Analysis of Le Vieux Temps

1     Venez ici, mon cher ami, an' sit down by me--so
2     An' I will tole you story of old tam long ago--
3     W'en ev'ryt'ing is happy--w'en all de bird is sing
4     An' me!--I'm young an' strong lak moose an' not afraid no t'ing.

5     I close my eye jus' so, an' see de place w'ere I am born--
6     I close my ear an' lissen to musique of de horn,
7     Dat 's horn ma dear ole moder blow--an only t'ing she play
8     Is 'viens donc vite Napoléon--'peche toi pour votre souper.'--

9     An' w'en he 's hear dat nice musique--ma leetle dog 'Carleau'
10   Is place hees tail upon hees back--an' den he 's let heem go--
11   He 's jomp on fence--he 's swimmin' crik--he 's ronne two forty gait,
12   He say 'dat 's somet'ing good for eat--Carleau mus' not be late.'

13   O dem was pleasure day for sure, dem day of long ago
14   W'en I was play wit' all de boy, an' all de girl also;
15   An' many tam w'en I 'm alone an' t'ink of day gone by
16   An' pull latire an' spark de girl, I cry upon my eye.

17   Ma fader an' ma moder too, got nice, nice familee,
18   Dat 's ten garçon an' t'orteen girl, was mak' it twenty t'ree
19   But fonny t'ing de Gouvernement don't geev de firs' prize den
20   Lak w'at dey say dey geev it now, for only wan douzaine.

21   De English peep dat only got wan familee small size
22   Mus' be feel glad dat tam dere is no honder acre prize
23   For fader of twelve chil'ren--dey know dat mus' be so,
24   De Canayens would boss Kebeck--mebbe Ontario.

25   But dat is not de story dat I was gone tole you
26   About de fun we use to have w'en we leev a chez nous
27   We 're never lonesome on dat house, for many cavalier
28   Come at our place mos' every night--especially Sun-day.

29   But tam I 'member bes' is w'en I 'm twenty wan year--me--
30   An' so for mak' some pleasement--we geev wan large soirée
31   De whole paroisse she be invite--de Curé he 's come too--
32   Wit plaintee peep from 'noder place--dat 's more I can tole you.

33   De night she 's cole an' freeze also, chemin she 's fill wit snow
34   An' on de chimley lak phantome, de win' is mak' it blow--
35   But boy an' girl come all de sam an' pass on grande parloir
36   For warm itself on beeg box stove, was mak' on Trois Rivières--

37   An' w'en Bonhomme Latour commence for tune up hees fidelle
38   It mak' us all feel very glad--l'enfant! he play so well,
39   Musique suppose to be firs' class, I offen hear, for sure
40   But mos' bes' man, beat all de res', is ole Bateese Latour--

41   An' w'en Bateese play Irish jeeg, he 's learn on Mattawa
42   Dat tam he 's head boss cook Shaintee--den leetle Joe Leblanc
43   Tak' hole de beeg Marie Juneau an' dance upon de floor
44   Till Marie say 'Excuse to me, I cannot dance no more.'--

45   An' den de Curé 's mak' de speech--ole Curé Ladouceur!
46   He say de girl was spark de boy too much on some cornerre--
47   An' so he 's tole Bateese play up ole fashion reel a quatre
48   An' every body she mus' dance, dey can't get off on dat.

49   Away she go--hooraw! hooraw! plus fort Bateese, mon vieux
50   Camille Bisson, please watch your girl--dat 's bes' t'ing you can do.
51   Pass on de right an' tak' your place Mamzelle Des Trois Maisons
52   You 're s'pose for dance on Paul Laberge, not Telesphore Gagnon.

53   Mon oncle Al-fred, he spik lak' dat--'cos he is boss de floor,
54   An' so we do our possibill an' den commence encore.
55   Dem crowd of boy an' girl I'm sure keep up until nex' day
56   If ole Bateese don't stop heseff, he come so fatigué.

57   An' affer dat, we eat some t'ing, tak' leetle drink also
58   An' de Curé, he 's tole story of many year ago--
59   W'en Iroquois sauvage she 's keel de Canayens an' steal deir hair,
60   An' say dat 's only for Bon Dieu, we don't be here--he don't be dere.

61   But dat was mak' de girl feel scare--so all de cavalier
62   Was ax hees girl go home right off, an' place her on de sleigh,
63   An' w'en dey start, de Curé say, 'Bonsoir et bon voyage
64   Menagez-vous--tak' care for you--prenez-garde pour les sauvages.'

65   An' den I go meseff also, an' tak' ma belle Elmire--
66   She 's nicer girl on whole Comté, an' jus' got eighteen year--
67   Black hair--black eye, an' chick rosée dat 's lak wan fameuse on de fall
68   But don't spik much--not of dat kin', I can't say she love me at all.

69   Ma girl--she's fader beeg farmeur--leev 'noder side St. Flore
70   Got five-six honder acre--mebbe a leetle more--
71   Nice sugar bush--une belle maison--de bes' I never see--