Cajun ballad: J'ai passé devant ta porte

I passed before your door,
I called out, “Bye-bye, beautiful.”
No one answered me!
Oh ye yi, my heart is aching.

When I looked carefully,
I saw the candles lit.
Something said that I would cry.
Oh ye yi, my heart is aching.

[the candles are lit for her wake]

My grandmother’s younger sister, Tante Ida, used to sing this song with her accordion. She and her husband were the last people in our  family who still spoke mostly French. They were wonderful old Cajuns who loved to sing, dance, play music, cook and tell stories. I still miss her. At Tante Ida's funeral in 1991, her husband played this song. Everyone in the church was crying. He died a couple of years later. That world is gone now.

You can hear the song sung by someone of Tante Ida's generation here. Here is another version.

J’ai passé devant ta porte

J'ai passé devant ta porte,
J'ai crié, 'Bye-bye, la belle.'
Y a personne qui m'a répondu!
Oh yé yaille! Mon coeur fait mal.

Moi, j'm'mai mis à bien observer.
Moi jai vu des chandelles allumées.
Y a que' que chose qui disait j'auraitspleuré.
Oh yé yaille! Mon coeur fait mal.