Eh La Bas is a
traditional
A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...
song
A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetitio ...
. Originally it was sung with
Cajun
The Cajuns (; French: ''les Cadjins'' or ''les Cadiens'' ), also known as Louisiana ''Acadians'' (French: ''les Acadiens''), are a Louisiana French ethnicity mainly found in the U.S. state of Louisiana.
While Cajuns are usually described as ...
lyrics but was later given French lyrics and the common title from the French lyrics. There have been numerous versions, including English lyrics that refer to both the Cajun and French versions, and all employ a
call and response
Call and response is a form of interaction between a speaker and an audience in which the speaker's statements ("calls") are punctuated by responses from the listeners. This form is also used in music, where it falls under the general category of ...
.
Lyrics
Original Louisiana Creole lyrics and English translation:
French lyrics and English translation:
English lyrics
English lyrics by Louis Brown and Bob Stevens:
: Eh la bas (Eh la bas)
: Eh la bas (Eh la bas)
: Eh la bas (Eh la bas)
: Eh la bas (Eh la bas)
: Tra-la-la (Tra-la-la)
: Sis-Boom-Bah (Sis-Boom-Bah)
: Eh la bas (Eh la bas)
: Eh la bas (Eh la bas)
: Well, I can't speak French, not in a pinch, so I don't know what it means.
: But it sounds real good, like I know it would, like down in New Orleans.
: I love to hear that clarinet burn, and hear them trambone glisses,
: I'd like to sing French when I take my turn, but that ain't the kinda' band that this is!
: Kid Ory sang that Cajun French in a fine ol' Creole way,
: but the only Cajun I can say is "
Laissez les bons temps rouler
The expression Laissez les bons temps rouler (alternatively Laissez le bon temps rouler, ) is a Cajun French phrase. The phrase is a calque of the English phrase "let the good times roll"; that is a word for word translation of the English phrase ...
!"
: So let the good times roll my friends, and let the music play,
: Tomorrow may never come to be, so let's live it up today!
Versions
As a traditional song it has no copyright and its origins are uncertain. It has been widely recorded by
bands since the 1940s:
*
The Creole Stompers — 1944
*
Kid Ory
Edward "Kid" Ory (December 25, 1886 – January 23, 1973) was an American jazz composer, trombonist and bandleader. One of the early users of the glissando technique, he helped establish it as a central element of New Orleans jazz.
He was ...
's Creole Jazz Band — 1946
*
Paul Barbarin
Adolphe Paul Barbarin (May 5, 1899 – February 17, 1969) was an American jazz drummer from New Orleans.
Career
Barbarin grew up in New Orleans in a family of musicians, including his father, three of his brothers, and his nephew (Danny Barker) ...
— 1955
*
Chris Barber's Jazz Band
Donald Christopher "Chris" Barber OBE (17 April 1930 – 2 March 2021) was an English jazz musician, best known as a bandleader and trombonist. He helped many musicians with their careers and had a UK top twenty trad jazz hit with "Petite Fle ...
with
Billie and De De Pierce in
Preservation Hall
Preservation Hall is a jazz venue in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. The building is associated with a house band, a record label, and a non-profit foundation.
History of the jazz hall
In the 1950s, art dealer Larry Borenstein f ...
, New Orleans — 1959
*
The Original Tuxedo Jass Band — 1964
* Moise and Alida Viator with Eh, La-Bas! - 2003
*
Preservation Hall Jazz Band
The Preservation Hall Jazz Band is a New Orleans jazz band founded in New Orleans by tuba player Allan Jaffe in the early 1960s. The band derives its name from Preservation Hall in the French Quarter. In 2005, the Hall's doors were closed for a p ...
See also
*
Music of New Orleans
The music of New Orleans assumes various styles of music which have often borrowed from earlier traditions. New Orleans, Louisiana, is especially known for its strong association with jazz music, universally considered to be the birthplace of th ...
References
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American music history
Music of New Orleans
Year of song unknown
Songwriter unknown