Dubliners - The Ballad Of St. Anne's Reel lyrics

He was stranded in a tiny town on Fair Prince Edward's 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 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 He 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 never heard a 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 her smile Leap, the heart inside him went, and off across the floor he sent His clumsy body graceful as a child He 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 And laughter and 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 bu*toned down But sometimes on December nights, when the air is cold and the wind is right There's a melody that pa**es through the town