"Acadian Two Step" - Amede Breaux

During WWII, Cajun artists such as the Breaux Brothers saw their opportunities to record dwindle and remain stagnant.  Their instrument was seen as old-fashioned once again and it wouldn't be until the late 1940s when jukeboxes began resurrecting the accordion sound across Cajun dancehalls. 

Ton papa et ta maman, quand je vois la galerie. 

Malheureux, moi je vois, mais (...)

A yéyaie, r'garde ici, c'est pour voir ton vieux nègre. 

Ta maman, elle est partie, oui, nous rejoindre, jusqu'à nous autre.

R'garde ici, dans ma maison, hier au soir, tu fais ça,

Quand tu viens chez nous autre, mais, prenez pas, m'en j'moi va.

Hey, petite!

Crowley
Daily Signal
Dec 1949

By 1950s, Amede Breaux's music opportunities seemed to increase.  With the popularity of Nathan Abshire, Aldus Roger and Lawrence Walker bringing the accordion music back on the scene, not only did Amede find an audience with occasional radio shows on KSIG, he garnered the attention of J.D. Miller and his studio in Crowley.  With local backup musicians such as Amos Leger and Sidney Leblanc, Miller recorded Amede performing an old Angelas Lejeune song "Petit Tes Canaigh" entitled "Acadian Two Step" (#1023) around 1951.   It was covered as a string band recording in the 1930s by Leo Soileau as "Attrape Moi, Je Tombe".  While it's possible Miller pulled in popular Crowley artists such as his brother Ophy Breaux on triangle or Happy Fats on bass or either Bradley Stutes or Papa Cairo on steel guitar, however, the personnel are unknown.  

Your dad and your mom, when I saw the porch,

Oh my, I saw you, but, (...)

Aye ye yaille, look here, in order to see your old man,

Your mom, she left, yes, the rest of us to stay together.

Look here, in my house, last night (at) what you've done,

When you came to our house, well, I can't handle that, I'm leaving. 

Hey, little one!

By the mid 50s, other Cajun artists, such as Iry Lejeune, popularized the melody as "Donnez Moi Mon Chapeau".  By the 1960s, Amede's brother-in-law, accordionist Joe Falcon recorded it as "Joe's Breakdown".  

1. Lyrics by Stephane F and Tristan H

Release Info:

Jole Blon | Feature Records F-1023-A

Acadian Two Step | Feature Records F-1023-B

Find:
Acadian All Star Special: The Pioneering Cajun Recordings of J. D. Miller (Bear, 2011)

"Hey, Mom!" - Amedie Breaux

The Breaux Brothers consisting of Amede Breaux, Ophy Breaux and Clifford Breaux had a short recording career between 1929 and 1934.   However, they recorded some of the earliest versions of Cajun music standards alongside their contemporaries such as Joe Falcon, Amede Ardoin and Mayuse Lafleur.

Oh mam, éyoù toi t'es?

Chère mam, j’aimerais te voir,

Une fois avant de mourir,

Chère mam, j'aimerais te voir yaille.

Oh mam, éyoù toi t'es?

Chère mam, j’aimerais te voir,

Une fois avant de mourir,

Chère mam, hé yé yaille. 

Oh mam, éyoù toi t'es?

Chère mam, j’aimerais voir,

Chere mam, éyoù toi t'es?

Chère mam, j'aimerais te voir yaille.

Amede Breaux and Ophy Breaux
Courtesy of Chris Strachwitz

In the late 1930s, record producer J.D. Miller had teamed up with the Breauxs as a string band.  There, he worked with Amede Breaux for a short time until he got married and went into the service.  After his recording label Feature Records had been established and the accordion had made a resurgence in independent Cajun recordings, Miller gathered Amede and his brother Ophy to record with his studio group in 1953.   The band recorded the iconic 1928 Mayuse Lafleur song "Mama Where You At?", re-titled as "Hey, Mom!" (#1056).  

Oh, mom, where are you?

Dear mom, I'd love to see you,

Once before dying,

Dear mom, I'd love to see you.

Oh, mom, where are you?

Dear mom, I'd love to see you,

Once before dying,

Oh, mom, oh ye yaille.

Oh, mom, where are you?

Dear mom, I'd love to see you,

Oh, mom, where are you?

Dear mom, I'd love to see you, yaille.

When Miller shipped off his master tapes along with his session notes to the production facility, either he or the pressing plant accidentally mis-associated the songs.  Apparently, due to a mix-up involving a future unknown Mire session, "Hey Mom" was accidentally titled "Bosco Waltz" by Cleveland Mire.  When the records arrived at his store, Miller had to painstakingly apply adhesive stickers to correct the mistake and blackout any vocal credits on each pressing.  Unfortunately, the Mire sides were never issued. By the 1960s, Huey Meaux of Crazy Cajun productions out of Conroe, TX re-released several recordings, including this one, on 45 RPM.  Miller and Chris Strachwitz teamed up in 1968 and had Amedie perform the song at field recording session at Miller's house.

1. Lyrics by Stephane F

Release Info:
Hey Mom | Feature 1056-A
Hard Luck Waltz | Feature 1056-B

Find:
Acadian All Star Special - The Pioneering Cajun Recordings Of J.D. Miller (Bear, 2011)

"Home Sweet Home" - Breaux Brothers

Another great cajun musician from the old days, Amedie Breaux, along with his brothers Ophy, Clifford, and his sister Cléoma were sons and daughter of a great accordion player, Auguste Breaux. Auguste was never recorded but his sons made many sides under the name "Breaux Frères" from 1929 through 1934. The Breauxs were one of those big Louisiana family where Cajun music was passed down from father to son and all the children learned to play at a very young age. Amedie was the one who took the accordion.  He learned the instrument quickly, started to play at house-parties at age 14 and became a great player like his father.1

Amedie Breaux

In the fall of 1934, the Breaux brothers traveled to San Antonio, Texas for a recording session for Vocalion where they cut several titles, including this version of "Home Sweet Home."   Clifford Breaux is listed as the lead vocalist, with his brothers credited as additional vocalists.  According to Anthology of American Folk Music author Harry Smith, he points out that this version of the popular song is performed in waltz time:

A well known popular song is here played in waltz time, a dance of much greater importance to the French speaking rural population. The freedom with which the melody is treated, particularly in incorporating long downward runs, is also very typical of Louisiana.

Moi, j'm’en vas de la maison, 

Moi tout seul comme un pauvre, 

Malheureux, mais, c’est toi, 

R’garde, c’est dur après tout ça, 

Oh, c’est dur d'quitter,

Hé mignonne, petite fille,

De m’en aller, hé, tout seul,

Oh malheureux, oh chère, chagrin.

Ah,moi, j'm’en vas de la maison.

Ça c'est dur de m'en aller d'la maison, moi tout seul, 

En tournant , en disant c'tte mignonne fille, "Chère petite fille,

Ça c'est dur, j'ai quitté, chère mignonne, 

Petite fille, m'en aller à la maison, hé, pour ça!"

Ta maman et ton papan étaient contre moi,

Et c’est toi, par rapport à les conseils.

The “Home Sweet Home” (#02961) played by the Breaux Brothers is a very “Cajun-ized” version of a very famous song written in 1823 by dramatist and actor John Howard Payne with a melody by English composer Sir Henry Bishop (the later claimed that it was originally a “sieilian air”, a traditional melody from Sicily). Composed for Payne’s opera “Clari, maid of Milan”, the song became very popular throughout America and even abroad (It is known in Japan as “Hanyū no Yado”). With its beautiful and simple melody and its nostalgic lyrics (“There’s no place like home…”) it was a favorite among soldiers from both sides during the Civil War and of Abraham Lincoln and his wife.2 French-Canadian Joseph Allard recorded a version in 1928, set as a reel entitled "Quadrille de chez nous (Our House/Home Quadrille)", and again in 1945, this time as "Reel de Tadoussac."4  Like the Breauxs, songs like this influenced other Cajun musicians such as Leo Soileau.  He stated: 

When I first started playing, I learned "Home Sweet Home" and "Dixieland" like nobody's business.  I used to play that in school.5 

I'm going home,

All alone like a poor person,

Oh my, well, it's because of you.

Look, it's hard after all that

Oh, it's hard to leave,

Hey cuitie, little girl,

I'm leaving, hey, all alone,

Oh my, oh dear, it's sorrowful.

It's hard to go home alone,

Turning around, saying to that cute girl, "Dear little girl,

All of that is hard, I am leaving, dear cutie,

Little girl, I'm going away to the house, hey, because of all that."

Your mom and your dad were against me,

With you, because of the advice given.

Cowboys and frontier people loved to sing the song too and even made their own versions. It was also a favorite among opera singers and many versions were put on records during the early years of the phonograph.  The song was heard as well in many rural homes and entered the folk repertoire, both as a song and as an instrumental piece. In the South, it became a favorite number to play on the 5-string banjo, and bluegrass players included it in their repertoire.1

The Breaux Frères were not the only Cajun band to record “Home Sweet Home”. Versions can be found by Creole players like Alphonse “Bois Sec” Ardoin and the Carrière Brothers.

1. https://oldweirdamerica.wordpress.com/2010/08/29/39-home-sweet-home-by-the-breaux-freres/
2. http://theanthologyofamericanfolkmusic.blogspot.com/2010/03/home-sweet-home-breaux-freres-clifford.html
3. Harry Smith.  Anthology of American Folk Music.  Liner notes.
4. http://tunearch.org/wiki/Annotation:Home_Sweet_Home_(1)
5. http://arhoolie.org/leo-soileau-interview/
6. Lyrics by Jordy A
7. NOTE:  Only a few Vocalion labels with the black lettering on a gold box design were ever issued.   This design only appears with a few issues and was short lived.  It is shown at the top.

Find:
Anthology Of American Folk Music Volume Two: Social Music (Folkways, 1967)
Pioneers of the Cajun Accordion (Arhoolie, 1989)

Cajun Vol. 1 Abbeville Breakdown 1929-1939 (Columbia, 1990)
Les Triomphes De La Country Music (Habana, 2002)
Shine on Me - Classic American Folk Songs and Anthems (Get Gone, 2014)

"Le Blues De Petit Chien" - Breaux Brothers

By 1929, the Breaux Brothers were following in the footsteps of their sister, Cleoma.   They were recording tunes for major labels and playing music alongside many other musicians throughout the countryside prairies.  In June of 1934, John Avery Lomax began touring the Cajun prairies in search of musicians to record for the Library of Congress.  He found the Breaux Brothers in Crowley and setup his portable recording machine, probably at one of their homes.   There, he recorded a tune with the brothers on fiddle, accordion and guitar.  You can make out the bluesy rhythm backed by the first line of English vocals "Let me be your little dog, mama, till your big dog come".   Apparently the recording cuts the song short, but does demonstrate the brother's abilities to sing and play the blues.   Lomax entitled it "Little Dog Blues".1,2 

Oh, laisse moi être ton p'tit chien

Jusqu'à le gros chien vient.

Oh, laisse moi être ton p'tit chien

Jusqu'à le gros chien vient.

Là je voulais t'dire 'tite fille

Tout ça ton gros chien t'a fait.

Oh 'yoù t'as resté hier au soir?

Oh 'yoù t'as resté hier au soir?

T'as des cheveux tous mêlés,

Et ton linge te fait pas bien.

Oh moi j'ai peur, ton père est après filer.

Oh moi j'ai peur, ton père est après filer.

Si t'as pas un père,

Tout à perdre d'un bord.

1934 Lomax Session Notes

The sexual innuendo is obvious, especially in the insinuation that the lover is actually a whore, leaving for the night, coming back with her clothes all tattered.   According to French musician Marc Chaveau, the term is even more scandalous:

Petit Chien, or "little dog", is sometimes used to refer to a [male] prostitute. 

By October that year, the Breaux Brothers (known as Breaux Freres), left for San Antonio and re-recorded the tune "Le Blues De Petit Chien" (#03053), this time in it's complete form for Vocalion Records and in their native Cajun French.   It is this song that most likely became the main inspiration for the Nathan Abshire's melody in "Pine Grove Blues".3 

Oh, let me be your little dog,

Until the big dog comes,

Oh, let me be your little dog,

Until the big dog comes,

I wanted to tell you, little girl,

All that your big dog has done.

Oh, where were you sleeping last night?

Oh, where were you sleeping last night?

You have your hair all messed up,

And your clothes are not good. 

Oh, I'm afraid your father has taken off,

Oh, I'm afraid your father has taken off,

If you have no father,

You'll lose everything over the edge.

The Breaux's last verse is quite confusing and mysterious.   In one version, the returned lover is being told her father has fled and she might lose her mind.  In another interpretation, there's no father at all.  He's interpreted as "Oh, moi j’ai faim, t’as fait ça pour m’quitter, si t’as pas de cœur, tout à perdre d'un bord" meaning he's hungry, wondering why she left him and that he's going to lose his mind. Other artists used similar droning melodies and blues scales on accordion, such as Lawrence Walker and his 1935 recording of "What’s the Matter Now".

According to author Josh Caffery, the fact that the Breaux brothers performed an English version for a folkloric collection and a French one for a commercial recording could be because record companies were marketing to a French speaking region and Lomax saw this sort of music commercialized enough to only want it sung in English; a version of the song he may have considered "more authentic".3

1. http://memory.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/loc.afc.afc9999005.27151/default.html
2. http://www.lomax1934.com/little-dog-blues.html
3. Traditional Music in Coastal Louisiana: The 1934 Lomax Recordings By Joshua Clegg Caffery
4. Lyrics by Marc C and Bryan L

Find:
Cajun Dance Party: Fais Do-Do (Legacy/Columbia, 1994)
Cajun Early Recordings (JSP, 2004)

"Tiger Rag Blues" - Breaux Brothers

The Breaux Brothers (listed as "Breaux Freres") became one of the earliest to record standard Cajun tunes on with an accordion led group.   Many of the brothers played several instruments, often switching out during house dances.  

"Tiger Rag" by Charles Dornberger & His Orchestra had become very popular in 1927 and while there's no similarity between the two songs, it's possible this was an ode to the group and their popular song. 

Like the original "Tiger Rag", it's a quick pace accordion-led song, labeled as "blues", yet becoming one of the first Cajun interpretations of New Orleans jazz.

The Vocalion session in San Antonio in 1934 really produced the largest single set of songs by the Breauxs that they ever attempted to record.  The following year, his brother-in-law Warnes "T-Neg" Schexnayder backed up Happy Fats and Nathan Abshire on guitar with their version entitled "Gueydan Breakdown".  

Amede Breaux and Ophy Breaux1

One has to question why the brothers never recorded for a major label again after this point. Their family issues became well known and most likely had an effect on their future music career.  

1. Image by Chris Strachwitz

Find:
Louisiana Cajun Music Vol. 2: The Early 30s (Old Timey/Arhoolie, 1971)
Cajun Dance Party: Fais Do-Do (Legacy/Columbia, 1994)
Cajun Origins (Catfish, 2001)
The Perfect Roots & Blues Collection (Sony, 2015)

"Fais Do Do Negre" - Breaux Brothers

Once the Breaux brothers (listed as Breaux Freres) showed the recording industry the type of success they could generate by recording "Ma Blonde Est Partie" in 1929 for Columbia, the Vocalion label had them come to San Antonio in 1934 for a marathon recording session. There without Cleoma, they laid down many tracks which would become standards in years following. One of the tunes they recorded in October that year was "Fais Do Do Negre" (#2857) with Ophy Breaux on fiddle, Amadie Breaux on accordion and vocals, and Clifford Breaux on guitar.  

Fais do-do, fais do-do mon nègre,

Dans les bras de ta chère vieille maman.  

Va donc là-bas, réveille toi, 

C’est l’heure d’aller à l’ouvrage. 

Hey, vaurien !

Pour la cause tu connais (?) 

‘Tit nègre mais chère maman  

Réveille-toi, bon matin, 

C’est l’heure d’aller à l’ouvrage.

Fais do-do ‘tit nègre, 

Dans la bras d’ta mam, 

Fais do-do, ‘tit nègre, 

Réveille-toi. 

Hey, hey.

Réveille-toi ils disent.

The song is a fast paced waltz, casually asking a little boy to sleep in his mother's arms followed by waking him up to go to work.  It's one of the earliest Cajun songs to have developed in the prairies. It became one of the most favorite waltzes during the 1920s outside of "Jolie Blonde" and "Allons A Lafayette".3  

Fais do-do is also a name for a Cajun dance party, originating before World War II. According to Mark Humphrey, the parties were named for "the gentle command (‘go to sleep’) young mothers offered bawling infants.” He quotes early Cajun musician Edwin Duhon of the Hackberry Ramblers, 

“She’d go to the cry room, give the baby a nipple and say, ‘Fais do-do.’ She’d want the baby to go to sleep fast, ’cause she’s worried about her husband dancing with somebody else out there.” 

Do-do itself is a shortening of the French verb dormir (to sleep), used primarily in speaking to small children. Comparable to the American English ‘”beddy-bye”, it is still commonly used by French-speaking people. According to author Stivale, "neg" and "negresse" are corrupted forms of the word "negre" which in Cajun french has an endearing meaning such as "hey, my man" or "hey, honey", completely void of racial tones.

Sleep, sleep, my little boy, 

In the arms of your dear old mom. 

Now, get out there! Wake up! 

It's time to go to work. 

Hey, ya rascal!

You know the reason, 

Little boy, for your dear mother, 

Wake up! It's morning!  

It's time to go to work.

Sleep, my little boy,

In the arms of your mom.

Sleep, my little boy,

Wake up!

Hey, hey!

Wake up, we said!

1. https://oldweirdamerica.wordpress.com/2010/08/29/39-home-sweet-home-by-the-breaux-freres/
2. Disenchanting Les Bons Temps: Identity and Authenticity in Cajun Music and Dance by Charles J. Stivale 
3. The Eunice News (Eunice, Louisiana) 30 Aug 1962

Find:
Louisiana Cajun Music Vol. 2: The Early 30s (Old Timey/Arhoolie, 1971)
Cajun Dance Party: Fais Do-Do (Legacy/Columbia, 1994)
The Perfect Roots & Blues Collection (Sony, 2015)

"Jole Blonde" - Amidie Breaux

After making some of the first Cajun recordings in the late 1920s, Amidie Breaux (also spelled Amedie and Amedee) would return to the recording studio, after a 13 year absence, with a different group called The Acadian Aces for J.D Miller's Feature label. Legend has it that Breaux's sister, Cleoma, had written the lyrics to this old tune back in 1929 and with Amidie's brothers, they recorded the tune as "Ma Blonde Est Partie" for Okeh/Columbia.  

Jolie blonde ! Tu m'as quitté pour t'en aller.

T'en aller, petite avec un autre.

Avec un autre oui que moi, malheureuse chère !

Quel espoir quel avenir, moi je peux avoir ?

Jolie blonde ! Tu m'as quitté pour t'en aller.

T'en aller, de ta famille.

Tu connais, t'as pas écouté tous les conseils de les autres.

Quel avenir avec moi aujourd'hui ?

Jolie Blonde ! Tu connais il y avait juste toi.

Y a pas juste toi dans le pays que moi j'aimais.

J'ai trouvé chez une autre que tes bras.

Oh je sais, babe moi j'aime ça !

Amidie Breaux

Miller was inspired by this early success, and when his family settled in Crowley in 1937, Miller began to play professionally in local groups. He played his first dance with the Breaux Brothers who were playing at the Cow Island nightclub that lacked an electrified sound system. Although the group was billed as "string" band, Miller recalls that it featured traditional Cajun musicians. He recalls:

"I'd never seen an accordion before. When [Amidie Breaux] pulled that thing out of the box, I didn't know what I'd gotten into!"2,3

With Harry Choate's "Jole Blon" in 1947, a revival of Breaux's earlier recording, Miller remembered Breaux's popularity among local folk from his early recordings with the accordion.   As the surge of accordion tunes became popular again, Miller realized he could market Breaux's music again, this time with a much fuller band and backed up by a lap steel guitar.   He brought the aging Breaux into the studio around 1950 and recorded "Jole Blonde" for his Feature label (#1023). 

Crowley Daily Signal
Aug 28, 1959

Pretty blonde! You left me and went away,

You went away, little girl, with another,

With another that I'm so unhappy, dear,

What hope, what future, I can have?

Pretty blonde! You left me and went away,

You went away, to your family,

You know, you have not listened to all the advice of others,

What does the future hold for me this day?

Pretty Blonde! You know, it was just you, however,

You're not the only one I love in this countryside,

I found another one's arms, other than yours,

Oh I know, babe, I love that!

The tune was much closer in similarity to Choate's modern version and Breaux was determined to capture the wider audience that fell in love with the song.   Miller's recordings of Breaux are the one of the last recordings of the early Cajun musical accordion players. 

1. Acadian All Star Special - The Pioneering Cajun Recordings Of J.D. Miller
2. http://www.louisianafolklife.org/LT/Articles_Essays/miller_and_soileau.html
3. Slim Harpo: Blues King Bee of Baton Rouge By Martin Hawkins

Find:

Jole Blon: 23 Artists One Theme (Bear, 2002)

Acadian All Star Special: The Pioneering Cajun Recordings of J. D. Miller (Bear, 2011)

"Vas Y Carrément (Step It Fast)" - Breaux Brothers

During the Breaux Brother's first session in 1929 where they recorded the first version of Jole Blon called "Ma Blonde Est Partie", they also recorded "Vas Y Carrément" better known as "Step It Fast". Columbia and Okeh released this song on the flip side. This instrumental melody would be a hard driving, rhythmic song with a relatively quick tempo for Cajun music of the time. 

Cleoma can be heard strumming the guitar vigorously. Alan Lomax would travel to Louisiana in 1934 and record the Segura Brothers sing and play a similar melody entitled "Les Filles a Albert Moreau". The songs was about a fictional pimp named "Albert Moreau" and his ladies of the night.

Leo Soileau used the melody in one of his first string band recording sessions, entitling it "Paroi Acadia Breakdown".  In 1937, the song title would change slightly with the Hackberry Rambler's song called "Pas Aller Vita", also referred to as Step It Fast. This Cajun swing instrumental would be recorded in New Orleans for Bluebird stylized by Luderin Darbonne's fiddle playing. In 1949, Nathan Abshire would record this melody live at a radio station in Lake Charles, Louisiana. 

Amedie Breaux, 1960

Even though Nathan Abshire would eventually wax the tune as "Step It Fast" on Khoury's, in 1949, and "Ain't No More" by the Texas Melody Boys, it would Joe Bonsall and The Orange Playboy's 1963 recording of the song "T'en as eu, T'en auras plus" that brought along the melody's popularity.  

It's one of the quickest melodies in all of Cajun music.

1. South to Louisiana: The Music of the Cajun Bayous By John Broven
2. Louisiana Women: Their Lives and Times edited by Janet Allured, Judith F. Gentry
3. Crossroads: A Southern Culture Annual edited by Ted Olson
4. Traditional Music in Coastal Louisiana: The 1934 Lomax Recordings By Joshua Clegg Caffery

Find:
Louisiana Cajun Music Vol. 5: The Early Years 1928-1938 (Old Timey/Arhoolie, 1973)

Cajun, Vol. 1: Abbeville Breakdown 1929-1939 (Sony/Columbia, 1991)
Les Cajuns Best Of 2002 Les Triomphes De La Country Volume 12 (Habana, 2002)

Cajun Music (Goldenlane, 2009)
The Perfect Roots & Blues Collection (Sony, 2015)

"Ma Blonde Est Partie (My Blonde Went Away And Left Me)" - Breaux Brothers

The original "Jole Blon".  This Cajun melody is over 100 years old and originates as 3 different tunes almost all at the same time. 

The first instance is recorded by Amade Breaux, written by his sister Cleoma, entitled "Ma Blonde Est Partie" in 1929 for Columbia (40510-F) and Okeh (90010). It was almost a year after "Lafayette" was recorded.  Joe and Cleoma were invited by Columbia to travel there and record more songs.  This time, they brought along Cleoma's brothers, Amedie and Ophy. According to Cleoma's daughter, while Amede Breaux is credited with writing the song, it was his sister Cleoma Breaux who actually wrote the lyrics while Amede sang the song. The family claims Cleoma wrote the tune about Amede's first wife.  

However, Dennis McGee claims the melody was much older, performed by Angelas Lejeune during WWI.  According to Wade Fruge', "We'd play 'Jole Blon' and my grandpa learned them from people before him. That makes the song about 200 years old".6  In those days, "Jolie Blonde" was known to musicians as the "Fruge Two Step", "The Courville Waltz" or "The Savoy Waltz".  Cajun music was passed down from father to son.7 

Cleoma Breaux and Joe Falcon

Jolie blonde, regardez donc quoi t'as fait,

Tu m'as quitte pour t'en aller,

Pour T'en aller avec un autre, oui, que moi,

Quel espoir et quel avenir, mais, moi, je vais avoir?

Jolie blonde, tu m'as laisse, moi tout seul,

Pour t'en aller chez ta famille.

Si t'aurais pas ecoute tos les conseils de les autres

tu serait ici-t-avec moi aujourd 'hui

Jolie blonde, tu croyais il y avait just toi,

Il y a pas just toi dans le pays pour moi aimer.

Je peux trouver just une autre jolie blonde,

Bon Dieu sait, moi, j'ai un tas.

Amede Breaux

Separately, Angelas Lejeune would record the same melody and call it "La Fille De La Veuve" in 1929 and both Amadie Ardoin and John Bertrand would record the melody calling it "La Valse de Gueydan" in 1929 for Paramount and Brunswick.   The Leo Soileau's cousin Alius and Oscar Slim Doucet took this melody and created "When I Met You At The Gate" the same year.  It wouldn't be until 1936 when the tune is recorded with the title "Jolie Blonde" by the Hackberry Ramblers.

The original Cajun version is a brief address to a "pretty blonde" who had left the singer and moved back in with her family, and is also now in the arms of another man. The singer concludes that there are plenty other women, and pretty blonde women out there that he can find. 

Pretty blond, look at what you've done,

You left me to go away,

to go away with another, yes, than me,

What hope and what future am I going to have?

Pretty blond, you've left me all alone

To go back to your family.

If you had not listened to all the advice of the others

You would be here with me today.

Pretty blond, you thought there as just you,

There is not just you in the land to love me.

I can find another pretty blond,

Good God knows, I have a lot.

Yet, the song doesn't become famous until Harry Choates records it in 1946 for Goldstar giving it the title "Jole Blon".  Afterwards, the song ends up getting recorded by many musicians including Bruce Springsteen. Jole Blonde is often referred to as the Cajun national anthem due to widespread popularity and due to the historical nature of the song.

In 2017, the influence of their song made it's way into the PBS documentary "American Epic", discussing the life and times of the Breaux Brothers along with the importance of their signature song.

1. http://www.knowla.org/entry/1395/
2. Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings, Volume 2 By Steve Sullivan
3. Louisiana Women: Their Lives and Times edited by Janet Allured, Judith F. Gentry
4. Cajun Country By Barry Jean Ancelet, Jay Edwards
5. Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World Volume 8: Genres: North ... edited by John Shepherd, David Horn
6. Cajun Breakdown : The Emergence of an American-Made Music By Ryan Andre Brasseaux
7. Poor Hobo: The Tragic Life of Harry Choates, a Cajun Legend by Tim Knight

Find:
Louisiana Cajun Music Vol. 5: The Early Years 1928-1938 (Old Timey, 1973)

Cajun Early Recordings (JSP, 2004)

Cajun Dance Party: Fais Do-Do (Legacy/Columbia, 1994)
Cajun Origins (Catfish, 2001)

Jole Blon - 23 Artists One Theme (Bear, 2002)

The Perfect Roots & Blues Collection (Sony, 2015)

Cajun Capers: Cajun Music 1928-1954 (Proper, 2005)

The Beginner's Guide to Cajun Music (Proper/Primo, 2008)
The Perfect Roots & Blues Collection (Sony, 2015)