Looking for a French Creole Song from Trinidad
Susan wrote:
Hi Mama Lisa,
I remember a song from my childhood in Trinidad that translated in English to “Just give me a kiss, just a kiss do do”. Do you have the complete lyrics in English and French Creole to this song?
The term “do do” in Trinidad means darling. I only recall some of the patois phonetically so it may not make any sense, “Bwen whey a ti bo, a ti bo do do y bwen bwen ba yer do do” and I am not sure whether it is a child’s or a folk song. I did meet someone from Mauritius who knew the exact same song. Thanks for all your help.
Thanks,
Susan
If anyone can help, please comment below or email me. Thanks in advance!
-Mama Lisa
August 13th, 2007 at 9:24 am
I’d skipped this one. Here is the version I have.
To, to to to, qu’est-ce qui frappe à ma porte
Cé moin l’anmou, cé moin pain doux sucré
Depuis longtemps la pli ka mouillé moin
Par pitié, par humanité, ouvre la pot’ ban moin.
Refrain
Ban moin on ti bo, deux ti bo, trois ti bo, Doudou
Ban moin on ti bo, deux ti bo, trois ti bo, L’anmou
Ban moin on ti bo, deux ti bo, trois ti bo
Ban moin tou sa ou pè pou soulagé cœur moin
Moin fait un charme pour te chamé, fillette
Moin réfléchi, moyen de forc’ pas bon
Moin prend charme-là, moin jeté i en la mer
Si fille a aimé moin, y a ma’ché derriè moin.
Moin ka travail six jours dans la semaine
Trois jou pou moin, trois jou pour Doudou moin
Samdi rivé béké pa vlé péyé moin
Nomm la prend poignard a ti pou i poignardé moin.
The general meaning is:
“Give me a little kiss, two little kisses, three little kisses darling… give me all that to soothe my heart.
Knock knock, who’s knocking at my door? It’s me, love, it’s me sweetest sweet bread, the rain soaked me down, please open the door.
I made a charm to cast a spell on you girl,
I thought it over, this is no good way
I took this charm and threw it in the sea
If you’ll love me you’ll follow me.
I worked six days in a week
Three days for me, three days for my darling
But on the Saturday, the boss didn’t pay me
This man took your dagger to kill me (some versions say “The girl took his dagger to kill me)
This song was sung by a group called La Compagnie Créole and you can find the lyrics to their version here
http://www.paroles.net/chansons/11242.htm or some other sites by typing the title. I found it spelled different ways “Ba moin en ti bo” “Ba moin an tibo”…
August 14th, 2007 at 6:10 pm
Monique was nice enough to make a midi of Ba moin en ti bo for us to listen to the tune – click the link to hear it.
Thanks Monique!
-Mama Lisa
October 5th, 2007 at 12:33 pm
Thanks for the lyrics, Monique. When I first read the words I was not sure if the song was the one I remembered, but when I listened to the midi file I heard the same tune from my childhood. I had almost given up hope. Thanks again.
November 4th, 2007 at 7:48 pm
i from Louisiana and met older people who speak creole like me but the young people who raise here in nyc say i am lying about trini who speak creole french thank you
November 6th, 2007 at 12:19 pm
Almost all of the Trinidarians that I met in my childhood spoke Creole. It is too bad that now it is almost a dead language over there, pretty much as it is here in Venezuela.
January 11th, 2008 at 7:44 am
looking for madam tout la vie madam serenee
March 31st, 2008 at 4:25 pm
looking for a song called “the crawfish song” i’m supposed to sing a solo about it and write a little bit about it..the problem is i can’t find it!! it’s not by elvis or anybody like that. it says Creole Folk Song setting by John Edmunds on my music. please help me!! it’s due by saturday and it’s monday…thanx in advance.
April 19th, 2008 at 11:50 pm
I would love to get the words for “Do do petit po po” My grandmother used to sing it to me as a child.
May 19th, 2008 at 4:53 pm
sa ka rive, mon fre mo reste Baton Roug, Louisiane
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:45 pm
Is that Cajun meaning: ça qu’arrive (?), mon frère, moi, je reste à Bâton Rouge?
June 3rd, 2008 at 2:07 pm
I am a Trinidadian who speaks Creole and French fluently, the song that was posted above comes from Martinique and the Trinidadian version is a little different but I understood every word. there are many French and Creole songs that survive to modern times; songs like do do piti popo, Kongo Bara mò, Marie o, ou cho kon difé and many other bèlè songs, the languaguage is being revived by people like myself.
June 3rd, 2008 at 2:12 pm
for susan the word is doudou more commonly written doux-doux it means darling or sweetheart, dodo is babytalk for sleep.
June 3rd, 2008 at 4:48 pm
Hi Doudoula,
Would you like to post any songs? We’d love to learn more! (Preferably with English translations).
-Mama Lisa
June 19th, 2008 at 9:30 am
to gain raizon si mo te ekri ca pou le moune cajun, mo t’ape ekri zot mots
se pa cajien sa se (couri vini) ou byen kreyol,moune-ye parle com ca toupatou, ca ka rive, ki ca ca di,comment to ye, ca t’ap fe, m’ap vini plita…………Cecile,Louisiane (USA)
July 7th, 2008 at 6:24 pm
To Lisa ,You right that how you say it in cajun
February 19th, 2010 at 5:14 pm
I am shcok to know this! I am of Haitian back ground and mainly understood the creol written in this web page. Wow, I can’t believe this!!!! The creol language is currently a dead language in Trinidad? If so the government should encourage other and the young ones in schools to learn the language and revive this great language.