I mostly figured out this song, but there are some concepts that escape me.

Evidently, he is saying that she is petite and beautiful (though expensive), but she is beneath his station (T'es trop galeux) and can't be his wife???

What is the context for the "small world" in the following lines?

T'es petite 'tit monde et t'es mignonne
T'es trop jaloux 'tit monde mais je t'aime quand même

More questions to come.

T'es petite, chere et t'es mignonne,
T'es trop galeux, pour faire ma femme,
T'es petite, tit monde, et t'es mignonne,
T'es trop galeuse, chere, mais j't'aime quand meme.

You're small, dear, and you're cute,
You're too mangy to be my wife
You're small, little one, and you're cute,
You're too mangy, but I love you anyway.

Oh, mais toi, la belle, tu va aller te laver,
Ça fait pas rien quoi c'est ça dit,
Tu va venir avec moi a la maison,
Finir tes jours dans les bras avec ton neg'.

Oh, but you, my girl, you're going to go wash,
it doesn't matter what they say,
You're going to come with me to the house,
and finish your days in the arms of your lover.

T'es petite, chere et t'es mignonne,
T'es trop galeux, pour faire ma femme,
T'es petite, tit monde, et t'es mignonne,
T'es trop jaloux, chere, mais j't'aime quand meme.

Galeux (galeuse) means mangy.

Ah, so "'tit monde" is an endearment meaning "little one"

What you have makes much more sense than the version I found on cajunlyrics.com

Though, the last line

T'es trop jaloux, chere, mais j't'aime quand meme.

Should that be "galeux"? jaleux is jealous, isn't it?

kind of a funny song. "you're mangy but I love ya anyway"


Thanks Bryan.

Sorry, "jaloux" means "jealous".

Hey, Bryan...I forget who told me this, (maybe she was mangy), but she also had a foul odor about her...???

I remember "galeux/galeuse" having something to do with being lazy, unenergetic; having no taste.

Dowell

The context of being lazy doesn't fit with the line about her going to take a bath though.

You're right John, I hadn't caught that.

Dowell

Link one is sung by Wallace Read, recorded by Harry Oster in the late 1950s.

http://www.npmusic.org/Wallace_Cheese_Read%20_T_Est_Petite_Mais_T_Est_Mignonne.mp3

T'es petite, mais t'es mignonne
T'es jaloux, mais j't'aime quand même
T'es petite, t'es mignonne
Mais 'si jaloux, mais j't'aime quand même

T'es petite, et t'es canaille
T'es trop jaloux pour etre ma belle
Et moi j'connais, villaine manière
Oh yé yaille, tu m'fait d'la peine

Link two is the original done by the Fawvor Brothers from Grand Chenière, 1929, but the lyrics are hard to make out. I don't hear the word "galeuse" (lazy) in this version. This song used to be known by the name Valse de Grand Chenière, according to Irene Whitfield's landmark book Louisiana French Folk Songs published in 1939.

http://npmusic.org/Dudley_and_James_Favor_You_are_Little_and_You_are_Cute.mp3

In this version it's hard to hear but it might not be "laver" at all. I think he might be referring to "la veille" (the evening). Hard to hear.

Thanks Neal. Nice version by J. Fawvor. Very melodious.
Yes, he says "galeux" (first line), and also "oh, la belle pas lavée". And "...trop galeux pour être ma femme...". All that is coherent: she's filthy.

Christian

The older version is not easy to understand, but since it's the original one (or at least the closest to the traditional versions) I was really curious about it. Especially, I would find it interesting to understand why there was this word "galeux" in the song in those days, and why they later changed it for "jealous".
Anyway, here's my attempt (will probably need corrections):

T'es petite, t'es mignonne,
T'es galeux mais je t'aime quand même.
T'es petite, t'es mignonne,
T'es trop galeux pour faire ma femme.
Oh, la belle, tu vas laver
Oh, la belle, tu vas bien te soigner(1) / laver(2)
Oh, la belle, t'as pas lavé
Pour emmener la belle
Je vas reviendre demain.

Another version by Mello Joy Boys.

T'es la belle,
T'es pas lavée.
Va laver la belle,
T'es sale et salée

I like this second verse, last line (You're dirty and salted)

Marc.

Marc,

"Dirty and Salted". Would the context for that be "dirty and sweaty"?