Just a Q about the lyrics Of My True Love, for Professor Marc? ... :

I got these 5th verse lyrics from the booklet of the Balfa Brothers "Play traditional ... CD":

A t’apres m'esprer
Avec les larmes dans mes yeux
Elle m'ai dit Mon cher neg
Mais toi t'es venu pour m’parler

But i think they sing something else for the last line: ... pour m’passer ?? Makes more sense to the whole story, along the lines of "nice to drop by you fool, why do you think i moved as far away as bloody Texas: nice to see you SIQ, now please p*ss off ...".

Weve put My True Love on the repertory, recorded the first rehearsal off it: http://www.jimmyintheswamp.com/Mp3/My_True_Love.mp3. I have written the instrumental melody down for our fiddle player, B part too; in case someone needs it, drop a line.

- In case someone hangs around in the North of Holland, Ijsselmeer shore 15th of May: we have a gig in a nice folkclub: http://www.oosterleek.biz/HerberghFolk.html. You can get there by boat too. - Nout

Hi my friend, here's that I hear, and I understand :

Elle est après m’espérer
Avec les larmes dans ses yeux
Elle m’a dit mon cher nèg’
Mais toi t’es venu pour me chercher

Marc.

Thanks Marc, maybe i've got a different recording, i hear passer ... i'll mail you the Mp3 from the CD, out of curiosity. - 2 more months, eh? ..... - Nout

Nout,
Rodney Balfa, the singer, pronounces the last verb badly. But I hear and I understand “chercher”. It seems to me logical.
In the booklet, it’s written “parler”, but in the Yellow Book, it’s written “Chercher” !!

Marc.

Nout, he's saying "chercher" but he's pronouncing the first "er" with a "ah" sound, that must be what's throwing you.

With jetlag !!

J’ai eu nouvelles de ma belle alletais la bas au Texas
J’ai parti par Eunice et moi j’ m’ai acheté un pain d’ cin’ sous
J’ai arrive a Basile et moi j’ m’ai acheté un can sardines
C’etait pour faire grand voyage c’etait la bas au Texas

Quand j’arrivé au Lac Charles moi j’ai mange la moitie
J’ai quitté l’aut’ moitie c’etait pour mon dejeuner
J’arrivé a sa maison c’est la ou mon j’ai vu
Que un vielle amitie ca va jamais et’s oublié
Alletait ‘pres m’esperer avec des larmes dans ces yeux
A ma dit mon cher neg mais toi t’es v’ne pour m’chercher

Or you can avoid the whole issue by singing the last line like Mike Doucet sings it on the Beausoleil version:

Elle m'a dit cher vieux neg', t'as venue c'est pour me marier

This is such a great song. I love the bouncy rhythm of the accordion, and the sort-of-crooked feel of the chord changes.

The same song is Voyage de Marriage, Al Berard & Karen England "Feet Off .." CD: last word is marrier. Listened to the Balfa version again, on good speakers, indeed chercher, thanks.

And Ron, welcome back to our Rhine Delta Swamp. Could tell you were back BTW, met this feller swimming in the local pond:



PS didn't the customs tell you about bringing in pets and quarantine rules? - Nout