J'AVAIS DEUX AMIS
Titre original: "St. James' Infirmary"
(Joe Primrose, J. Chaumelle / Joe Primrose) (1965)

Eddy Mitchell (France)


Hier encore j'avais deux amis
Le premier s'appelait Buddy
Hier encore j'avais deux amis
Et l'autre s'appelait Eddy
Un avion surgissant de l'ombre
S'est écrasé dans un bruit d'enfer
Un avion surgissant de l'ombre
M'a privé de Buddy à jamais
Un taxi aux portes de Londres
Dérapant sur la chaussée mouillée
Un taxi aux portes de Londres
M'a fait perdre Eddy à tout jamais
Le néon s'est éteint trop vite
Et sur eux le rideau est tombé
D'autres noms maintenant s'inscrivent
Mais moi, je n' les oublierais jamais
Hier encore j'avais deux amis
Le premier s'appelait Buddy
Hier encore j'avais deux amis
Et l'autre s'appelait Eddy.


*****


ST. JAMES' INFIRMARY
(Joe Primrose)

Louis Armstrong & His Orchestra

Also recorded by:
A la carte Brass & Percussion; Buddy Ace; Nelsen Adelard;
Jamey Aebersold; Henry "Red" Allen; Steve Allen;
Ambrosia Brass Band; Little Pink Anderson; Troy Andrews;
The Animals; Fernest Arceneaux; Baby Gramps; Blue Lu Barker;
Danny Barker; Emile Barnes; Count Basie; David Basse;
Sidney Bechet; Sean Benjamin; Dave Berry; Acker Bilk;
Bobby "Blue" Bland; Blue Note Six; The Blue Saracens;
Buddy Blue; Bluff City Backsliders; James Booker; Boptails;
Bourbon Street Jazz Band; Van Broussard; George "Mojo" Buford;
Eric Burdon; The Butlers; Cab Calloway; Isobel Campbell;
Canadian Brass; Cephas & Wiggins; Eddie Chamblee; Doc Cheatham;
Evan Christopher; Classic Jazz Collegium Orch.; Buck Clayton;
Joe Cocker; Sweet Miss Coffy; Bill Coleman; Gary B.B. Coleman;
Lee Collins; Colorblind James; Ken Colyer; Ray Condo; 
Eddie Condon; Harry Connick Sr.; Sonny Criss; Bing Crosby;
Scatman Crothers; Dick Curless; James Dapogny; The Dartells;
Blind John Davis; Wild Bill Davison; Dixie Power Trio;
Dixieland All Stars; The Dixieland Rhythm Kings; Dr. John;
Dukes of Dixieland; Johnny Duncan; Dusty 45's; Roy Eldridge;
Les Elgart; Duke Ellington; Ramblin' Jack Elliott; Empire Brass;
Mike Esposito; Doc Evans; Don Ewell; Georgie Fame; Frances Faye;
Doc Fingers; Howard Fishman Quartet; Robben Ford; Pete Fountain;
Peter Fraize; Red Garland; Erroll Garner; Gale Garnett; 
Benny Goodman; Al Grey; Andy Griffith; Arlo Guthrie; 
Bobby Hackett; The Harlem Hot Chocolates; Alex Harvey; 
Danny B. Harvey; Ted Heath; Erwin Helfer; Alex Hill; Earl Hines;
Sam Hinton; Al Hirt; Art Hodes; Holy Cow; Cisco Houston; Impala;
Independence Jazz Reunion; Linda Ipanema; The Jades;
Papa Bue's Viking Jazzband; Boogaloe Joe Jones; Hank Jones;
Jonah Jones; Mickey Jupp; Stan Kenton; King Curtis; King Oliver;
Nancy King; Kingpin; Valery Kiselyov; John "Spider John" Koerner;
Ronnie Kole; Gene Krupa; Erich Kunzel; Kay Kyser; Frankie Laine;
Tim Lake; Tim Laughlin; Gary Lawrence; ..... and many others.


I went down to the St James Infirmary
Saw my baby there
She stretched out on a long white table
So sweet, so cold, so fair

Let her go, let her go, God bless her
Wherever she may be
She can look this wide world over
But she'll never find a sweet man like me

When I die want you to dress me in straight lace shoes
I wanna a boxback coat and a Stetson hat
Put a twenty dollar gold piece on my watch chain
So the boys'll know that I died standing flat


(Transcribed by Bill Huntley - November 2004)