"Ma Mauvaus Fille" - Moise Robin & Leo Soileau

The Troublesome Girl.  It was one of the many recordings during the traditional Cajun recording era covered by a unique accordion player named Moise Robin.   Robin himself had teamed up with Leo Soileau once Soileau had lost his first accordion player.   Robin had always wanted to record and Soileau gave him that chance.   On 3 of the songs, Leo sang, and the other 3, Robin took the vocal lead.  Robin learned by being in a musical family.  According to Robin:

My father was a great musician.  He played all over, around the territory [of] Ville Platte and everywhere, play dances, for many years.1

Ah, y'en a qui veut la plus vieille, y'en a qui veut la plus jeune,

Moi je suis pas comme ça, j'en veux pas du tout.

Ah, j'ai eu le malheur de me trouver une p'tite belle,

Mais elle était trop mauvaise mais j'ai eu pour la quitter.

Ah, comment tu voulais mais j'me rende à ta maison,

Tu fermais tout(es) les portes, dessus moi.

Oh, moi je connais qui qu’était après faire ça, 

Ta maman est après troubler ton idée.

Ah, j'ai eu le malheur de me trouver une p'tite,

Mais elle était trop mauvaise mais j'ai eu pour la quitter.

Moise Robin
by Chris Strachwitz

Moise's opportunity occurred once Leo began looking for a replacement accordion player.  After Leo's first accordionist was killed in a bar shootout, he found Moise:

When Mayeus Lafleur got killed, in 1928... right after, he heard about me, so he came home with my daddy and that's when he got me to play with him. And the first place we went, we played all around in clubs.1

Ah, there are ones who like the older women, there ones who like the younger girls,

I'm not like that, I'm not like that at all.

Ah, I went through the trouble to find a nice little girl,

But, she was too bad, well, I had to leave.

Ah, how you wanted things, well, I travelled to your house,

You shut all the doors, in front of me.

Oh I know who it was that made you do that,

Your mom was troubling your thoughts.

Ville Platte Gazette
Oct 19, 1929

1. http://arhoolie.org/moise-robin/
2. Picture courtesy UL Lafayette Cajun & Creole collection
3. Lyrics by Stephane F

Find:
The Early Recordings of Leo Soileau (Yazoo, 2006)