Lyrics of Jour Et Nuit - Lucienne Delyle

Jour Et Nuit (original)

La rivière du voyageur
Se promène dans la savane
Elle roule tous les malheurs
Des grands nègres de la Louisiane
Jour et nuit, on entend sa complainte
Jour et nuit, on entend sa chanson
C’est le vent qui répète sa plainte
En passant sur les champs de coton
Le tam-tam résonne au loin
Et les oiseaux roucoulent d’amour
Mais là-bas, roulant sans fin
C’est la rivière qui gronde toujours
De son bruit sourd
Jour et nuit, c’est toujours sa complainte
Jour et nuit, c’est toujours sa chanson
Obsédant, le vent porte sa plainte
Tristement, au fond de l’horizon
La rivière sort de son lit
Et bouscule les pauvres hommes
Elle emporte tout un pays
Elle emporte ce que nous sommes
Jour et nuit, pour calmer sa colère
Jour et nuit, les nègres vont prier
Dans le vent, on entend les prières
Implorant une part de pitié
Le grand Jim avait peiné
Et ses cheveux étaient en argent
Mais le flot l’a emporté
Alors tant pis pour ses cheveux blancs
Et ses enfants
Jour et nuit, on entend la rivière
Jour et nuit, et son grand tourbillon
Hou, hou, hou, on entend la rivière
Hou, hou, hou, le nègre dort au fond

(translation)

The Traveler's River
Walks in the savannah
She rolls all the misfortunes
Big niggers from Louisiana
Day and night we hear his lament
Day and night we hear his song
It's the wind that repeats its complaint
Passing over the cotton fields
The tom-tom resounds in the distance
And the birds coo with love
But there, rolling endlessly
It's the river that always roars
Of its thud
Day and night is always her lament
Day and night, it's still her song
Obsessive, the wind carries its complaint
Sadly, at the bottom of the horizon
The river comes out of its bed
And hustle the poor men
She takes a whole country
She takes what we are
Day and night, to calm his anger
Day and night niggers go pray
In the wind we hear the prayers
Begging for a share of mercy
Big Jim had toiled
And her hair was silver
But the tide took him away
So too bad for her white hair
And his children
Day and night we hear the river
Day and night, and its great whirlwind
Whoo, whoo, whoo, we hear the river
Whoo, whoo, whoo, the nigga sleepin' in the back