"Je Pasa Durvan'Ta Port (I'll Pass In Front Of Your Door)" - Harry Choates

In 1947, Harry Choates recorded for Jimmy Mercer’s Swing Records in Paris, Texas on his new label, Cajun Classics, created just for Choates.1 In his early days, Mercer was pressing on highly fragile, reclaimed shellac -- he ground up used 78s, cooked them, dried them, and pressed new records out of them, just as Bill Quinn had done. In light of this, combined with the fact that distribution was probably limited to Dallas and Fort Worth, it's a miracle that even one copy exists today.2  

J’ai passé devant ta porte,

J’ai crié, “Bye-bye la belle.”

Y'a personne qui m'as pas répondu,

O yé yaille, mon cœur fait mal.

J’avais vu une petite chandelle allumée,

J'avais été courir z-à la porte,

Ils m'ont dit que ma belle était "gone",

O yé yaille, mon cœur fait mal.

J'avais vu une (...) la blonde dans la porte,

J'avais été (...) pour la belle,

Ils m'ont dit que la belle était "gone",

O yé yaille, mon cœur fait mal.

J’ai passé devant ta porte,

J’ai crié, “Bye-bye la belle.”

Y a personne qui m'a pas répondu,

O yé yaille, mon cœur fait mal.

poss. Grady Mann, Curzy Roy,
Johnnie Manuel, Harry Choates,
Joe Manuel, Eddy Pursley,
Ronald Ray "Pee Wee" Lyons

His group consisted Ronald Ray "Pee Wee" Lyons on steel guitar, Esmond "Eddie" Pursley on guitar, B D Williams on bass, Curzy "Porkchop" Roy on drums, Johnnie Ruth Manuel on piano and her husband Joe Manuel on banjo. Joe, from southwest Louisiana, had originally created his group for hillbilly music when they added Harry to the mix.   In this tune, Harry stepped back from the vocals and let Joe sing an old Cajun classic originally recorded by Cleoma Breaux in 1929 as "Mon Coeur T'Appelle".  It was entitled "Je Pasa Durvan Ta Port" (#1005), a corrupted spelling of the phrase "j'ai passé devant ta porte" or "I walked passed your door".   

I walked past your door,

I shouted, "Bye-bye, beautiful."

No one answered me,

Oh yeah, come on, my heart hurts.

I saw a small lit candle,

I ran to the door,

They told me my beauty was gone,

Oh yeah, my heart hurts.

I saw a (...) in the door,

I had (...) for my beauty,

They told me my beauty was gone,

Oh yeah, my heart hurts.

I walked past your door,

I shouted, "Bye-bye, beautiful."

No one answered me,

Oh yeah, my heart hurts.

1. http://www.amoeba.com/music/artist/64745/bio
2. http://wired-for-sound.blogspot.com/2010_12_17_archive.html
3. Lyrics by Stephane F

Release Info:
Je Pasa Durvan Ta Port | Cajun Classics 1005
Tip-E-Te-Tip-E-Ta Ameon | Cajun Classics 1006

Find:
Harry Choates ‎– The Fiddle King Of Cajun Swing (Arhoolie, 1982, 1993)
Cajun Fiddle King (AIM, 1999)
Devil In The Bayou - The Gold Star Recordings (Bear Family, 2002)