The Ballad of St. Anne's Reel

He was stranded in a 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.
 And 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, and a welcome friend there's room for more
 And 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 in the wind
 Was it written on the sky above, I think I heard it from someone I love
 But I never heard it sound so sweet since then.
 And now his feet begin to tap and a little boy says I'll take your cap
 And he spun off in the magic of her smile
 And leaped the heart within him went when off across the floor he sent
 His clumsy body graceful as a child.
 He said there's magic in the fiddlers 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 fiddles, locks of hair,
 And laughter oh 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 floor that feels the touch of shoes no more
 A-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 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.