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
$39USDor more
about
This was one of the first melodies revealed to me thanks to the incomparable Lisa Ornstein, who was the director of the Acadian Archives at UMaine Fort Kent when I first started my research. Not only did she instantly recognize several of the songs in the notebook, but she had personally transcribed several of them from field recordings, including this one, to be published in her column for the local paper. I will forever be in debt to Mme. Ornstein for her help and encouragement.
There are actually two versions of this song in the notebook. One of them refers to “la ville de Paris” and another inserted on a separate piece of paper, entitled “la ville de St. Charles.” According to Lisa, there are no known versions of the song from the Old World, so I thought it appropriate to stick with the namesake of the first Acadian parish.
In both of Mémère’s versions of the lyrics, the last verse doesn’t line up with the meter set forth by the previous verses, and seems to be missing a line or two. I took it upon myself to insert part of the second verse to complete the stanza, giving the final sentiment a new perspective that is overwhelmingly emotional.
lyrics
‘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
credits
from Mémère & Me,
released August 15, 2020
Robert Sylvain - vocals
Eric Ambrose - trombone
Joe Parra - baritone sax
Will Jones - tenor sax
Adapting their calculated standards into a raw, live setting, the radical UK folk duo rework six highlights from their spellbindincatalogue. Bandcamp New & Notable Dec 7, 2022
Traditional folk music and field recordings meld into fascinating long-form sound collages on the new LP from Shovel Dance Collective. Bandcamp New & Notable Dec 6, 2022
Singer-songwriter Henry Parker puts his own spin on the classic sounds of '60s and '70s British folk on this wilderness-inspired new LP. Bandcamp New & Notable Nov 9, 2021
