Hi folks
This is my entry for this weeks open mic.
This song is called The Ballad Of St Anne's Reel ,its a tale of friendship and fiddle music :)
"The Ballad Of St Anne's Reel"
I was stranded in a tiny town on Fair Prince Edward's Island
Waiting for a ship to come and find me
A one horse place, a friendly face
Some coffee and a tiny trace of fiddling in the distance far behind me
A dime across the counter there, a shy hello, a brand new friend
And a walk along the street in wintry weather
A yellow light, and open door
A welcome friend there's room for more
And then they're standing there inside together
I said, "I've heard that tune before somewhere
But I can't remember when.
Was it on some other friendly shore, or did I hear it on the wind?
Was it written on the sky above, think I heard it from someone I loved.
I haven't heard it sound so sweet since then."
And then my feet begin to tap, a young boy says, "I'll take your cap"
Go caught up in the magic of his smile
Leap, the heart inside me went, and off across the floor I sent
My clumsy body graceful as a child
I said, "There's magic in the fiddler's arm, and there's magic in this town.
There's magic in the dancers' feet and the way they put them down.
People smiling everywhere, boots and ribbons, locks of hair
Laughter,old blue suits and Easter gowns
The sailor's gone, the room is bare, the old piano's sitting there
Someone's hat's left hanging on the rack
Empty chairs and the wooden floor, that feels the touch of shoes no more
A waiting for the dancers to come back
The fiddle's in the closet of some daughter of 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
I said, "There's magic in the fiddler's arm, and there's magic in this town.
There's magic in the dancers' feet and the way they put them down.
People smiling everywhere, boots and ribbons, locks of hair
Laughter,old blue suits and Easter gowns
I bet you've heard this tune before somewhere
But you can't remember when.
Was it on some other friendly shore, or did you hear it on the wind?
Was it written on the sky above, did you hear it from someone you love.
I bet you haven't heard it sound so sweet since then."
Feels like a great choice for this week's Hive Open Mic. Definitely a good song for "Friendship", and I like the fact that it touches on the Winter season, with its cold air, and the upcoming Spring season, with the Easter gowns and all. You have a talent for selecting songs that feel perfectly fitting the present moment, as well as a talent for carrying the music with warmth and richness in your voice and guitar.
You are great @celticheartbeat !! This was the fastest ever response to the topic (as far as I know) and you did it great! Guitar fiddle :-)
I am amazed by the quantity of songs you know by heart. 🙌
Thanks for the kind words :) I have had a lot of time this past year to learn a lot of songs .Learning songs has been a good way to pass the time in lockdown.
That is a good way to spend the time in lockdown 👌
Really felt the warmth of friendship ☺️.
Brilliant song, man, very nice!
Heh, St. Anne's Reel is one that really gets around it seems. I play Trad Flute/Whistle and play a version that to my ears sounds very Irish, but it's rumoured to have originated as a Quebecois tune, and then made its way into Irish repertoire later. And then there's a lot of players here in America that play what they call "Old Time" music, (which should really be called 'new time', but anyway) and they have yet another version that is quite different from both the Canadian and Irish versions.
And now I learn there's a ballad about the tune!
So bohemian, this sounds exactly like the way you look! keep it up