Ballad of Saint Anne’s Reel

[Verse 1]
He was stranded in a tiny town on fair Prince Edward Isle
A-waiting for a ship to come and find him
A one-horse place, a friendly face
Some coffee and a tiny trace
Of fiddlin' in the distance far behind him

[Verse 2]
And a dime across the counter then
A shy hello, a brand-new friend
And a walk along the street in wintry weather
A yellow light, an open door
And a "Welcome, friend, there's room for more"
And then they're standing there inside together

[Verse 3]
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?
I think I heard it from someone I love
But I never heard a sound so sweet since then"

[Instrumental Break]

[Verse 4]
And 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
Leap, the heart inside him went
And off across the floor he sent
His clumsy body graceful as a child

[Verse 5]
He said, "There's magic in the fiddler's arm, and there's magic in this town
And there's magic in the dancers' feet and the way they put them down"
People smiling everywhere
Boots and ribbons, locks of hair
And laughter and old blue suits and Easter gowns

[Instrumental Break]

[Verse 6]
Now, the sailor's gone, the room is bare
The old piano's sittin' there
Someone's hat's left hangin' on the rack
And empty chairs, the wooden floor
That feels the touch of shoes no more
A-waiting for the dancers to come back

[Verse 7]
And the fiddle's in the closet of some daughter on the town
The strings are broke, the bow is gone, and 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