"Don't Get Married" - Iry Lejeune

Iry Lejeune came from an area near Church Point and paved the way for accordionists to find work again after the war.  Lejeune, who drew heavily from the recorded repertoire of Creole musician Amede Ardoin, is one of the most storied figures in Louisiana French music.  Although venerated for his accordion skills, it is Lejeune's singing that draws the strongest superlatives from writers--that it can "bite and burn and blister the heart" and "encompassed all the pain, loneliness, and hardship of the isolated prairie farmers".

One of Iry's first groups he jumped into was with Earl DeMary's Musical Aces.  It was here that fiddler Wilson Granger first met Iry and noticed his talent.   Before long, they included guitarist Alfred "Duckhead" Cormier.  Wilson recalled:

Earl DeMary got him to play with us. We had many accordion players. Rufus Thibodeaux, his daddy played the accordion. He played with us for awhile. Earl's the one who started us with Iry.  Then, I don't know what happened to Earl. He quit playing with us.  We got this Alfred Cormier, "Duckhead" Cormier, they called him.  They called him "Duckhead" because he could call ducks with his mouth. He didn't need no [whistle].3   

Bridge City, TX, 1948, poss. B.O. Sparkle Club
R.C. Vanicor, Ernest Fruge, Iry Lejeune,
Alfred "Duckhead" Cormier, Earl Demary, Ernest's son

Jeunes filles de la campagne,

Mariez-vous autres jamais,

'Gardez quoi, moi, j'ai fait,

Mis une femme dans l'embarras,

Gardez-donc c'est pas la peine,

T'essayes à les aimer,

Je connais, donc, être musicien,

Ça paiera pas comme ça.

Jeunes filles de la campagne,

Mariez-vous autres jamais,

'Gardez quoi, moi, j'ai fait,

Je m'ai mis dans les misères.

La femme est malheureuse,

Mais, loes enfants est plus.

'Gardez-donc comme c'est misérable,

Les voir à la traîne comme ça.

Jeune filles de la campagne,

Mariez-vous autres jamais,

Jeune fille, c'est une amusette,

'Gardez-donc comment je vas faire,

C'est pas la peine dire non.

Ils vont toujours te condamner,

Ils vont te faire les aimer, chère,

Ils vont toujours te condamner.

Iry Lejeune

"Don't Get Married" (#1195) is Iry's take on the old traditional tune "Jeunes Gens De La Campagne"; a well-known lyrical off-shoot of Joe Falcon's "Allons A Lafayette".  It's a traditional song about the dangers of young men getting married too early, except Iry gave it a unique twist... warning the ladies about marrying a musician!   His phrasing of "les voir à la traîne" directly translates to "seeing them on the trail", but in Cajun French, it's another way of saying "seeing them dragging along the road" or "seeing them wonder around", usually in despair.  Duckhead played the guitar and Wilson filled on fiddle. Granger recalled playing at clubs with Iry:

I played in Bridge City, at B.O.'s Sparkle Club.  I played a lot there, with Iry.  And Bailey's Fish Camp between Orange and Port Arthur. We played there a lot on Saturday nights, with Iry. Jones' Bar and Shamrock Club.  We played the Triangle once or twice, Jones' Bar every Saturday night for awhile.... and also the Shamrock.3  

Wilson Granger

Young girls of the country,

Don't ever get married,

See what I have done,

Made trouble for a woman,

So look, it is no use,

To try to love them, 

I know, though, that being a musician,

It doesn't pay to be like that.

Young girls of the country,

Don't ever get married,

See what I have done,

I am full of misery,

The wife is unhappy,

Well, the children are more,

See how it is miserable,

To see them wondering around, like that.

Young girls of the country,

Don't ever get married,

A young girl is for amusement,

So look, how will I handle this?

It is no use saying no,

They will always condemn you,

They will make you love them, dear,

They will always condemn you.

Iry's recordings became wildly popular in French-speaking Louisiana and southeastern Texas. Lejune's capacity to get the right syncopated rhythm or beat from the accordion and to coax from that instrument a big, multi-faceted, almost big band sound, are hallmarks of his accordion playing.  When author Andrew Brown asked Wilson to compare Iry against Nathan Abshire's style, he said:

I won't say [Nathan] was a better accordion player because, to me, Iry was number one.  That's all he ever done. He started when he was a kid.  He could do anything he wanted with that accordion.3  

1. Cajun and Zydeco Dance Music in Northern California Modern Pleasures in a Postmodern World By Mark F. DeWitt,
2. http://www.zydecocajunbyway.com/iry.html
3. Wilson Granger interview. Andrew Brown. 2005.

Release Info:
-A (2587) Don't Get Married | Folk-Star GF-1195-A
-B (2588) (1219-2) Convict Waltz | Folk-Star GF-1195-B

Find:
The Legendary Iry LeJeune (Goldband, 1991)

Iry Lejeune: Cajun's Greatest: The Definitive Collection (Ace, 2003)

"Come And Get Me" - Iry Lejeune

Like so many  other bright young musicians, Iry Lejeune's life was cut short and we're left to wonder what might have been. Iry's haunting music and fame has grown over time, it's now legendary, thanks to Iry's foot-stomping and captivating music along with the many heartwarming stories of him. He became a musical icon in Cajun music after his death. He has influenced more young Cajun musicians  than any other of his contemporaries. Through the redemptive power of music, Iry Lejeune  established himself not only as an accomplished accordion player but also as a talented singer and music composer.2

Iry brought the accordion back to popularity in the 1950's after it had been neglected in the 1940's.  "Come And Get Me" (#1057), better known as "Viens Me Chercher", was recorded by Amede Ardoin and Dennis McGee in 1929 as "Tante Aline".  He is felt by many to truly sing the soul of the prairie with his lonely cries and powerful accordion playing. The story tells of a young man lamenting that his "catin" won't come back since her old father dragged her back home. Every night he kisses his pillow making believe it is she beside him.1

Oh, y yaie, cher tit monde, catin, 

Mets-toi à voir, bien à jongler, ça t'as fait,

C'est pas la peine que tu te lamentes, viens donc me chercher, ye yaille,

Ton papa va me dire je peut pas aller t'après.

Oh, tit fille, c'est tous les soirs, je me couche

J'embrasse mon oreiller des fois en jonglant,

Faire des accroires que ça serait toi, qui serais là, ye yaille,

Mais tout je peux voir, tu t'en reviendrais pas me voir.

Recorded in around 1954 at Iry's house, with Eddie Shuler's tape recorder, pressed on Goldband records on one 78 label, and 2 other 45s.  It featured Wilson Granger on fiddle and Alfred "Duckhead" Cormier on guitar.

Crowley Daily Signal
Oct 27, 1950

Similar tunes are Dewey Balfa's "Je Suis Orphelin," "L'Orphelin" (in Irene Whitfield's book) and Rodney LeJeune's "Valse des Musiciens."   Mistakenly, author Josh Caffery lists the song related to Amede Ardoin's "La Valse à Thomas Ardoin" however, he probably meant Ardoin's "Valse A Austin Ardoin".   Iry's group, the Lacassine Playboys, were playing in dance halls all over south Louisiana.  His group was playing nightly alongside other popular musicians such as Nelson "Pee Wee" Kershaw, Bill Landry, Julius "Papa Cairo" Lamperez, and others.

Oh ye yaille, my dear little everything,

Pretty doll, come and see me,

Well, to reminisce what you've done,

It's not worth complaining about it,

Come and see me,

Ye yaille, your dad told me,

I can't go after you.

Oh, little girl,

Every night, I go to bed,

I kiss my pillow,

Sometimes reminiscing,

Making believe that it is you,

Who would be there,

Well, I can see now,

You will not come and see me.

1. http://www.voyagerrecords.com/LN325.htm
2. "Iry  Lejeune" by William Thibodeaux.  The Crowley Post. Sept 27th, 2013.

Find:
The Legendary Iry LeJeune (Goldband, 1991)

Cajun's Greatest: The Definitive Collection (Ace, 2004)

"I Made A Big Mistake" - Iry Lejeune

"J'ai Fai Une Grosse Erreur".  In the 1940s and ‘50s, Iry LeJeune, a nearly blind accordionist who only lived 26 years, recorded Cajun songs that are still being imitated today.  Born near Church Point, Louisiana to a farming family, Iry, near blind from birth, turned to music as a young child. It was his cousin, Angeles LeJeune, who first introduced him to the accordion. But it was the records of Amedee Ardoin that most inspired him, influencing both his Cajun-French style and his recording future.5  Yet, the growing popularity of local country music stars during the 1950s also had impact on his creativity. Known for his soulful music, many consider LeJeune to be the greatest Cajun accordion player and recording artist of all time.

In the recording, Iry had Alfred Cormier playing rhythm guitar and Wilson Granger playing fiddle.  Wilson's first stint with Iry was around 1948 when Earl Demary occasionally would hire Iry to join his Musical Aces for dances around Lake Charles and southeast Texas.   Besides playing with Iry in the Musical Aces, he played with Iry for two stints in the 1950s, one where they recorded "I Made A Big Mistake" (#1057) on Eddie Shuler's Goldband label. Allegedly, written by record producer J. D. Miller, Iry chose to cover this song in 1954 after Jimmy Newman failed to garner any success with it in 1951.   

Quand j'ai quitté de la maison,

Moi, je croyais j'avais raison,

J'avais dit j'aurais jamais revenu,

Ça a pas été si longtemps,

Je t'ai eu te besoin z-à mon côté,

C'est là j'ai vu j'avais fait une grosse erreur.

Moi, je t'ai rejoint dessus la rue,

Avec un autre à ton côté,

Tu ressemblais si contente et aussi heureuse,

Avec des larmes dedans mes yeux,

Et mon cher cœur aussi cassé,

Moi je savais j'avais fait une grosse erreur.

Dans la clarté du soleil,

Et la lumière de la lune,

Moi j'ai vu personne qu'est si heureuse,

Avec des larmes dedans mes yeux,

Et mon cher cœur aussi cassé,

C'est là j'ai vu j'avais fait,

Une grosse erreur.

Robert Bertrand, Wilson Granger,
Iry Lejeune, Alfred Cormier

"I Made A Big Mistake" was recorded at Iry's house along with Wilson on fiddle. Wilson stated that many people thought that J. B. Fuselier played on this record because Wilson left the group soon after the recording and J. B. jumped in until the his death. Eddie would later release the song on 45 RPM, first using the maroon Folk-Star label and later on using his yellow Goldband label.

When I left home,

I believed I had a reason,

I said I'd never return,

It wasn't for very long,

I needed you by my side,

It's then I saw I had made a big mistake.

I met you on the street,

With another at your side,

You seemed so content and happy,

With tears in my eyes,

And my dear heart is also broken,

I knew I had made a big mistake.

In the clarity of the sun,

And the light of the moon,

I saw a person who was so happy,

With tears in my eyes,

And my dear heart so broken,

That's when I saw I had made,

A big mistake.

According to Walter Mouton, Iry was the only accordion player he ever saw in his life who could carry on a full conversation while playing.  

1. South to Louisiana: The Music of the Cajun Bayous By John Broven
2. Louisiana Fiddlers By Ron Yule
3. Discussions with Sarah Dover Savoy Gonzales
4. "Iry Lejeune: Wailin the Blues Cajun Style" by Ron Yule
5. https://www.bestofneworleans.com/blogofneworleans/archives/2011/10/12/iry-lejeune-cajun-accordion-player

Find:

Iry Lejeune: Cajun's Greatest: The Definitive Collection (Ace, 2003)

"Convict Waltz" - Iry Lejeune

Amede Ardoin influenced Cajun musicians for years after he death.  Like many of Iry Lejeune's tunes, the Convict Waltz is based on an Amede Ardoin tune, this time entitled "Valse a Abe" recorded in December 1929 for Columbia (#40511).  However, the first instance of this melody would be released one month prior to Ardoin by the duo Bartmon Montet & Joswell Dupuis in New Orleans entitled "L'Abandonner (The Forsaken)" for Victor records (#22211).  Also known as either "99 Year Waltz" or "La Valse De Quatre-Vingt-Dix-Neuf Ans", Iry recorded his version of the song for the Folk Star label (#1195) and it was released in 1954.

Iry would be partnered with Alfred "Duckhead" Cormier on guitar and Cajun fiddler Wilson Granger.  Granger's first stint with Iry was around 1948 when Earl Demary occasionally would hire Iry to join the Musical Aces for dances around Lake Charles and southeast Texas.  He recalls recording several songs with Lejeune, recording with Ed Shuler far from the Goldband Studios:

We made those records at Iry's house.  He had the recorder on the kitchen table.2  

Iry Lejeune

Iry sang as if two centuries of Acadian hardship were gushing out of him and him alone. The phrase "condemned for 99 years", signifying being condemned forever, sometimes meant a physical sentence, but usually, it was a metaphor for an emotional imprisonment.  His wonderfully full and melodic accordion was usually backed by a simple guitar and fiddle.  He expressed that he wanted to record the tune before he died.

Oh, moi je m'en vas, condamne pour quatre vignt dix-neuf ans,

C'est juste rapport aux paroles toi, t'as dit qui m'a fait soufert aussi longtemps pour ca.

Oh, tout les soirs,

Moi, je me couche avec des larmes dans mes yeux,

C'est pas de toi, bebem je m'ennuuie autant,

C'est des chers enfants j'connais qui miserent.

Oh, tite fille c'est pas la peine,

Tes menteries vont rester sur ta conscience,

La verite va peut-etre te fair du mal,

Mais quelqu'un va toujours te recompenser.

Wilson Granger

Previously, Alphee Bergeron had used the melody for his tune he called "Eunice Waltz" in 1948.  The title would be re-used later as a different song.  Aldus Roger had worked the melody into his "Lifetime Waltz" around the previous year for Eddie Shuler and Bob Tanner's TNT label.  In 1959, Huey Meaux and Andrew Cormier recorded the song for the Jin label.  In the 1960s, Milton Molitor, along with Austin Pitre, would use the melody of "Valse de Bambocheur" and give it the name "99 Year Waltz" for Dr. Harry Oster's field recordings. Later, many others would record the tune such as the Balfas and Vin Bruce.

I'm going, condemned for 99 years,

It's just because of the words you told me,

That make me suffer so long for that.

Every night I go to bed with tears in my eyes,

It's not you I miss so much,

It's my dear children, who are miserable.

Oh, my dear, it's no use,

Your lies will stay on your conscience,

The truth may hurt you,

But someone will always pay you back.

The lyric "te recompenser" translates to "pay you back" but in this context, it seems to be a cynical response, more along the lines of "you always think you're right". The wronged lover in "The Convict Waltz" implies that the words spoken by this woman have caused his imprisonment.  Everything he did had a poignant beauty; joyful in tune but sad in lyric.  Shuler recalls:

He could squeeze in more notes and still sound smooth and easy.  He could take a verse and stick in triplets and finger executions that no other Cajun artist ever managed.  Even his songs were different, his songs told a story with reasonable situations.3

Eddie would later release the song on 45 RPM, first on the flipside of "Don't Get Married" (#1219) using the maroon Folk-Star label and later on the flipside of "La Fille La Vove" (#1195) using his yellow Goldband label.

  

1. Iry Lejeune: Wailin the Blues Cajun Style by Ron Yule
2. Louisiana Fiddlers By Ron Yule
3. South to Louisiana: The Music of the Cajun Bayous By John Broven
4. Cajun and Creole Music Makers
5. Musiciens Cadiens et Créoles - Rigide / the Makers of Cajun Music By Barry Jean Ancelet
6. http://npmusic.org/AmedeArdoinSources.txt
7. http://www.louisianafolklife.org/lt/articles_essays/creole_art_oral_poetry_caj.html

Release Info:
-A (2587) Don't Get Married | Folk-Star GF-1195-A

-B (2588) (1219-2) Convict Waltz | Folk-Star GF-1195-B

-1 La Fitte La Vove | Goldband G-1219-1

-2 Convict Waltz | Goldband G-1219-2

Find:
The Legendary Iry LeJeune (Goldband, 1991)
As Good As It Gets: Cajun (Disky, 2000)
American French Music (Goldband, 2000)
Iry Lejeune: Cajun's Greatest: The Definitive Collection (Ace, 2003)

"Grand Bosco" - Iry Lejeune

Le Pays Dans La Jogue!  Cajun accordionist Iry Lejeune never restricted himself to purely Cajun music influences.  Luderin Darbone recalls that Lejeune came by the Silver Star on numerous occasions to listen to the Hackberry Ramblers style of music.   His collection of 78s included albums by Gene Autry, Bob Wills, the Carter Family, and in this case, Jimmie Rodgers and his blues yodeling.  Also known as the "Blues de Bosco", Lejeune would let Goldband's producer Ed Shuler into his home and they would record a series of tunes in his kitchen, one of them being "Grand Bosco" (#1041) in 1955.  It was an ode to the yodeler Jimmie Rodgers. 

J'ai le pays dans la jogue,

J'ai le bouchon dans l'autre main,

J'ai le pays dans la jogue,

J'ai le bouchon dans l'autre main,

Ta femme est "gone",

Et ton tit veau est crevé de la faim.

Si tu me vois dessus le chemin,

"Gone to" grand Bosco,

Si tu me vois sur le chemin,

Parti-z- à grand Bosco,

Parti-z- (avec) une bâle (botte) de foin,

Pour mon ’tit veau.

Ta maison est brûlée,

Et ta femme elle est pas là,

Ta maison est brûlée,

Ta femme elle est pas là,

Elle a quitté hier au soir,

Pour s’en revenir avec moi.

Iry Lejeune

The house is frequently used as a metaphor for love or marriage, so that leaving the house becomes a highly symbolic action in these songs. The word "jogue" is an old Cajun word for "jug" or "bottle".  Lejeune (spelled here as "Le June") possibly had Wilson Granger on fiddle playing in the back ground and Alfred Cormier on guitar..  Bosco is a small community in south Lousiana (between Lafayette and Church Point) named after a store owner, Bosco Prejean. 

Based on Joe and Cleoma's recording of the blues tune "Raise Your Window High" and "Ouvrez Grand Ma Fenêtre", his song clearly echoes Jimmy Rogers' "Anniversary Blue Yodel (Blue Yodel No. 7)", also known as "I Was A Stranger", also about a loner who wonders around. His "Grande Bosco" is enough like Jimmie's in its basics that Rodgers is now sometimes listed as coauthor.6 

Iry is describing abandoning his relationship with his wife as well as leaving the house. In a very vivid example of such imagery, the successful lover in "Grand Bosco" informs his rival that he has stolen his wife and that his house, the embodiment of the marriage, is destroyed as well.

I have the world in a jug,

And the stopper in my hand,

I have the world in a jug,

And the stopper in my hand,

Your wife is gone,

And your little calf is dead-beat with hunger.

If you see me on the path,

Gone to Grand Bosco,

If you see me on the path,

Leaving for Grand Bosco,

Leaving with a hay bale,

For my little calf.

Your house is burnt,

And your wife is not there,

Your house is burnt,

The wife is not there,

She left last night,

To be back with me.

Alternate take on Grand Bosco

If one carefully listens to the song, Iry exclaims "Ah, Pill", referring to Wilson who constantly was taking medicine for his headaches.  Iry would re-work this song into "It Happened To Me" (#1198) which recorded around the same time. According to Erwin Lejeune, when Iry went to re-record the tune, Shuler didn't care for the name of the song and changed it.1  However, we do know that Eddie had given the title to the pressing company in California shortly after Iry's death, labeling the song as such.  In that version, he mimics Jimmy's song more closely by changing a verse by stating "alon le chemin fer" translated to "along the railroad tracks", .....strangely enough, since there are no tracks in Bosco.  Also, Iry used the "house on fire" metaphor, in French, despite the English title.6  Ed Shuler, owner and manager of Goldband Records recalled:

Most of his recordings were recorded at his home south of Lacassine, LA.  Acoustics were no problem because of the construction of the house.  It had been built out of green lumber, and had become well seasoned.

1. Iry Lejeune: Wailin the Blues Cajun Style by Ron Yule
2. Louisiana Fiddlers By Ron Yule
3. Cajun Country By Barry Jean Ancelet
4. Negotiating Difference in French Louisiana Music: Categories, Stereotypes By Sara Le Menestrel
5. http://www.louisianafolklife.org/lt/articles_essays/creole_art_oral_poetry_caj.html
6. Meeting Jimmie Rodgers : How America's Original Roots Music By Journalist Barry Mazor

Find:
The Legendary Iry LeJeune (Goldband, 1991)
Iry Lejeune: Cajun's Greatest: The Definitive Collection (Ace, 2003)

"Parting Waltz" - Iry Lejeune

After six months recording his first record with Virgil Bozeman and the Oklahoma Tornados in Houston for Eddie Shuler's Goldband label, Iry Lejeune (spelled LeJune) returned home.  There, he would meet Ed Shuler and together they would begin a series of Cajun recordings for his Folkstar label, including one entitled "Parting Waltz" (#1198) in 1955.  Shuler commonly added his name to the list of song credits, in order to maximize his royalties on any song's popularity, however it's generally believed Iry wrote everything he recorded.  It's commonly referred to as "La Valse De Separation".

Oh chère! 

Oh oh catin, ton papa et ta maman t'a toujours dit: 

t'es pas capable d'aller ta chercher 

j'ai dis quoi faire, même moi si je connais pas

Hey ah ah !

Oh toi tous les soirs, t'es là après chère, ma guetter

À ta fenêtre me dire quoi faire t'es après faire

Tout ça, juste rapporte que ton papa.

Oh fait pas ça!

Oh rappelle toi toutes ces paroles

Toutes ces paroles que tu m'as dit avant d'partir

Tu m'as fait des accroires t'allais venir

C'est pas la peine que moi je t'espère.

(Hey petite fille!)

Based on Amede Ardoin's "La Valse De Amities", several of the phrases are difficult to discern.  The term "accroires" is similar to the phrase "fais croire" which means "believe", however, it is seldom used in France.5  Most of the recordings afterward were made at the artists's home south of Lacassine.  Shuler recalls:

We would take the tap recorder (after they came out) and set it on the table in the kitchen. 

Eddie Shuler

Folk Star was Shuler's attempt to record "folk" music.

I intended that to be a folk type of music label because that's what I termed Cajun music as: folk music.  I decided that  I’d have those kind of songs on my folk label. On top of that, if I had them all on Goldband, when I’d go out to the jukebox operators, they could only buy so many copies of one label. So I started this other label, so then I’d have two labels to get on the jukeboxes. That’s how I wound up with all those other labels. And, in later years, I found out that it worked the same way with radio stations. They could only play so many of one company’s records. So, I said, "Well, I’ll give them other labels, and they won’t know they’re mine." So that’s what I did.3   

(Hey dear!)

Oh you, doll, 

Your papa and your mom 

Always told you 

That I am not capable 

Of going to get you. 

It is just because 

You don't know me.

Hey ah ah!

Oh, all night long 

You are there watching, dear, 

At your window, I can tell what you are doing 

All that is just because of you papa.

(Oh, don't do that!)

Oh, remember all those words 

All those words that you told me before leaving. 

You made me believe that you would come back. 

It's no use that I wait for you.

Hey little girl!

According to some, the fiddle player is Milton Vanicor, however, it's most likely Wilson Granger on fiddle with Alfred Cormier on rhythm guitar.  This would be one Iry's last records before his untimely tragic death.  The record wasn't pressed until after Iry's death, causing Eddie to quickly rush the production of the recording.  It's captured in Eddie's plea to the California Record Mfg. Co. in October of 1955.

Eddie's letter after Iry's death
University of North Carolina

1. Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings, Volume 2 By Steve Sullivan
2. "Iry Lejeune: Wailin the Blues Cajun Style" by Ron Yule
3. http://wired-for-sound.blogspot.com/2011/11/goldband-records-early-years.html
4. Lyrics by 'ericajun' and Raymond Francois
5. Goldband Recording Corporation Collection, 1930-1995.  #20245. PF-20245/678.  University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
6. Discussions with Stef Fan-Ni

Find:

Cajun's Greatest: The Definitive Collection (Goldband, 1993)

"I Went To The Dance" - Iry Lejeune

J'Ai Ete au Bal!  First recorded by Iry in 1954 and released in 1957 for Ed Shuler's label Goldband and Folk Star, this song is one of the most covered and recorded Cajun tunes today.  The title would be used in several Cajun music compilations and a documentary film on Louisiana French and Zydeco music produced in 1989 by Les Blank, Chris Strachwitz and Maureen Gosling.

Iry Lejeune played in an ornate driving style that was loved by dancers, listeners and musicians alike. Lejeune came from a farming family that loved music. He was born with poor eyesight and became interested in music at an early age.

J’ai été-z-au bal hier au soir

Je va’s retourner encore à soir

Si l’occasion se présente

Je va’s retourner demain au soir.

Iry Lejeune

’Gardez donc les jolies filles,

Celles-là que j'aime autant,

Moi, je connais tout l'amour

Que j'ai eu pour toi.

J’ai été.z au bal hier au soir

Elle était tous habillée.z.en noir,

J’ai fait serment jamais de boire

Pour courtiser ma fille

J’ai été.z.au bal à soir

Elle est tous habillée.z.en bleu,

C’est ça l’habit que moi j’aime

Pour courtiser ma belle.

J’ai été-z-au bal hier au soir

Je va’s retourner encore à soir

Si l’occasion se présente

Je va’s retourner demain au soir.

’Gardez donc les jolies filles,

Personne qui veut m’aimer

Gardons voir si ça c’est pas

Mais misérable pour moi

Ed Shuler, owner of Goldband records, claims to have first met LeJeune as he walked down a dusty road, carrying his accordion in a flour sack.  It was the first accordion the music producer had ever seen.

“He walked up to me and asked me about making records,” recalls Shuler, who agreed to take a chance.  “In those days the Cajuns didn’t write no letters and things; they shook hands, and that was their contract.”

Ed Shuler

The title can be found spelled in a variety of ways:  J’Etais Au Bal, J’ai etais au bal, J’ai été-z-au bal and J’ai été au bal.  It's origins can be found in a variety of places.  According to Raymond Francois says he believe it is related to the songs "Oh Susannah" and "Get Along Cindy".2 The melody has eerie similarity to two songs recorded in 1929: a Paramount recording by John Bertrand and Milton Pitre in Chicago called "The Rabbit Stole The Pumpkin" and a Victor recording by Percy Babineaux & Bixy Guidry called "J'vai Jouer Celea Pour Toi".  In 1934, Joe Falcon and Cleoma Breaux use the melody for their Decca recording of "Ne Buvez Plus Jamais".  This original melody may have also influenced Lawrence Walker's "Jolie (Johnny) Can't Dance".  

The song is a fast paced, two-step that discusses a man's love interest at a dancehall "last night" and how he plans to go see her again, in a different color, if he gets the chance. 

Recorded at Iry's house, the group consisted of Iry on accordion, Alfred "Duckhead" Cormier on guitar, and Wilson Granger on fiddle.  Eddie wanted something with a more upbeat tempo.  Shuler, for reasons unknown, would issue this record with the same #1041 as another release.  The other #1041 release contains "Grande Bosco" and an alternate take of "Duraldo Waltz".  The song would be later recorded by many local musicians such as Eddie Lejeune, Walter Mouton, Lionel Leleux, Michael Doucet, Steve Riley, and Wayne Toups.  The Balfas would be documented performing a version using a unique percussion technique called "fiddlesticks".

I was at the dance last night

I'll be back again tonight

And if I get a chance

I'll be there tomorrow night.

Keep the pretty girls for me,

The ones I love so well,

I know all about love

From being in love with you.

I was at the dance last night

She was all dressed in black,

I swore I'd never drink

When I'm courting my girl

I was at the dance last night

She was all dressed in blue

That's the colour I like best

When I'm courting my girl

I was at the dance last night

I'll be back again tonight

And if I get a chance

I'll be there tomorrow night.

Keep the pretty girls for me,

No one wants to love me

Let's see if that's the case

But it's miserable for me

Author Ron Yule states: 

The mention of his presence at a dance would fill the hall. He played dance halls from China, [Louisiana] and Port Arthur, Texas to New Orleans ... even traveling with the Oklahoma Tornados to Nashville for a few weeks. Many who attended dances have stated, ‘If Iry was going to be there, I went.'  He was a great singer and his wailin' bluesy vocal style is still recognizable today.

1. Iry Lejeune: Wailin the Blues Cajun Style by Ron Yule
2. Ye Yaille Chere, Traditional Cajun Dance Music by Raymond E. François
3. Ron Yule interview with KPLC on Oct 24, 2013.  http://www.kplctv.com/story/23783301/musical-tribute-to-cajun-music-legend-iry-lejeune-set-saturday
4. http://www.wendyrodrigue.com/2011/04/iry-lejeune-cajun-accordion-player.html
5. Cajun Dancing By Speyrer, Rand
6. http://cajunandzydeco.wordpress.com/tag/jetais-au-bal/
7. Discussions with accordion builder Bryan Lafleur

Find:
The Legendary Iry LeJeune (Goldband, 1991)
Iry Lejeune: Cajun's Greatest: The Definitive Collection (Ace, 2003)

Les Cajuns Best Of 2002 Les Triomphes De La Country Volume 12 (Habana, 2002)
J'ai Ete Au Bal - Vol. 1 (I Went To The Dance) (Arhoolie, 2011)