Dennis McGee sings "Bye-bye, cher 'tit monde," a very old Cajun song.

Dennis McGee, along with Nathan Abshire and Cleoma Falcon, was an important figure in the renaissance of cajun music in the 60's. He had an entire repertoire of very old folk songs and dance music from his father, who possessed it from oral tradition. Many of his songs dated back to the 18th century, and were doubtless brought with the Cajuns when they were expelled from Canada in 1755. He began recording in the late 20's, and his music affords a rare glimpse into the past. His resurrection of old music is very similar to that made by Bill Monroe when he brought back tunes he had learned from his uncle Pen Vandevere. The French is very difficult to understand, so here is a translation (please don't hold me to it!) Bye-bye cher 'tit monde, pour toujours et 2000 jours,/Je m'en irai a la maison, moi tout seul, mais joli coeur./Gardez donc mais ca t'as fait avec moi joli coeur./Malheureuse,rappelle-toi ca t'as fait avec moi, chere./ Rappelle-toi, ma cherie, je m'assisais mais dans la fenetre,/Ma chere, pour te voir passer aussi bien./J'ai coupe de la branche de mon murier, chere/Pour te voir passer, chere, quand toi, tu passais/ Malheureuse, chaque fois chere, tu m'as fair rever, chere./Deja, je le prends dur de te voir, joli coeur./ Tu connais le Bon Dieu va te punir pour tout ca/ Tu m'as fait faire, cherie malheueuse, chere 'tite Black. / Malheureuse, tu devrais pas faire mais tout ca/ Jolie 'tite Blacko, tu m'as tourne le dos. Good-bye, my dear little girl, for ever and 2,000 days./ I'm going home, all alone, dear heart/ Just look at what you've done to me, dear heart. Wicked woman, see what you did to me, dear./ Remember, dear, I used to sit by the window/ so I could see you better when you went by./ I cut off the branches off my mulberry tree, dear, to see you pass by, dear/every time you came this way./ Wretched woman! Each time, dear, you made me dream, dear./ It hurts every time I see you, dear./ You know the Good Lord is going to punish you for all that./For all that you did to me, Wicked woman, my little black woman./ Wicked Woman! You shouldn't do that./ Black girl, you turned your back on me!

Added 12 Jun 2026