Ballad of st. Anne's Reel

He was stranded in some tiny town of 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 distant far behind him

A dime across the counter then, a shy hello, a brand new friend
Walk along the street in the wintry weather
A yellow light, an open door, a welcome friend, there's room for more
And then they're standing there inside together

He said I've heard that tune some where before, but I can't remember when
Was it on some other friendly shore, did I hear it in the wind
Was it written on the sky above, I think I heard from someone I love
But I've never heard it sound so sweet since then

And now his feet begin to tap, a little boy says, 'I'll take your hat'
And he's caught up in the magic of his smile
And leap the heart within him went, when off across the floor he's sent
His clumsy body graceful as a child

He said there's magic in the fiddler's arm, there's magic in the town
There's magic in the dancer's feet and the way they put them down
Smiling people 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
The empty chairs, the wooden floors, 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, and the case is button down
But sometime on December nights, when the air is cold and the wind is right
There's a melody comes passing through the town