Jambalaya by Hank Williams "We were in New Orleans when Hank started this song. Usually he'd start writing and finish them right then, but this is one song he just sort of fooled around with; it was some time before he finished it. We were down there, just fooling around, and we had some of those Creole dishes like jambalayas. Later on, we were in Fort Walton, Florida, and this guy had a restaurant, and he said, 'I want to fix a jambalaya dish for you because of this song." —Audrey Williams The tune to this song is similar to a Cajun tune, entitled "Grand Texas." It was recorded by Chuck Guillory in 1949 on Colonial Records and is still the theme song of his band, the Rhythm Boys. Pirogue (originally West Indian) is a dugout canoe. File gumbo is a spice used to thicken gumbo, a combination of powdered thyme leaves and sassafras. Gumbo is a thin stew or fricassee with browned flour in oil as a base. Jambalaya is a native Cajun dish of seafood and/or meat stewed with tomatoes and rice. Jambalaya (On The Bayou) Goodbye, Joe, me gotta go, me-oh, my-oh Me gotta go pole the pirogue, down by the bayou My Yvonne, the sweetest one, me-oh, my-oh Son of a gun, we'll have big fun on the bayou. Jambalaya and a crawfish pie and file gumbo 'Cause tonight I'm gonna see ma chere ami-oh Pick guitar, fill fruit jar and be gay-oh Son of a gun, we'll have big fun on the bayou. Thibodaux, Fonteneaux, the place is buzzin' Kinfolk come to see Yvonne by the dozen Dress in style and go hog wild, me-oh, my-oh Son of a gun, we'll have big fun on the bayou. Settle down far from town, get me a pirogue And I'll catch all the fish in the bayou Swap my mon' to buy Yvonne what she need-oh Son of a gun, we'll have big fun on the bayou. Buy the song Jambalaya