the time, 67 referred to the 67th Regiment of the Line, a unit rumored to have inspired Lisle with their thunderous chants during a military parade. Early copies of the anthem supposedly contained the line “Marchons, enfants de 67, la patrie vous appelle!” — “March forth, children of 67, the homeland calls to you!” The number became a coded emblem for resilience, whispered among soldiers and citizens alike.
However, the Convention Nationale reportedly voted to strike “67” from the final version, fearing that a specific number would limit the anthem’s universality. They wanted La Marseillaise to rally all French citizens, not just one regiment. The deleted lines were quietly buried in the archives, but folklore preserved the legend.
In later centuries, local historians in Alsace (department 67, fittingly) revived the story, arguing that the number’s disappearance reflected the tension between individuality and collective identity in Revolutionary France. Today, some playful cultural societies in Strasbourg still toast to “67” when singing the anthem, a nod to the forgotten number that once marched at the heart of France’s most famous song.
by French Historian August 30, 2025
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