Evangeline

 

Gabriel’s eyes shone like diamonds in the skies

                                         A7

As he held you by his side

Bm

The choir would soon sing and he would give a wedding ring

To you his lovely bride

D

Autumn had settled in, soon the harvest would begin,

                                         A7

And the leaves would start to fall

Bm

The fiddlers were set to play and all the guests would say

G       D                     A7     D

You were the loveliest of them all Evangéline Evangéline

 

But the British & their guns took all the men & their sons

And locked them behind the church’s door

By the first light of dawn, Gabriel & all the men were gone

As the ships sailed from the shore

The women and the young, their world had come undoneCried out in vain

You tried your best to pray but there was nothing you could say

To take away your pain Evangéline Evangéline

 

For 20 years and more you searched along the shore

And every place that you could think of

Gabriel’s name was in the breeze and echoed through the trees

Carried on the winds of love

And even though your heart was deeply torn apart

Your spirit was not broken

What was it that kept you strong, was it simply your heart song

With the words left unspoken Evangéline Evangéline

 

You were filled with a desire to soothe the burning fire

Of those who suffered more than you

You knew what lightens up the load at the end of a hard road

Is a hand you can hold on to

Then early one Sunday morning, in the distance without warning

You heard the church bells chime

And suddenly it was clear, your journey’s end was near

You knew that it was time Evangéline Evangéline

 

One dark and solemn day, there before you lay

An old man weak and unwell

As you looked into his eyes you saw diamonds in the skies

Could it be your Gabriel?

As you held him and cried, he breathed his last breath & he died

And you gently kissed his cheek

A final kiss goodbye, even heaven heard you sigh

For there were no words you could speak Evangéline Evangéline

 

Though yesterday is gone, your memory lives on

And your people still remember

The ocean speaks your name, and the winds fan the flame

Of your everlasting emberYour name is more than Acadie, more than just a page in history

It’s what dreams are made of

It’s for all those who weep with heartaches that run deep

But who still believe in love Evangéline Evangéline

Evangéline Evangéline

 

Michel Seunes
Published by Intermede Music
English lyrics by Jeanette Arsenault SOCAN ©2012
Published by Connect Promotions & Productions