L'ACADIE
(author unknown to me)
(sung by Cyril McPhee)

Have you ever been here where the cool Atlantic air
Whispers l'Acadie to those so far away from here.
Over two hundred years, and a thousand bitter tears
Have failed to drown the pride of l'Acadie.

Woman, child and man were taken from their land
By men who got their orders from men beyond our borders.
Sweethearts watched from the shore, their loves to hold no more
As they sailed from their hearts in l'Acadie.

Chorus:
Hear our children playing
And we know they are here to stay
Where their fathers returned to their children and their lovers
Sailed back to the heart of l'Acadie.

Instrumental break

Over two hundred years, and a thousand bitter tears
The tongues that gave the orders are threatening our borders.
And the powerful few, with blood like me and you
Should have learned a thing or two from l'Acadie.

Chorus:

Instrumental break

Chorus:

Tag:
The place for you and me is l'Acadie.
La place pour toi et moi est l'Acadie.

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I came across this song on a home-made tape lent by a friend. I was wondering if anybody knows who wrote the song, how long it's been around and/or how I could contact the composer. I know some McPhees married Acadian women in later years and I suspect Cyril McPhee has Acadian blood coursing through his veins.

The history of l'Acadie is my heritage. Acadia was established on the east coast of Canada by French settlers in the mid-1600's. The portion located in present day mainland Nova Scotia fell under permanent English Rule under the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. Most Acadians pledged allegiance to the British King in subsequent years but their adamant refusal to bear arms against remaining French settlements did not sit well with colonial authorities. New England authorities coveted the rich farmlands of the Acadians and their lucrative cod fishery; they were jealous of the success of Acadians active in the coastal trade; and they feared that Acadians could become an important military factor if they chose to relocate to other colonies, especially Ile Royale, now Cape Breton, where the fortress of Louisbourg posed a significant military threat to English possessions in North America. The Acadians pledged to remain neutral in any future English/French conflicts and, almost to a man, honoured their pledges. Between 1755 and 1763, virtually the entire Acadian population of mainland Nova Scotia, by some counts, over 12,000 people were deported from their homes by British soldiers and New England irregulars at the instigation of the governors of New England and Halifax. This song speaks of the exiles who were uprooted and managed to return to Nova Scotia after 1763 to settle as near as possible to the land they loved. I have identified some of these people who are my 7th, 8th and 9th great grandparents inclding those who lived, those who died, those who returned and those who remained in permanent exile.

The lyrics in the second verse are a bit inaccurate in that nobody was allowed to remain behind and "watch from the shore" as men and fathers were taken away. The fact is that entire familes were packed on ships and sent to what was, for most, permanent exile.

Those who returned after 1763 found their villages burned and their land occuped by New Englanders. They had no choice but to settle as near as possible to the original Acadie and re-establish l'Acadie in their hearts while living within the boundaries of what had become a foreign, and often hostile, land. These Acadians aind their descendants have, ever since, fought a valiant struggle to keep the spirit of Acadie alive.

Bob ^^