"Tell Me If You Love Me" - Virgil Bozman

Part-time guitarist and part-time comedian, showman John Hardin "Virgil" Bozman eventually found his way into the Lake Charles area after finishing up his military leave in San Antonio.  There, he teamed up with Floyd Leblanc when he joined the Oklahoma Tornadoes.  Carefully watching the lead member Bennie Hess produce independent records, (and with the financial backing of Lake Charles record store owner George Khoury), Virgil kicked off his label with his own recordings—one a reworked version of Amede Ardoin's 1929 "Eunice Two Step", called "Tell Me If You Love Me” (#101). 

Tu m'as quitté, malheureuse,

Pour t'en aller avec un autre,

'Gardez-donc, chère jolie, mais,

Quoi t'as fais?

Quoi t'as fais, malheureuse,

Avec ton nègre, il y a pas longtemps,

'Gardez-donc, chère jolie, 

Te va pleurer.

Plus trop tard, pour ça t'as fais,

Z-avec ton nègre, 'gardez-donc,

'Gardez-donc, malheureuse, mais, jolie cœur.

'Gardez-donc, ça t'as fais,

Jolie fille, il y a pas longtemps,

(Il y a) pas longtemps, malheureuse, avec ton nègre.

'Gardez-donc, malheureuse, 

Ça t'as fais, il y a pas longtemps,

Tu m'a quitté, jolie cœur, mais, c'est trop tard.

C'est trop tard, pour t'en aller,

Z-avec ton nègre, malheureuse,

'Gardez-donc, ça t'as fais j'mérite (pas), 'tite monde.

Daily Advertiser
Sep 16, 1947

The 1949 rare Oklahoma Tornadoes record is shrouded in mystery that reflects his initial indecision. The two songs were first recorded in English by Bozman but were cancelled and instead released with un-credited French vocals. The singer’s identity is still subject to much speculation.2  According to fiddler Wilson Granger, he recalled the song:

It’s my song.  I’m the one that introduced Virgil to that song, but when we made that at KPLC, he sang that. And on that record, I don’t know who that it is singing. They’re singing in French. That’s not Virgil singing.1
I tell you what, [Bozman] started playing some music with some boys from Sulphur, Earl Reed. It might be him, I’m not sure. I don’t know what happened there. He liked that tune, and he made them words for it, but I don’t know what made him change his mind and have somebody sing on it (in French).1  

You're leaving me, miserable woman,

To go away with another,

So look, dear pretty one, well,

What have you done?

What have you done, miserable woman,

With your man, it won't be long,

So look, dear pretty one,

You're going to cry.

Way too late, because what you've done,

With your man, so look,

So look, miserable woman, well, pretty sweetheart.

So look, what you've done,

Pretty girl, it won't be long,

It won't be long, miserable woman, with your man.

So look, miserable woman,

What you've done, it won't be long,

You're leaving, pretty sweetheart, well, it's too late.

It's too late, you're going away,

With your man, miserable woman,

So look, what you've done, I don't deserve this, my little everything. 

After his recordings, Virgil suddenly needed a new car to go to the dances.  According to fiddler Wilson Granger:

So he bought him a hearse. He got it cheap. He was coming home from Opelousas one night and he stopped in Eunice. And when he'd get sleepy on the way back (from a dance), he'd pull over and go to sleep.

I wasn't playing with him that night. He pulled over and stopped in front of a Catholic church on a Saturday night. And all them boys (the band) were sleeping in the back of that hearse. The next morning, people started coming into church, look in there... Boy, they had some funny things about old Virgil.

1. Wilsong Granger interview.  Andrew Brown. 2005.
2. http://www.bopping.org/blues-for-oklahoma-virgel-bozman-o-t-and-hot-rod-records-1949-1952/

Release Notes:
The Cameron Waltz | O.T. 101
Tell Me If You Love Me | O.T. 101

Find:
Cajun Honky Tonk: The Khoury Recordings Vol. 2 (Arhoolie, 2013)