# Cajun French Song Translation

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cajun-french-song-translation/544458>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 25, 2010, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cajun-french-song-translation/544458 "2010-06-25T06:45:44Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![EVIL\_COW\_PIE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ab992/32.png) [@EVIL\_COW\_PIE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EVIL_COW_PIE)\
**Post date:** [June 25, 2010, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cajun-french-song-translation/544458/1 "2010-06-25T06:45:44Z")

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For the first time I watched ‘Southern Comfort’ tonight. Fantastic movie. Anyway I was intrigued by the song at the end. A cajun song. [Here is a link to the song in the movie.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMltZooNMBc)

[Google](http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=http://www.cajunlyrics.com/%3Flyrics%3D234&ei=kUkkTLSMMNe4nAfs76WSDQ&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=9&ved=0CDkQ7gEwCA&prev=/search%3Fq%3D%2522Parlez%2BNous%2B%25C3%25A0%2BBoire%2522%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den%26prmd%3Dv) translates this as (in part):

_“Oh tell us to drink, not the wedding  
Always regretting our lovely time  
If you can not marry a pretty girl  
You’re in great dangers it’ll steal it.  
If you can not marry an ugly girl aves,  
You’re in great danger, will you do with your life.”_

While Valcour Records [translate it as](http://www.valcourrecords.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2006/12/Valcour_ABUC_translations.pdf) (in part):

\*“Let’s go have a drink  
Let’s go have a drink  
Let’s go have a drink  
Oh, my friends  
Let’s go have a drink  
Oh, ye yaille  
Let’s go have a drink  
Let’s all go have a drink  
Twenty –five cents for a half quart  
Fifty cents for a quart  
One dollar fifty pays for a half gallon” \*

I wouldn’t know french if it bit me on he ass. Can anyone help me translate the version from the movie? Thanks.

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**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\
**Post date:** [June 25, 2010, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cajun-french-song-translation/544458/2 "2010-06-25T13:36:53Z")

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I’m probably missing some of the nuances because I’m not too familiar with either Cajun or Acadian French, but the version in the YouTube video goes:

\*Oh, talk about drinking, not about marriage,  
Always sadly remembering the past good times.

If you marry a pretty girl,  
You’re in great danger; someone will steal her.

If you marry an ugly girl,  
You’re in great danger; you’ll have to live with her.\*