BALLAD OF ST. ANNES REEL
He was stranded on some tiny town
On fair Prince Edward Island
Waiting for a ship to come and find him
A one horse place, a friendly face,
Some coffee and a tiny trace
Of fiddling in the distance far behind him
A dime across the counter then,
A shy hello, a brand new friend
A walk along the street in the wintry weather
A yellow light, an open door,
A "Welcome friend there's room for more"
Then they're standing there inside together
He said, "I've heard that tune before somewhere
But I can't remember when
Was it on some other friendly shore,
Did I hear it on the wind
Was it written on the sky above,
Think I heard it from someone I love
But I never heard it sound so sweet since then"
Now his feet begin to tap,
A little boy says, "I'll take your hat"
He's caught up in the magic of her smile
And leaps the heart inside him,
And off across the floor he sends
His clumsy body graceful as a child
He said, "There's magic in the fiddler's arms,
There's magic in this town
There's magic in the dancers' feet,
And the way they put them down
Smiling people everywhere,
Boots and ribbons, locks of hair
Laughter, old blue suits and Easter gowns"
Now the sailor's gone, the room is bare,
The old piano's sitting there
Someone's hat's left hanging on the rack
Some empty chairs, a wooden floor
That feels the touch of shoes no more
Waiting for the dancers to come back
And the fiddle's in the closet
Of some daughter of the town
The strings are broke, the bow is gone,
The cover's buttoned down
But sometimes on December nights,
When the air is cold and the wind is right
There's a melody that passes through the town
(
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