Lyr ADD: St. Anne's Reel

Subject: Lyr Req: St. Anne's Reel
From: GUEST,fretless
Date: 11 Feb 22 - 06:49 PM

Looking for lyrics to Stompin' Tom Connor's St. Anne's Reel. Couldn't find it in the DT.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: St. Anne's Reel
From: Jeri
Date: 11 Feb 22 - 07:18 PM

It's not The Ballad of St Anne's Reel (by Dave Mallet), is it?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: St. Anne's Reel
From: Helen
Date: 11 Feb 22 - 09:17 PM

Is it this one?

Stompin' Tom Connors ....St Anne's Song & Reel

I've only heard St Anne's Reel as a tune - and a rollicking good tune it is, in my opinion.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: St. Anne's Reel
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Feb 22 - 09:54 AM

Jeri: Dave Mallet is credited with the original lyrics by the Dubliners:

Ballad of St. Anne's Reel
The Dubliners
He was standing in some 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 them
A dime across the counter then
A shy hello, a brand new friend
A walk along the street in the wint'ry weather
A yellow light, an open door,
A welcome friend, there's room for more
Soon they're standing there inside together
He said I 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 it sound so sweet since then
Now his feet begin to tap
A little boy says I'll take your hat
He's caught up in the magic of his smile
Then leaps the heart inside him
When on and off across the floor
He sends his clumsy body graceful as a child
He says there's magic in the fiddler's arms
There's magic in this town
There's magic in the dancers' feet
And the way they put them down
Smiling people everywhere
Boots and ribbons and locks of hair
Laughter and old blue suits and Easter gowns
Now the sailor's gone, the room is bare
The old piano's sitting there
Someone's hat's left hanging on the rack
Some empty chairs, a wooden floor
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 and the bow is gone
And the case is buttoned down
But often on December nights
When the air is cold and the wind is right
For the melody comes passing through this town
Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: David Mallett
Ballad of St. Anne's Reel lyrics © Reservoir Media Music, Bmg Ruby Songs, Reservoir Media Management (ireland) Limited, Bmg Rights Management (ireland) Ltd, Chrysalis One Music Obo Chrysalis One Mus Pub Grp Irl

I'll try to clean-up the stanzas when I can get to it.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: St. Anne's Reel
From: Jeri
Date: 12 Feb 22 - 11:30 AM

Thanks, Guest.
Finding copyrights is easy. Finding the right copyright (lyrics, tune, arrangement, etc) isn't. While I'd like to know how to do that, I'm nuts enough already.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: St. Anne's Reel
From: fretless
Date: 12 Feb 22 - 12:01 PM

Thanks, all. Helen got he right link. I was hoping someone had already transcribed the words so I wouldn't have to. Stompin' Tom's version begins:

I was livin' in the city where you never get to know
Why they never play a fiddle on the radio,
Then one day I met a country girl
And now I'm a-livin' in another world.

When I get the time and energy I'll finish the transcription and post it to the 'cat.

The tune is, as Helen commented, "rollicking good" and a staple at the old time jams from decades ago.

Stompin' Tom's addition of words to the fiddle tune belongs in a class of late-word-additions-to established-wordless-tunes, in which category I would also place Grian MacGregor's fine word's to Jay Unger's Ashokan Farewell. But maybe that's a subject for another thread.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: St. Anne's Reel
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Feb 22 - 02:10 PM

Thanks for taking the time to document the lyrics!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: St. Anne's Reel
From: fretless
Date: 12 Feb 22 - 02:38 PM

OK. Since no one else seems to have done it, here they are. All those dropped "g's" seem reasonable since--after all--the words come from Stompin' Tom.
For his own rendition of the song, see the link posted by Helen above. And if you want punctuation, add it yourself. Tom didn't include any in his sung version, so Im not adding it here.


I was livin’ in the city where you never get to know
Why they never play a fiddle on the radio.
Then one day I met a country girl
And now I’m livin’ in another world

Up to the barn dance we did go
Swing your honey and you do-si-do
Fiddle up a little bit of St. Anne’s Reel
Promenade her home and then click your heels

A little sip of cider wouldn’t do any harm
When you take her for a hayride on the farm
Make that country girl your wife
And you’ll be happy all your life

Take a little guitar, sing a little song
_____ up the old man steppin’ right along
Do a little kissin’ if you get a chance
When you do a little swingin’ at the old barn dance

Blue dog chewin’ on the old man’s pipe
Old man shooin’ at the dog all night
Where did the caller’s hair piece go
It’s hangin’ on the end of the fiddler’s bow

Have another corncob yellow and big
Clap your hands now and do a little jig
Swing your honey all around the hall
Promenade her home and that’ll be all

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: St. Anne's Reel
From: Helen
Date: 12 Feb 22 - 03:04 PM

Ok, so now I've learned that there are two sets of lyrics to that lovely tune.

I'm posting this link, and possibly ducking for cover, but I've been to a workshop run by James Hill and he is brilliant. He explains the feet-tapping rhythm on this video as well. St Anne's Reel starts at 3 mins 28 and his explanation on the Nova Scotian feet-tapping starts at 4 mins.

James Hill, Smash The Window / St. Anne's Reel

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: St. Anne's Reel
From: Jeri
Date: 12 Feb 22 - 05:56 PM

The missing words in Fretless's transcription: "Grandma got the old man steppin' right along.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: St. Anne's Reel
From: Helen
Date: 12 Feb 22 - 05:57 PM

Ballad of the St. Anne's Reel · David Mallett

OR

David Mallett's live private performance in 2012

Subject: RE: Lyr ADD: St. Anne's Reel
From: fretless
Date: 13 Feb 22 - 05:50 PM

Thanks, Jeri. That addition makes perfect sense to this grandpa!

Subject: RE: Lyr ADD: St. Anne's Reel
From: clueless don
Date: 14 Feb 22 - 02:50 PM

As I'm sure you all realize (clueless don is my name, belaboring the obvious is my game), the song by Stompin' Tom Connor is sung to the traditional tune St. Anne's Reel (now I suppose someone will tell me that it's not traditional.) "The Ballad of St. Anne's Reel", while it features the tune in instrumental breaks, is not sung to that tune.

Subject: RE: Lyr ADD: St. Anne's Reel
From: PHJim
Date: 16 Feb 22 - 09:44 AM

My friend, the late Zeke Mazurek, would sometimes sing these words to Saint Anne's Reel:

Everybody's wondering if St Anne's real,
If St Anne's real, if St Anne's real.
Everybody's wondering if St Anne's real,
Is she really, really, really, really, really, really, real?

Is she really, really, really, really, really, really, real?
Is she really, really, really, really, really, really, real?
Is she really, really, really, really, really, really, real?
Is she really, really, really, really, really, really, real?

Subject: RE: Lyr ADD: St. Anne's Reel
From: Helen
Date: 16 Feb 22 - 02:40 PM

Funny, PHJim! :-D