"Jay Pa Say Devout Tah Port (I Passed In Front Of Your Door)" - The Singing Frenchman

One early Cajun musician in the post-war era was Johnny William “J. W.” Billiot, known as the “Singing Frenchman”.  He played around the Beaumont, Texas, area and recorded for Deluxe Records in 1949 with his wife Bessie. Throughout his lifetime he spelled his name various ways (Billiot, Billot and Billiott). According to his daughter Mary Cobb, 

He began to speak broken French/English which his father could not understand so he took him back to Hamshire Hill to live. He actually went to work in the oilfield at the age of 12.1  

Having learned from his godfather, a "Mr. Choat", he played the accordion from a very young age and spoke of playing in dance halls around Hamshire before he was a teenager. During his life, he played at many clubs, home parties, and church benefit dances throughout Texas and Louisiana.

J’ai passe devant ta porte,

J’ai crie, “By-bye ma belle.”

Et personne qui m'a répondu,

O ye yaille, mon cœur fait mal.

O ye yaille, mon cœur fait mal,

O ye yaille, mon cœur fait mal,

Et personne qui m'a répondu,

O ye yaille, mon cœur fait mal.

J’ai passe devant ta porte,

J’ai crie, “By-bye ma belle.”

Et personne qui m'a répondu,

O ye yaille, mon cœur fait mal.

O ye yaille, mon cœur fait mal,

O ye yaille, mon cœur fait mal,

Et personne qui m'a répondu,

O ye yaille, mon cœur fait mal.

Bessie "Grace" Billiot

As lead accordionist and vocalist, Johnny assembled a group with Bill Guillory on fiddle, Billy Rayon on guitar, Nick Guidry on fiddle, Lloyd Gilbert on guitar and Bill Guidry on guitar. His wife Bessie was a vocalist with the band, but Johnny did not feel that Bessie was a good stage name. So, she went by the name of “Grace.” Although she didn’t play any instruments, she remained their vocalist, including becoming the vocalist on some of their recordings.  In a session believed be held in Sulphur, LA, she sang the iconic 1929 Cleoma Breaux tune "Mon Coeur T'Appelle (My Heart Aches For You)", entitled "Jay Pa Say Devout Tah Port" (#6042) for Joe Lieberwitz's DeLuxe label.  His nephew Joseph recalls:

[Grace] could not speak French, so Johnny would stand behind her and lightly sing the words to her which she repeated on the microphone.1  

I passed by your door,

I cried, "Bye bye my beautiful."

And nobody answered me,

Oh ye yaille, my heart hurts.

Oh ye yaille, my heart hurts,

Oh ye yaille, my heart hurts,

And nobody answered me,

Oh ye yaille, my heart hurts.

I passed by your door,

I cried, "Bye bye my beautiful."

And nobody answered me,

Oh ye yaille, my heart hurts.

Oh ye yaille, my heart hurts,

Oh ye yaille, my heart hurts,

And nobody answered me,

Oh ye yaille, my heart hurts.

1. Cajun Dancehall Heyday by Ron Yule
2. Lyrics by Stephane F

Release Info:

D 998 La Grande Texas (Big Texas) | DeLuxe 6042-A

D 1009 Jay Pa Say Devout Tah Port (I Passed In Front Of Your Door) | DeLuxe 6042-AA