“Colinda” is a traditional Cajun song from my home state of Louisiana that dates back at least to the 1940’s. I couldn’t find a reliable source for the song’s author, but it’s usually sung with one English verse and a French chorus and filled out with fiddle and accordion rides. We used to play this in my sister’s band (Nancy Tabb Marcantel) many years ago, and a friend (Terry Cannon) and I decided we needed to tell “the rest of the story,” so we added the 2nd and 3rd English verses. I’ve put the translation of the chorus below. Hope you like it!

Let’s dance, Colinda
Dance close, Colinda
While your mother’s not here
To make the old women mad
It’s not everyone who knows how
To dance the old waltzes
While your mother’s not here
Let’s dance, Colinda!