LE TRAVEAU PUBLIQUES
I’m work on de Traveau Publique,
I mek tirty dollar a weeque;
Dat’s much better salaire,
I can get anywhere,
Altho’ I’m good man wid de pique.
My name’s Athanase Brouillette,
I’m in de Blue Book, you bet;
Where I’m call Architec
Dat’s good name, I expec,
Altho’ I doant built something yet.
When I came on Ottawa,
I’m de most poor you never saw;
Now I live like de best,
Look pretty good when I’m drest,
And pass on Sparks street wid eclat.
It is to laugh to know de way
I get my job an’ ver nice pay,
I tell you de facs,
An’ behine my backs
Don’t go an’ give it away.
Laflamme’s have ma job before me,
But he’s go on de very much spree;
When she’s drink herself dead,
I arrive in he’s stead,
In de maniere which you shall see—
Mrs. Laflamme doan’t like any
To be veuve widout one red penny,
So she make bargain wid me
Dat I make marry wid she,
An’ get de job of Laflamme, you comprenez?
I like dis bargain very well,
But when I go myself for sell
I doant make foolishness,
Just for politesse,
So I say, “Wait a minute, ma belle;
De ver first ting you mus’ do,
Before we make marry we two,
Work de pull, put me in
An’ I swear by Gin Flinn,
Madam Brouillette, I make you.”
So now I am very tack-tick,
I work on de Traveau Publique;
An’ feue Madam Laflamme,
She makes de grande damme,
On de tirty dollar a weeque.