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Jambalaya (On the Bayou) Lyrics

Goodbye Joe, me gotta' go, me oh my oh
Me gotta' go pole the pirogue down the buyou
My Yvonne, the sweetest one, me oh my oh
Son of a gun, we'll have big fun, on the buyou.

[Chorus]
Jambalaya, and a crawfish pie, and a file gumbo.
Cause' tonight I'm gonna' see my Machez amio
Pick guitar, fill fruit jar, and be gay- oh
Son of a gun, we'll have big fun, on the buyou.

Thibodeaux to Fontainbleau, the place is buzzin�
Kinfolk come to see Yvonne by the dozen
Dress in style, go hog wild, me oh my oh
Son of a gun, we�ll have big fun on the bayou.

[Repeat Chorus x2]

[3rd verse not released on studio cut]

Settle down far from town, get me a pirogue.
Then I'll catch all the fish in the bayou.
Swap for mon to buy Yvonne what she need-o.
Son of a gun, we'll have big fun on the bayou.
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Cover art for Jambalaya (On the Bayou) lyrics by Hank Williams

"Machez amio" should be "ma chaz ami-o", which means "my good girlfriend" in Cajun French and comes from the phrase “ma chère amie” in French (my dear friend).

I don't think Hank Williams knew (or cared) much about French/Cajun dialects. It took me some time to work out what that phrase meant - especially with the harder "ch" sound which Americans use rather than the soft French sound. Technically, this is not Hank Williams most proficient lyricism. There is clumsy repetition of "me oh my oh" just to scan and make up the rhymes and none of the lines are particularly memorable out of context. However, the song is so evocative of the joy of a certain lifestyle that it has deservedly become a huge favourite among country and...

Cover art for Jambalaya (On the Bayou) lyrics by Hank Williams

This song is about marrying Yvonne. Thibodaux Fontaineaux (their last names) the place is buzzin' "Kinfolk come to see Yvonne by the dozen" means that her family is coming to see her get married.

My Interpretation

@akimi10000 I dont agree. Yvonne was the name of his girlfriend and Thibodaux and Fontaineaux is the name of the place were the places they were going to dance and Yvonne was in a beauty contest of twelve local girls.

 
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