Dubliners Ballad Of St. Anne's Reel Lyrics

He[D] was stranded in some tiny town
On[G] fair Princes[D] Isle
Awaiting for a ship to[A] come and find him
A one[G] horse place a[A] friendly face
Some[D] coffee[G] and a tiny trace
Of[D] fiddlin in the[A] distant far be[D]hind him

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 one more
And then they'er standing there inside together

He said[A] I've heard that tune before somewhere
But I[G] cant re[D]member when
Was[A] it on some other friendly shore
Or did I[G] hear it on[Bm] the wind
Was it[D] written on the[A] sky above
I think I[G] heard it from[D] someone I loved
But I[G] never heard it[A] sound so sweet [D]since then

Now his feet begin to tap
A little boy says I'll take your hat
He's cought up in the magic of her smile And leap the heart inside him went
And off acrosse the floor he sent
His clumsey body graceful as a child

He said there's magic in the fiddlers arm
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

Now the sailor's gone the room is bare
The old piano sitting there
Someone's hat left sitting on the rack
And empty chair the wodden floor
That feels the totch of shoes no more
Awaiting for the dancers to come back

And the fiddle's in the closet
Of some daughter in the town
The strings are broke and the bow is gone
And the cover's buttened down
But sometimes on december nights
When 5the air is cold and the wind is right
There's a melody that passes through this town