What is English translation for Cajun phrase machez a mio?

Answer 1

Always took it to be his girlfriend. As far as the mio-mios, thinking was just a song writer writing a cool song.

Hell, Roger Miller wrote:

Roses are red and violets are purple

Sugar is sweet and so is maple surple

Well I'm the seventh out of seven sons

My pappy's a pistol, I'm a son-of-a-gun

Maple syurple?

Okay, drown my pan cakes!

Since other musicians seemed to like it...

A few names you might recall

Sheet music of "Jambalaya" with Jo Stafford

It was recorded by Jo Stafford for Columbia Records on July 20, 1952, reaching number 3 on the Billboard pop charts (and making the song well known to people other than Country Music fans).

Brenda Lee performed the song in 1956 for Decca Records at the age of eleven. It was her first hit, coming two months after appearing on Ozark Jubilee.[11]

Fats Domino released the song in late 1961 as a single, peaking at number 30 on the Billboard pop chart.[12]

The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's version peaked at number 84 in 1972.

Shocking Blue, Dutch psychedelic rock band, cover this song for their fifth album "Inpot" released in 1972.

John Fogerty hit number 16 in 1973 under the name of the Blue Ridge Rangers, and reached number 5 in Canada.[13]

The Carpenters featured the song, in an uptempo pop version with country flourishes, on their 1973 album Now & Then.[14] Their version was released as a single outside the United States in 1974 and sold well in the UK (peaking at number 12 in the charts)[15] and Japan.

In 2003, the Mexican Duranguense band K-Paz De La Sierra adapted the song into a Spanish rendition with original lyrics for their debut album Arrasando Con Fuego. The single reached 30 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Latin Tracks.[16]

Jesse Colin Young included the song in his Song For Juli album released September 1973.[17]

There are lots more since 73.

I seriously doubt many, if any, of these popular singers, had an in-depth interpretation of his song. I ~know~ they didn't considering the success they had by performing it.

There will be many-eeeee more-o recordings of this brilliant piece of art.

Goodbye-o!

Answer 2

It's mes chers amis, (May Sha Zah-mee), the oh on the end is added in the song Jambalaya, just like me-oh-my-oh. It's French for my dear friends. A lot of the printed lyrics and a lot of singers use "ma Cher ami", (Ma Sha Ah-mee) which means my dear friend, but is pronounced slightly different than the plural form. Hank definitely used the first and all the internet lyrics have bastardized it to "machez amio"

Some figure that "amio" is some form of the spanish "amigo", but the song is a good example of assonance in verse; Joe, go, me-oh-my-oh, go, pole, pirogue, by-oh (bayou), me-oh-my-oh, and then "amis-oh", just because it fits so well...

I Disagree

The translation is Cher amio which is cajun french. Hank was refering to the woman in the song. He was saying that he was going see his dear love, not dear friend. Though similar to the parisian Cher ami meaning dear friend. To a cajun sha is friend and Cher is love. So the translation is Cher amio meaning dear love.

Further disagree: If you listen closely on headphones, it doesn't make sense to say my ma chers amio, he's actually saying "see Mamma Cher Amio", he's seeing the mamma that he loves, hence the reference to Cajun food as his mother makes.

Answer 3

I agree it's "Mama Cher Amio", but I don't think it's necessarily referring to his mother, it could be the mother of his children. Many Cajun affectionately call their wife Mama, as their children refer to her.

Answer 4

Cheramie is a common surname in South Louisiana. It is French for dear friend. Cher (Dear) Mi (Friend). “Ma” is just slang for my. Sitting here telling my boy that I grew up being told that Hank is speaking of my Grandpa’s sister, Yvonne Cheramie. I searched and found this thread.