As a child, Delafose fashioned fiddles and guitars out of old boards and cigar boxes fitted with window-screen wire. He eventually took up the harmonica, and at the age of 18 learned the button accordion. However, he soon turned to farming, and did not pursue music as a career until the early 1970s. He began serving as an accordionist and harpist with a variety of local Zydeco bands.
Delafose began his career playing in the fais do-do of his area, a peculiar kind of Cajun dance party. Later he gained public recognition with albums like Joe Pete Got Two Women (Arhoolie) and Blues Stay Away from Me (Rounder). In the mid-1970s he formed the band John Delafose and The Eunice Playboys, with which he played until his death in 1994. The band continues under the direction of his son Geno Delafose.
John Delafose is buried at Saint Mathilda Cemetery in Eunice, St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, United States.
Delafose had a dynamic style and strong rural roots, with a strong staccato rhythm on the accordion, which has influenced almost all current Zydeco musicians.
Zydeco music is filled with families where the torch (or accordion) has been passed from generation to generation — families like the Ardoins, Broussards, Cheniers, and Delafoses. John Delafose comes from the first tier of zydeco accordionists, along with Clifton Chenier, Boozoo Chavis, Rockin’ Dopsie, and others. With his band, the Eunice Playboys, Delafose played strong syncopated rhythms on both button and piano accordion for packed dance floors throughout the Gulf Coast. He passed away in 1994, but his son Geno Delafose is currently one of zydeco’s most popular artists, having garnered one of the first-ever Cajun/Zydeco Grammy nominations last year.
A brief history...
John Delafose was born in the rural community of Duralde, Louisiana, April 16, 1939. Starting on fiddle as a child, Delafose moved to harmonica and eventually accordion, the instrument for which he is best known, leading his zydeco band, the Eunice Playboys. He played local dances in his younger days, but retired from music after his marriage. At the age of 30 Delafose began playing again, quickly establishing his music as some of the most distinctive in the black French idiom, firmly based in the older traditions but also with contemporary ingredients. John Delafose & the Eunice Playboys have often included his own sons on a variety of instruments. He has made a number of records, the most successful being "Joe Pitre A Deux Femmes," a local hit for him in the early '80s.
John Delafose passed away in September of 1994 after a brief illness, during the aforementioned strong second wind of his musical career. He was succeeded as bandleader by his son, Geno, who carries on his father's unique style.
It Won't Be Long
John Delafose Lyrics
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It won't be long yeah, yeah, yeah
It won't be long yeah, till I belong to you
Every night when everybody has fun
Here am I sitting all on my own
It won't be long yeah, yeah, yeah
It won't be long yeah, till I belong to you
Since you left me, I'm so alone
Now you're coming, you're coming on home
I'll be good like I know I should
You're coming home, you're coming home
Every night the tears come down from my eyes
Every day I've done nothing but cry
It won't be long yeah, yeah, yeah
It won't be long yeah, yeah, yeah
It won't be long yeah, till I belong to you
Since you left me, I'm so alone
Now you're coming, you're coming on home
I'll be good like I know I should
You're coming home, you're coming home
So every day we'll be happy I know
Not I know that you won't leave me no more
It won't be long yeah, yeah, yeah
It won't be long yeah, yeah
It won't be long yeah, till I belong to you, woo
John Delafose's song "It Won't Be Long" is a classic example of a ballad of optimism and hope. The lyrics describe the singer's loneliness and sadness when they are left all alone, while others are having fun every night. The singer is waiting for their loved one to return, with the song exclaiming "it won't be long till I belong to you." The lyrics communicate the strong sentiment of love and longing felt by the singer, who eagerly anticipates the return of their beloved.
The song conveys the deep emotional impact of being separated from a loved one, associating the loneliness with tears coming down from the eyes every night. The lyrics take a turn to a more positive vein as the singer expresses their faith in being a good partner and in the reunion with their loved one. The chorus repeats the expression "it won't be long," suggesting that the waiting will soon be over.
Line by Line Meaning
It won't be long yeah, yeah, yeah
I'm confident that soon we will be reunited and everything will be alright.
It won't be long yeah, till I belong to you
I look forward to the day we are together again.
Every night when everybody has fun
While others are enjoying their time, I'm left alone without you.
Here am I sitting all on my own
My loneliness and longing for you keeps me company every night.
Since you left me, I'm so alone
Ever since you left, I feel incomplete and lost without you.
Now you're coming, you're coming on home
Knowing that you're coming back to me makes me feel hopeful and overjoyed.
I'll be good like I know I should
I'm committed to being my best self for you when you return.
Every night the tears come down from my eyes
Thinking of you causes me to cry myself to sleep every night.
Every day I've done nothing but cry
The pain of losing you has consumed me and I haven't been able to move on.
So every day we'll be happy I know
I have faith that we will be happy together once again.
Not I know that you won't leave me no more
I'm reassured that you won't leave me again.
It won't be long yeah, yeah
I'm hopeful that the distance between us will soon be shortened.
Lyrics © Takwene LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Mazzika Group, Broma 16, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: John Lennon, Paul Mccartney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind