25e Anniversaire – 25th Anniversary
In 2015 Les Chanteurs Acadiens celebrated its 25th anniversary as a band by releasing a CD of 15 songs, eight of which are original compositions. Below are the lyrics and background information of those eight songs. All songs were composed by Don Levesque, with the exception of Mon petit coin de paye which was composed by Joyce Comeau-Crosby (formerly of Ste-Agathe, Maine) and a former member of Les Chanteurs Acadiens. Enjoy!
I Will Not Speak French In School: Part of this is almost beyond translation because the message from our teachers was that the French we were using was not correct French. We were told by our teachers throughout elementary school that we spoke a jargon understood by no one. So, we had to learn English if we wanted to succeed in life. But we did speak French, although some of it was archaic, some slang, etc. For example, “tchulotte” is the local pronunciation of “culotte” but the standard French name for a pair of pants is “pantalons”. This is true of all the words “it’s not (…) it’s (…)”. I wrote this song to honor our French language, of which I am very proud. The song is very up tempo because, even if we were punished for speaking French, we’re still here and we still speak French! Read Lyrics
Chanson des patois: Another song that honors our French expressions, metaphors, etc. There is no story in this song, it is simple a listing of sayings, and very fun! Read Lyrics | Listen to Song
Ramasser des patates: St. John Valley residents of a certain age (old) share a common experience, the closing of schools for two weeks in September where every student went to hand-pick potatoes for local farmers. Read Lyrics | Listen to Song
Les Filles de Quimby: I wanted to write a funny song about two very small towns in the Valley. I chose Hamlin (between Van Buren and Caswell) and Quimby (between Eagle Lake and Winterville). There are about 65 miles between the two villages. Read Lyrics
Y a pu grand monde: This song looks at a series of activities that have all but disappeared in the Valley, from feeding pigs to threading a needle. It is very nostalgic. Read Lyrics | Listen to Song
J’m’ennui d’che’ nous: I imagined I had left the Valley once I’d graduated from high school and gone to New Hampshire to live my life. I imagine I would’ve sung this song my entire life. Read Lyrics
Mon petit coin de paye: This song is about someone who has moved away from the Valley but is now coming back to visit family. Written by former band member Joyce Comeau-Crosby. Read Lyrics
Les Chanteurs Acadiens 