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M​é​m​è​re & Me

by Robert Sylvain

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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Both French and English versions of a dozen Acadian folksongs from Maine in a double CD wallet, shrinkwrapped.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Mémère & Me via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 2 days
    Purchasable with gift card

      $25 USD or more 

     

  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      $24 USD  or more

     

  • Sheet Music + Digital Album

    70-page spiral-bound songbook with professionally scored vocal sheet music of all 12 songs with melody, chords, lyrics, translations, notes and sources, plus photostats of pages from the original notebook.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Mémère & Me via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 3 days
    Purchasable with gift card

      $39 USD or more 

     

1.
Dear Leonore 04:00
In the morning I arise In the rose o’the day To the chateau of my love For with her to lay Are you asleep, and dreaming too? Dear Leonore If you’re asleep, awake forsooth ’Tis I, your love who calls for you So the damsel doth awake And dons her lily robe And thereupon throws wide the door For he who loves her so She casts herself into his arms To softly tell At last it’s you my cherished one The one who my heart loves so well Be still and hold my sweet love You'll make me wilt away The regiment calls to me And I must obey I’m yet engaged for six more years In Orleans For six more years I’m off to war Oh fare thee well my dear Leonore Six years my dear, six more years Is far too long a time With which to suffer such torment To worry and to pine I’ll miss you true out in the fields Fore'er in tears Regret and tears forevermore For the one who my heart loves so dear Many are the good old boys In this good old town Surely they’ll make love to you While I’m not around They'll tell you so from time to time Oh don't you cry Oh don't you cry for your old love For he by now has surely died All the boys of the town They know not what to do The lyrics are always the same And always the same tune It’s not like that, with you my love Oh, not with you For every time that you return There is always something new
2.
I made vow when I was young To be wed to not a one But now I see and I’ve found a way To leave my home and fly away Adieu to my childish ways Farewell, I’s leaving you today This band of gold I carry near Wrapped around my finger dear ’Twas my true love who it to me gave For with me to spend our days Goodbye to my childish ways Fare thee well, I’s leaving today Oh! here we are around the table My parents and my family Every time now them do I see From my eyes do flow the tears Adieu to my childish ways Fare thee well, I’s leaving today Goodbye ma, goodbye pa Fare thee well my parents sweet I leave you now in regret and pain Yet I’ll be back to see you again Farewell to my childish ways Goodbye, I’s leaving you today
3.
When I used to hang around the town I’d go wherever girls went That would often take me down around By the sacred convent There I saw a girl so pretty Dark brown eyes shining at me Cheeks of rose and hair of ebony She was only eighteen. One night by the light of the full moon We took a walk together Down the lovely path of greenery And down a path so tender I won’t say she was immodest Certainly she was a chaudasse There we lay beneath an old oak tree That’s when I made a promise And today that very girl’s my wife My heart is even fonder I love her with the wholeness of my life With a love profonde Oh the happiness of marriage We have got all that we could want But the youngest of our children all Have hair of golden blonde All you younger girls who live in town Don’t rush out too quickly before you go ahead and settle down Wait until you’re twenty. That’s the age that all young fillies Appreciate more definitely The happiness of having family The peace and the tranquility
4.
Tell me Then 04:02
Tell me then what are you thinking You, who don’t think much of me It is I who is always clinging To every word that you say to me I can see well I’ve been abandoned You don’t love me like you used to do So you want then to see my heart break Night and day for the love of you So you want then to see my heart break Night and day for the love of you I, who love you more than myself, I would fain give to you my life Yet cannot bear to feel the heartbreak To see you go with another wife (refrain) Fare thee well then, dear heart, adieu For I now must abandon you You have chosen to take another Don’t forget what I gave to you (refrain)
5.
I woke myself More morning than the moon My girl to see The one I loved so dear Since the age of fourteen years When I arrive Three quick little taps - - - Open the door If you do love me true ’Tis your lover who has come to you How can you say That I should come to you I am unwell Lying in my bed Will I live or will I die I cannot tell Darling you must go Bring the doctor from London Make haste, make haste! Let us tarry not And perhaps it is not too late The doctor comes The girl has not yet passed But she withdraws Her pallid hand from her death bed To say farewell to her dear friend Dearest one if you love me You would light for me a candle And you’d stay The night here close to me Since my heart’s only desire is for you Oh don’t you cry Dearest one you know there are So many girls There are blondes and there are brunettes And the daughter of the president I’m sure that would be best If I but had a proper shirt To be married in Then I’m sure I would say yes To the daughter of the president
6.
One winter’s night by the light of the moon I had a vision of an angel blonde And through the snow a child without fortune She was dressed as though a vagabond Her eyes of blue betrayed her sorrow From hunger she was near the grave I brought her in to my humble hollow Her life I knew that I must save refrain: In seeing that young girl so pretty and so sweet Oh will you be my world I asked her tenderly Be mine forevermore, there’s so much goodness knows Yes we will surely wed in the blooming of the roses She was so young and she was just an orphan Alas she had nowhere else for to go Her beauty was unmatched among the angels I couldn’t help myself but love her so Her hair of gold, her youth and beauty Her blue eyes were both mild and brave Her simple poise and gentle manner Her life I knew that I must save She told me of her 18 years of pain I am too young for you to marry me Just stay with me I told her, Madeleine, Because my love then you will surely see Oh yes oh yes, it’s you dear I adore you With all my heart for you I have pined I’ll ask you once, and many more Ah, tell me yes, to ease my mind The girl at last consented to my offer And six months later, I became her man I loved her for she was so wise and proper I loved her so much I was nearly mad Too much bliss is doomed to cruelty Our happiness did not last long She passed away in her first labor My pain eternally in song At last when spring returns, and nature comes to life I remember wistfully the kisses of my wife And looking at the child, and watching as she grows Reminds me of the time of the blooming of the roses
7.
‘Twas in the town of St. Charles That I did find my girl ‘Twas in the town of St. Charles That’s where I found my girl I approached her carefully To ask her if I may Have her heart forevermore If it she would give away The pretty girl was still so young She had to answer “no” She could marry not a one For her parents had told her so You are right, of course my dear You are still young and fair And you still have time to spare Take your time and take good care I have a journey now to make Far away from here Promise me my love to take, And I’ll marry you then my dear At last when I return And come back here to you To the house of my dear love And that of my best friend too It’s today, the day we wed Sixty years have passed Since I found a beauty rare I knew that our love would last You were right, of course my dear You are still young and fair And you still have time to spare Take your time, and take good care
8.
I was left without that love of mine Abandoned and alone for quite some time Just to be with the others in his regiment Off to the war my lover went away He left me here to wait in abandonment Waiting alone for to count the days It came to be that after time was spent I took myself away to the convent Off to a home for poor orphan souls Reconciled to spend my life languishing Such suffering is all in the telling I would never see my lover again Five or six or seven months had past When my dear love returned at last Straight to the home of my father Out of respect to ask for his consent “Good day my father, where is your daughter? The one who doth make my heart content?” The gallant soldier hastened like the wind To the door of the convent There he asked the mother superior Oh to speak, for one moment Oh let me please mother superior Speak to the one who makes my heart content Three times over said the beau young lad “Ma chère belle, give to me your hand This gold ring I give to you, my lover This is to show you my eternal faith Never oh never will I love another So may you never forget this day” Just as the ring of gold had caught my eye My dear lover suddenly died Into the arms of his swooning lass Sad for to see my lover come to pass One last embrace, even after death So I may I know your tenderness
9.
I‘m not too poorly at my ease When that pretty girl is close to me From time to time I would see her Saying darling give a kiss to me How now, you want for me to kiss you With what everybody has to say I knew that you were going to leave me To serve the king they said you had to go away All those who said that to you belle They all have told you truthfully My horse is waiting in the stable Bit and saddle ready set to go When you are out there on the border Out there in the land across the sea You’ll surely kiss the Acadiennes 100 times more beautiful than me I’m going make of you a portrait Reflecting your prettiness in paint I’ll keep it safe here in my waistband 100 times a day I will kiss your face Then what, when all your comrades ask you Oh such a pretty face to see I’ll tell them that it is my lady The only one I love, the only one for me
10.
There was once in some part of the world A young girl who so loved the good Lord And despite all her suffering great To the heavens she held her gaze Her belle-mère, a wretched beldame Made the girl endure torment and harm Petite Aurore, petite martyr She never had a true mother dear Their house it would pass for home It would seem happy all of the time The belle-mère would pass for a grand-dame One would never suspect such a crime She would torture the poor little girl With a red hot iron, the fiend. Petite Aurore, petite martyr She never had a true mother dear Not until the child was on her last breath In great pain, nearly starving to death The marâtre would be there, but to scold With some bread only dressed with lye soap “If you dare to refuse” said the beast “I will kill you without another thought” Petite Aurore, petite martyr She never had a true mother dear After months of affliction and woe Her true mother appeared to her one morn And she told that salvation anon Would take her to the sky forevermore Gracious God knew that when she died She would search with the angels and find Petite Aurore, petite martyr Would finally find her true mother dear
11.
When the bird begins A song to sing Oh let it ring To begin the day (bis) Goodness supreme has come to me I’ll say I love you would you love me Would you, would you If I say I love you would you love me When the shadow is seen Upon the green And the rocks do breathe Along the bay (bis) (refrain) Along the shore And upon the moor The ancient lore It seems to say (bis) (refrain) When you sleep In roses deep A thousand dreams Will come your way
12.
When I think of my mother I think of my twenty years I think also of my lover The only one I love dear She and I were the same age when We found ourselves deep in love Yes it is such a sweet thing Just to have known such a love Refrain: I hold you in my arms And we’ll never part Down low I tell her so My twenty-year heart Down low I tell her so Your beauty and your charm Never will I forget My twenty years of love I find you fascinating You and your eyes so blue Your smiling lips in waiting You and your golden hair too You look just like an angel You’re all that I’m thinking of Yes it is such a sweet thing Just to have known such a love
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Dis-moi donc 04:00
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about

Acadian Folksongs from Maine, a double album set with original French versions and English translations. Click on a title above for liner notes, lyrics, and personnel for each track.

credits

released August 15, 2020

Robert Sylvain, vocals, guitar, spoons
Steve Muise - fiddle, foot percussion
Nicole Rabata - flute, whistle
Junior Stevens - accordion
David Surette - cittern, guitar
Betsy Hooper - hurdy gurdy
Neil Pearlman - piano
Steve Roy - bass
Per Hanson - drums
Rob Duquette - marching snare
Erica Brown - fiddle
Matt Shipman - ti-fer
Eric Ambrose - trombone
Joe Parra - baritone sax
Will Jones - tenor sax
Meg McIntyre - violin
Andrew Richter - cello
Pip Walter, Suzanna Sylvain, Johnny Sylvain, Lil’ette Sylvain - backing vocals
vocal arrangements by Pip Walter
horn arrangements by Eric Ambrose
string arrangements by Steve Muise
featuring Suzanna Sylvain - duet vocals on Veux-tu m’aimer, Soldier’s Farewell , Départ d’un Soldat
gang vocals on Soldier’s Farewell, Départ d’un Soldat - John Sylvain, Johnny Sylvain, Steve Muise, Pip Walter, Sheldon Perkins,
Shelley Wenk, Debby Muise, Lisa Perkins, Joan Holmes, Pamela Emery, Lily Sylvain, Sue Sylvain

recorded & mixed by Jason Phelps at Acadia Recording Company, Portland, Maine
assisted by Alice Anderson
mastered by Pat Keane

all songs traditional, public domain, with translations by Robert Sylvain ©2020 all rights reserved. email@robertsylvain.com

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Robert Sylvain Portland, Maine

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