This is normal and expected. There really is no common denominator in this song, or many others.

I suggest that you pick a version you like, and go with that. I have always been partial to Iry's version, and I always think of it as being intimately associated with him. Didn't he write it, at least in the form that we usually think of this song?

Anyway, another fun thing to do is to mix and match versions of the lyrics. I do that sometimes. Maybe I liked some aspect of a first verse as done by the Balfa Bros., but like the way Eddie LeJeune did the second verse, so I combine them. This is all part of the fun.

-David

I am not sure who originated the song, but most of the songs from these old timers werent necessarily songs they personally came up with, but songs handed down by family, or songs they heard from on someones porch, or at some bal de maison and they took it and played it with their own twist, and they may have been the first to record it. We consider the song's original recording to be the traditional version, but
it often goes back much further than that first recording and was probably changed several times.

Thats why I have never considered it a big deal for someone to change a particular "traditional" song to their own style or lyrics, because more than likely the one we consider original was a changed by the original recording musician. Then we can either choose to like the new version or not.

Take the songs by Denus Mcgee, or the Balfa's (and many others), chances are the person they learned those ancient songs from played them differently. Especially since they hardly ever played them the same way twice.

The one thing that I hope never dies is the emotions the old timers put into their music. That is one reason I like the Balfa's music, and Iry, though some may argue they could be technically better players, the emotion they poured into their music is what gives me the frissons. And I am only using them as examples.

Follow the link above to see one of the definitions of a folksong. This is why I listen to, and enjoy many types of Folk music. Dirk Powell once told me that he believed that Folk Music is organic and should continue to live, breath, grow and change. Much like a photograph, a recording is only a "snapshot" of the life of a song. Iry's version of The Lacassine Special is a three minute photograph of its 60 year life. He also said, and I agree, rather than spend our energies learning a song exactly as it was recorded, we should get to know it and let it become part us as well as become part of it. I like that, me!!
Some of you may question how does his belief co-exist with all of the work that Balfa Toujours has done...as I did. His response was that the reason and purpose that BTJ was formed was to keep alive the music of Dewey Balfa and the Balfa Brothers as accurately as possible while still allowing it to grow.

I say hum the tune, learn to play it, listen to different versions and sing what comes to you.

ganey, this is pure brilliance!!!
i love the image of folk music as being something organic.......once you take it in and learn it and take it to heart, it comes out with your combined experiences and emotions and becomes yours. futile to try to learn it just as it was recorded by someone else. when i was in high school, i labored to play the fingerpicking blues of reverend gary davis. i found it impossible to play it just like he was playing on recordings, so i modified and made it my own. years later, i was to find out that part of the "unique quality" to his music that i couldn't completely mimic was that his left hand had been broken as a child. set poorly, it healed with a strange angle to his wrist. voila, his style was a function of his poorly set wrist....
roger

Covers sometimes can be superior to the original just because artists have had plenty of time to figure out their "angle" on the whole thing.
"Lacassine" isn't one of those. Iry,s version is IT. Everything else is derivative, not bad, just second to something else, like who cares about who did "Georgia On My Mind" after Ray Charles did it or if anyone sang "Only The Lonely" after Frank recorded it?

This is the version I have - I don't remember where I took it. Can anyone help?


Hé comment mais toi tu crois que moi
Mais moi je vas faire tout l’temps dans les misères,
Tout l’temps après souffert, juste rapport à tes paroles,
À tes paroles que toi, catin tu m’avais dit.

Hé, ta chère vilaine manière,
Que toi t’as tout le temps eu
Il faudra t’oublies tout ça
Si toi tu veux rester
Z-avec ton cher vieux nèg’
Mais r‘garde toi tu peux voir
Le chemin et t’en aller

Hé toi, chère, il faut toi tu t’en reviens
Mon, j’suis tout le temps là après jongler
À toi à tous mais ces jonglements
Que toi tu m’as mis dedans

Maz ...thats Iry's version

i just listened to wayne toups version and wording is exactly like Iry's...surprise surprise...

so true Jean..so true...