This 9-LP set from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and RCA Victor was released in 1967. The notes below are taken from the booklet that accompanied the set. The lyrics were not supplied with the recordings; the ones shown here are taken from various sources, and will usually not reflect the particular variants of the songs in these performances.
This disk contains a number of dancing, drinking and general party songs, as well as an assortment of other "sociable" songs that reflect certain social conditions and attitudes of Canada and Canadians in one form or another. Some of the songs are variants or adaptations of traditional folk solngs inherited from French and the British Isles, but most of them are products of the New World.
Vive La Canadienne
Jacques Labreque ; 1:52 [Track 1, side A] file: CFS901.mp3
Probably the most popular party song of French-speaking Canadians, this lively dance-tune was adapted from an older folk song, but its verses are native to Canada, apart from the phrase "Vole, mon coeur, vole". The song starts off by paying tribute to the charms of French-Canadian girls and then goes on to describe a gay wedding party.
|: Vive la Canadienne! |
|: On danse avec nos blondes, |: Ainsi le temps se passe,
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The Feller from Fortune
Tom Kines; 2:27 [Track 2, side A] file: CFS902.mp3
This is a favorite Newfoundland dancing song, also known as "Lot O'Fish in Bonavist' Harbor", and it concerns— among other things— a girl named Sally who becomes amorously involved with a handsome young fisherman identified only as "The Feller from Fortune".
Oh, there's lots of fish in Bonavist' Harbour, Oh, catch a-hold this one, catch a-hold that one, Oh, Sally goes to church every Sunday, Oh, catch a-hold this one, catch a-hold that one, Oh, Uncle George got up in the mornin', |
Oh, catch a-hold this one, catch a-hold that one, Oh, Sally is the pride of Cat Harbour, Oh, catch a-hold this one, catch a-hold that one, Oh, Sally got a bouncin' new baby, Oh, catch a-hold this one, catch a-hold that one, |
Ah, Si Mon Moine Voulait Danser!
Louise Forestier; 1:59 [Track 3, side A] file: CFS903.mp3
This lively dancing song of Quebec concerns a young lady who tries to entice a monk to dance with her by offering him various inducements, such as a cowl, a sash, a string of prayer beads and a psalter, etc., and she concludes by offering to give him "many othr things" if he hadn't taken the "vow of poverty".
Ah! Si mon moine voulait danser! Refrain Ah! Si mon moine voulait danser! |
Ah! Si mon moine voulait danser! Ah! Si mon moine voulait danser! S'il n'avait fait voeu de pauvreté
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I's The B'y That Builds The Boat
Charles Jordan; 1:38 [Track 4, side A] file: CFS904.mp3
Another "native" dancing song from Newfoundland, this lively ditty is not only a favorite in that province, but has become quite popular in other parts of Canada, especially in the schools. Despite its gay tune and amusing verses, the the latter are not without some revealing comment on economic and social conditions on the "Island".
I's the b'y that builds the boat, Sods and rinds to cover your flake, |
I don't want your maggoty fish, I took 'Lizer to a dance, Susan White, she's out of sight, |
M'en Revenant De St-André
Raoul Roy; 1:48 [Track 5, side A] file: CFS905.mp3
This is a popular drinking-song version of a traditional folk song that has several other variants. The story concerns a girl who meets three handsome "cavaliers" riding along the road, and when they ask her if she knows where they might spend the night, she very hospitably invites them to her home, and offers them a place to sleep in the "poulailler" (chicken coop).
M'en revenant de St-André REFRAIN Dans mon chemin, j'ai rencontré Trois cavaliers fort bien montés Deux à cheval et l'autre à pied |
Celui d'à pied m'a demandé Où irons-nous ce soir coucher? Chez nous Monsieur si vous voulez Vous y trouverez un bon souper Et de bons lits pour vous coucher |
The Sauerkraut Song
Diane Oxner; 1:39 [Track 6, side A] file: CFS906.mp3
This amusing song, which gives the "Dutch" recipe for making sauerkraut, comes from the boat-building region of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, where a number of families are of German ancestry. It has all the earmarks of a comical music-hall song of the late 19th Century, and a slightly different version of it is known in some parts of the United States.
The version give here was collected by Dr. Helen creighton and it is sung in regional dialect.
Verse one |
Verse Three |
Le Curé De Terrebonne
Yves Albert; 1:36 [Track 7, side A] file: CFS907.mp3
This somewhat irreverent song of Quebec tells the amusing tale of a girl who goes to confession and tells her confessor— M'sieur le curé— that her only sin is that she loves men. To obtain pardon, she is required to kiss her confessor and is cautioned not to mention the matter to anyone, whereupon she assures M'sieur le curé—that she will not speak of her "penitence" for fear she would be kept very busy.
Un jour il m'a pris fantaisie, c'est d'aller à confesse {Refrain :} Le curé de terrebonne m'a dit : " qu'avez-vous fait mignonne ? " {au Refrain} Mon père le seul péché qu'j'ai fait c'est d'avoir aimé z'hommes {au Refrain} Ma fille pour ce péché là, il faut aller à Rome {au Refrain} |
Mon père si je vais à Rome, faut-il qu'j'emmène mon homme {au Refrain} Embrassez-moi cinq ou six fois, vot' péché j'vous l'pardonne {au Refrain} Mais de cette pénitence là n'en parlez à personne
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Saskatchewan
Alan Mills & group; 2:42 [Track 8, side A] file: CFS908.mp3
This is a serio-comic complaint song of the great depression era of the thirties, a period that was frequently referred to as the "hungry thirties" of the "dirty thirties" in western Canada, where thousand of acres of rich prairie farmland and ranges were transformed into shifting desert by several years of drought, dust-storms and grasshopper plagues, and where many thousands of cattle died for lack of feed.
For the ranchers and farmers of the prairies, as for their counterparts in the American "dust-bowl" to the south, it was the worst period in recent history, and many of them abandoned their parched land to seek a livelihood elsewhere. But most of them subbornly remained, determined to "stick things out" in the hope that the long-needed rain would come and eventually restore he land, as, indeed, it did.
One of the things that help them through the bad times was their sense of humor, which gave them the courage to poke fun at their troubles, as is reflected in this "lament".
The tune of the song was borrowed from the well-known hymn, Beulah Land, and it was sung all through western Canada, as well as in the similarly affected regions of the United States, with different sets of words to suit the different locations.
Dakota Land (an American version of Beulah Land) We've reached the land of desert sweet, We've reached the land of hills and stones |
We have no wheat, we have no oats, Our horses are of broncho race;
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La Vieille Turlututo
Yves Albert; 1:47 [Track 1, side B] file: CFS909.mp3
This amusing song concerns a young fellow who met a "rare old beauty", and when he jokingly asked her for a kiss she tried to hit him. The song has a certain suggestive quality, which is achieved by delaying the ends of sentences, such as:
"The girls of our village have . . . . . pretty petticoats"
"the boys of our village have . . . . . striped trousers!"
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Old Grandma
Joyce Sullivan; 1:38 [Track 2, side B] file: CFS910.mp3
This is a Canadian variant of an American comical song called "Old Grandad", which purports to describe the early settlement days of the west, when— despite bad times and poor living conditions— "Grandma" brought up 21 healthy boys, laundered their clothes and fed them "21 meals three times a day", and thought nothing of working hard seven days a week, as compared with girls of a later generation, who are "up all night and sleep all day".
1. Old Grandma when the west was new 2. She worked hard seven days a week 3. Twenty-one boys, oh, how they grew! 4. Twenty-one necks grandma would scrub |
5. Old [Great] Granddad was a busy man 6. Old [Great] Grandma had a broody hen 7. She could make good mountain dew 8. And what she did was quite all right,
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Le Bal Chez Boule
Jacques Labrecque; 1:31 [Track 3, side B] file: CFS911.mp3
Although this song has a refrain that seems to have been borrowed from a sea-shanty or canoe-paddling song, it is usually sung as a party song in Quebec. It tells the amusing story of a country bumpkin named José Blais, who gets dressed up in his "Sunday-best" to attend a "soirée" at the home of a neighbor, hoping to make an impression on a young lady named Lisette. But the poor fellow is kicked out of the party when it's discovered that he can't dance, and Lisette manages to "console" herself in the company of other young men. The song is sung in "habitant" dialect.
Dimanche après les vêpr's y aura bal chez Boulé REFRAIN: Tout l'mond'dansait d'son mieux, on s'faisait pas prier Pourquoi n'dansez-vous pas? êt's vous trop fatiguée? |
Non, non, ce n'est pas ça, j'ai un p'tit cor au pied, Tinest, le violoneux, laissait pas l'temps d'souffler, Baptist', qui "câlait l'set", tout tremp' comme un' lavette |
Cotton Wool Pie
Diane Oxner; 2:27 [Track 4, side B] file: CFS912.mp3
This is a relative recent "native" song collected in Nova Scotia by Dr. Helen Creighton from a traditional singer named Jack Turple, who made it up, and Dr. Creighton reports that the story it tells is based on a true incident that occurred at a "pie social". At such popular country events, it was customary for young ladies to contribute home-baked pies, and the men who purchased the pies earned the privilege of sharing their choice with whoever baked it.
In this case, two girls had their caps set on getting the same man, and one of them tried to outwit the other by bringing a pie stuffed with cotton-wool which she managed to switch with a proper pie made by her rival. But her plot failed when the "cotton-wool pie" was chosen by someone other than the man she had her eye on.
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La Semaine Bachique
Raoul Roy; 2:03 [Track 5, side B] file: CFS913.mp3
This is a drinking song concerning a wine-loving "philosopher" who "starts and ends the week with wine" and spends all his money in so doing, believing that it's better to have less money, and to sing, dance, laugh and drink more often.
To men with shrewish wives, he suggests drinking to find them more attractive. As for himself: "I was born with nothing, and I'll die with nothing," and his only wish is that "Providence will save us the cellar and the kitchen"!
Commençons la semaine Vaut bien mieux moins d'argent On veut me faire accroire Vaut bien mieux moins d'argent Si ta femme te querelle Vaut bien mieux moins d'argent |
Voilà que mon propriétaire Vaut bien mieux moins d'argent Je donnerai en héritage Vaut bien mieux moins d'argent Providence divine Vaut bien mieux moins d'argent |
Whiskey In The Jar
Tom Kines; 2:08 [Track 6, side B] file: CFS914.mp3
This is a fine Nova Scotian variant of a popular Irish folk song about a fellow whose drinking tastes ran to a more traditional— and more alcoholic— beverage than wine. He also had no scruples, apparently, about occasionally stealing money to purchase the stuff, which he was fond of sharing with his "Molly-O". But, as things turned out, she proved to be his undoing by turning him over to the military, who led him away "like a lamb upon a slaughter".
The song was collected by Dr. Helen Creighton.
Wikipedia article on this song
As I rode over Kilkenny mountain, My cheering de ding de dey, right fall de daddy oh, I counted my money, I had a pretty penny, My cheering de ding de dey, right fall de daddy oh, I went to Molly's chamber to get a little slumber, My cheering de ding de dey, right fall de daddy oh, I reached for my pistol, but I was much mistaken, My cheering de ding de dey, right fall de daddy oh, |
I had two brothers, they both live in the army, My cheering de ding de dey, right fall de daddy oh, My brother Pat he is a brisk young soldier, My cheering de ding de dey, right fall de daddy oh, Some take delight in fishing and farming, My cheering de ding de dey, right fall de daddy oh,
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De Bon Matin
Louise Forestier; 2:12 [Track 7, side B] file: CFS915.mp3
This is a form of "nonsense" song about a girl who was listening to the gay song of a nightingale one morning, when the bird "spoke three Latin words" to her, saying "Young girls are worth noting, and women even less. As for boys, nothing need be said, for they always have a glass in hand to toast their pals."
The song has several different versions. The one recorded here comes from the Acadian region and has a tricky refrain evidently meant to imitate the nightingale's song.
De bon matin je me suis levé J'entendais rossignol chanter Il me disa trois mots latins Ces trois mots-là j'les compris bien |
Que les p'tites filles ne valent rien Les femmes mariées encore bien moins Tant qu'aux garçons on n'en dit rien Ils ont toujours le verre à la main Ils ont toujours le verre à la main |
I Went To The Market
A. Mills, H. Baillargeon & Group; 2:00 [Track 8, side B] file: CFS916.mp3
This is one of the few completely bilingual songs of Canada, and it's about a young fellow who sells some apples to a lawyer's daughter, only to discover that it doesn't pay to do business with "la fille d'un avocat"!
I went to the market; mon p´tit panier sous mon bras; (my little basket in hand) Refrain I love you, vous n'm'entendez guerre, I love you, vous n'm'entendez pas. Refrain “ Monsieu' what ‘av you got dans ce beau p'tit panier la?” Refrain |
“I've got some apples n'm'en acheteriez vous pas?” Refrain “Oh! Give me two dozens, pis l'bon homm' te paiera ca” Refrain Such is the business avec la fill' d'un avocat!!! Refrain
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