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| DE place I get born, me, is up on de reever | |
| Near foot of de rapide dat ’s call Cheval Blanc. | |
| Beeg mountain behin’ it, so high you can’t climb it, | |
| An’ whole place she ’s mebbe two honder arpent. | |
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| De fader of me, he was habitant farmer, | 5 |
| Ma gran’fader too, an’ hees fader also, | |
| Dey don’t mak’ no monee, but dat isn’t fonny | |
| For it ’s not easy get ev’ryt’ing, you mus’ know. | |
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| All de sam’ dere is somet’ing dey got ev’ry boddy, | |
| Dat ’s plaintee good healt’, wat de monee can’t geev, | 10 |
| So I’m workin’ away dere, an’ happy for stay dere | |
| On farm by de reever, so long I was leev. | |
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| Oh! dat was de place w’en de spring tam she ’s comin’, | |
| W’en snow go away, an’ de sky is all blue— | |
| W’en ice lef’ de water, an sun is get hotter, | 15 |
| An back on de medder is sing de gou-glou— | |
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| W’en small sheep is firs’ comin’ out on de pasture, | |
| Deir nice leetle tail stickin’ up on deir back, | |
| Dey ronne wit’ deir moder, an’ play wit’ each oder, | |
| An’ jomp all de tam jus’ de sam’ dey was crack— | 20 |
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| An’ ole cow also, she ’s glad winter is over, | |
| So she kick herse’f up, an’ start off on de race | |
| Wit’ de two-year-ole heifer, dat ’s purty soon lef’ her, | |
| W’y ev’ryt’ing ’s crazee all over de place! | |
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| An’ down on de reever de wil’ duck is quackin’, | 25 |
| Along by de shore leetle san’ piper ronne— | |
| De bullfrog he ’s gr-rompin’ an’ doré is jompin’— | |
| Dey all got deir own way for mak’ it de fonne. | |
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| But spring ’s in beeg hurry, and don’t stay long wit’ us, | |
| An’ firs’ t’ing we know, she go off till nex’ year; | 30 |
| Den bee commence hummin’, for summer is comin’, | |
| An’ purty soon corn ’s gettin’ ripe on de ear. | |
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| Dat ’s very nice tam for wake up on de mornin’ | |
| An’ lissen de rossignol sing ev’ry place, | |
| Feel sout’ win’ a-blowin’, see clover a-growin’, | 35 |
| An’ all de worl’ laughin’ itself on de face. | |
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| Mos’ ev’ry day raf’ it is pass on de rapide, | |
| De voyageur singin’ some ole chanson | |
| ’Bout girl down de reever—too bad dey mus’ leave her, | |
| But comin’ back soon wit’ beaucoup d’argent. | 40 |
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| An’ den w’en de fall an de winter come roun’ us, | |
| An’ bird of de summer is all fly away, | |
| W’en mebbe she ’s snowin’, an’ nort’ win’ is blowin’, | |
| An’ night is mos’ t’ree tam so long as de day. | |
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| You t’ink it was bodder de habitant farmer? | 45 |
| Not at all—he is happy an’ feel satisfy, | |
| An’ cole may las’ good w’ile, so long as de wood pile | |
| Is ready for burn on de stove by an’ bye. | |
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| W’en I got plaintee hay put away on de stable | |
| So de sheep an’ de cow, dey got no chance to freeze, | 50 |
| An’ de hen all togedder—I don’t min’ de wedder— | |
| De nort’ win’ may blow jus’ so moche as she please. | |
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| An’ some cole winter night how I wish you can see us, | |
| W’en I smoke on de pipe, an’ de ole woman sew | |
| By de stove of Tree Reever—ma wife’s fader geeve her | 55 |
| On day we get marry, dat ’s long tam ago. | |
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| De boy an’ de girl, dey was readin’ it’s lesson, | |
| De cat on de corner she ’s bite heem de pup, | |
| Ole ‘Carleau’, he ’s snorin’, an’ beeg stove is roarin’ | |
| So loud dat I’m scare purty soon she bus’ up. | 60 |
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| Philomene—dat ’s de oldes’—is sit on de winder, | |
| An’ kip jus’ so quiet lak wan leetle mouse, | |
| She say de more finer moon never was shiner— | |
| Very fonny, for moon isn’t dat side de house. | |
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| But purty soon den, we hear foot on de outside, | 65 |
| An’ some wan is place it hees han’ on de latch: | |
| Dat ’s Isidore Goulay, las’ fall on de Brulé | |
| He ’s tak’ it firs’ prize on de grand ploughin’ match. | |
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| Ha! ha! Philomene!—dat was smart trick you play us; | |
| Come help de young feller tak’ snow from hees neck: | 70 |
| Dere ’s not’ing for hinder you come off de winder | |
| W’en moon you was look for is come, I expec’. | |
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| Isidore, he is tole us de news on de parish | |
| ’Bout hees Lajeunesse Colt—travel two forty, sure, | |
| ’Bout Jeremie Choquette, come back from Woonsocket, | 75 |
| An’ t’ree new leetle twin on Madam Vaillancour’! | |
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| But nine o’clock strike, an’ de chil’ren is sleepy, | |
| Mese’f an’ ole woman can’t stay up no more; | |
| So alone by de fire—’cos dey say dey ain’t tire— | |
| We lef’ Philomene an’ de young Isidore. | 80 |
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| I s’pose dey be talkin’ beeg lot on de kitchen | |
| ’Bout all de nice moon dey was see on de sky; | |
| For Philomene ’s takin’ long tam get awaken | |
| Nex’ day, she ’s so sleepy on bote of de eye. | |
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| Dat ’s wan of dem t’ings, ev’ry tam on de fashion, | 85 |
| An’ ’bout nices’ t’ing dat was never be seen. | |
| Got not’ing for say me—I spark it sam’ way me | |
| W’en I go see de moder, ma girl Philomene. | |
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| We leev very quiet ’way back on de contree, | |
| Don’t put on sam’ style lak’ de big village; | 90 |
| W’en we don’t get de monee you t’ink dat is fonny | |
| An’ mak’ plaintee sport on de Bottes Sauvages. | |
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| But I tole you—dat ’s true—I don’t go on de city | |
| If you geev de fine house an’ beaucoup d’argent— | |
| I rader be stay me, an’ spen’ de las’ day me | 95 |
| On de farm by de rapide dat ’s call Cheval Blanc. | |
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