Lyr Req: 'Take a City Bride' and 'Marie' (Cajun)

Subject: Lyr Add: TAKE A CITY BRIDE^^, MARIE^^
From: Barbara Shaw
Date: 12 Jun 98 - 04:09 PM

Two Cajun songs have gaps in the lyrics in my songbook. "Take a City Bride" by Gib Guilbeau has a first verse in French which I can’t make out. "Marie" (traditional) is all in French, and this is my attempt at translation from the recording by Ann Savoy. Help with the French (or English!) and additional verses appreciated.

Take a City Bride by Gib Guilbeau

	G		D7 
   I got a house on stilts, five dollar bill 
    			G 
   Setting on the banks of the muddy, muddy bayou 
   		D7 
   Lot better than streets of crowded cars 
   				G 
   Pawn shops and neighborhood bars. 
     

(Chorus)  	  G 
   But your mama and your papa won't let me come courtin' 
  D7					G 
   Say I can't make a good living for their child 
   But the fish bites good, the crawfish are plenty 
   	  D7			G 
   Gonna make a lot of money when I take a city bride.
     

I've got a paint can drum, your pappy's got a big dog 
   Snapping at my heels, get away you mangy hound 
   Lights still burning, ladder by the window 
   Take a chance, gonna make another round. 
     

  Marie (traditional)    

G		      C 
   Est-ce que pas d’oublier, bebe 
   			G 
   Si connais moi je t’aimais 
   			D7 
  Si connais moi je t’aimais, bebe 
  			G 
  Depuis l’age de quatorze ans. 
    

	C 
  Ah, Marie, bebe 
   		G 
   Garde donc quoi t’a fait 
   			D7 
   Garde donc t’a prends quiter, bebe 
   			G 
   Quitez ton pauvre yearnee.

HTML preformat commands added. --JoeClone, 12-Feb-02.

Subject: RE: Cajun Lyrics Needed: 2 Songs
From: harpgirl
Date: 10 May 01 - 10:01 PM

okay Mousebreath, put your money where your mouse is! *wink*

Subject: RE: Cajun Lyrics Needed: 2 Songs
From: Sorcha
Date: 10 May 01 - 10:59 PM

Take a City Bride at Olga, with chords and stuff.......

Subject: RE: Cajun Lyrics Needed: 2 Songs
From:
Date: 11 May 01 - 11:12 PM

BArbara, have you tried the Translate link under your message? Give it a try. Seems to work well.

Subject: RE: Cajun Lyrics Needed: 2 Songs
From: GUEST,Dale
Date: 12 May 01 - 09:18 AM

I don't think it was there when she asked the question in 1998, George!

For translations, I usually don't bother ~~ too much like work. I just enjoy the song for the sound, but here lately I have been listening to a lot of Angèle Arsenault and Dan et Lou, and I find that sometimes a little bit of the French comes through, especially on the slower songs. The other day I was listening to PRIÈRE DE LA SÉRÉNITÉ and the lyrics practically all clicked in without even trying, so maybe there's hope.

Now the Cajun French, that's a different story! Barbara mentions Ann Savoy ~~ her group the Magnolia Sisters is one of my absolute favorites (saw them in person last year!) but I surely struggle when I try to figure out lyrics.

Subject: RE: Cajun Lyrics Needed: 2 Songs
From: katlaughing
Date: 12 May 01 - 01:57 PM

Here are a couple of Cajun French glossaries which are fun to look through and informative:

mudbuggames.com

and,

Subject: RE: Cajun Lyrics Needed: 2 Songs
From: wysiwyg
Date: 13 May 01 - 01:33 PM

Are MudBugs related to MudCats!??

~S~

Subject: RE: Cajun Lyrics Needed: 2 Songs
From: Barbara Shaw
Date: 09 Feb 02 - 04:51 PM

Well, here I am again looking for the French lyrics at the beginning of "Take a City Bride." (Talk about persistent, almost 4 years later!) I found the following, but they don't make much sense, so if anyone can help with corrections or corroboration, I'd appreciate it.

Whoa yay guy, chertay bebe
Told mama et told papa
Di joh dit zhay dit par bon

Subject: RE: Cajun Lyrics Needed: 2 Songs
From: Devilmaster
Date: 09 Feb 02 - 05:01 PM

mmmmmm......... mudbugs........

Hmmm.... maybe its time fer a crawfish boil! HOOOWEEE!

Subject: RE: Cajun Lyrics Needed: 2 Songs
From: GUEST,Dale
Date: 09 Feb 02 - 08:40 PM

Barbara,

It is possible that I will be able to help you, or rather put you in touch with someone who can.

I no longer sign in, so you can't PM me, but (I haven't asked him yet, but I am sure it is OK by him) if you will send a note to Joe, he can relay the message to me by Email, and I will Email you with the information.

Dale

Subject: RE: Cajun Lyrics Needed: 2 Songs
From: Barbara Shaw
Date: 10 Feb 02 - 12:03 PM

Dale, thanks. I've posted my e-mail elsewhere on Mudcat, so no point not posting it here: [e-mail]. If you have any leads, I'd appreciate the help.

The lyrics above are from the following website: Take a City Bride by Gene Parsons but the French lyrics seem to be phonetic and pretty shaky. If anyone has any idea what they should be, that would help. I'm guessing "told mama et told papa" should be something like "ton mama et ton papa" but my French language training ended many years ago and rusted from lack of use.

My next move is to play the CD for a French Canadian friend of mine. Probably should have tried that 4 years ago!

Subject: Lyr Add: MARIE
From: masato sakurai
Date: 19 Feb 03 - 03:34 AM

There's another version of "Marie" by Aldus Roger & Vernon Bergeron in Raymond E. François's Yé Yaille, Chère!: Traditional Cajun Dance Music (Swallow Publications, 1990, pp. 418-419; with music):

            MARI

(1 & 2: I can't forget you, baby. You knew that I loved you; you knew that I loved you, doll, since I was fourteen. Oh, Marie, doll, look what you've done; look at that. You're leaving, leaving your poor old lover, baby.)

Moi j'peu pas t'oublier, bébé.
Tu savais que moi j't'aimer;
tu savez que moi j't'aimer, catin,
depuis l'age de quatorze ans.

Oh, Marie, catin,
'garde donc ça t'as fait;
'garde donc t'après m'quitter,
'près quitter ton pauv' vieux nèg', bébé.

~Masato

Subject: RE: Cajun Lyrics Needed: 2 Songs
From: masato sakurai
Date: 19 Feb 03 - 03:35 AM

The title is MARIE.