Evangéline

The stars were shining in the sky
You in Gabriel's arms
It was a beautiful day, it was Sunday
The bells were about to ring
And you were set to marry
In your first white dress
Autumn was well underway
The herds were all brought in
And all the ducks had flown away
And in the evening to the sound of the violin
The girls and especially the boys
Would have told you that you were beautiful
Evangeline, Evangeline

But the English came
Locked up all the men in your church
And the women had to pass
With the children who cried
All night on the shore
In the morning they took
Gabriel on a big sailing ship
Without a goodbye, without a smile
And all alone on the dock
You tried to pray
But you had nothing left to say
Evangeline, Evangeline

So for more than twenty years
You searched for your lover
Across all of America
In the plains and the valleys
Every wind whispered his name
Like the sweetest music
Even if your heart was dead
Your love grew stronger
In memory and absence
He was all your thoughts
And every day he bloomed
In the great garden of silence
Evangeline, Evangeline

You lived with a single desire
To relieve and to heal
Those who suffered more than you
You learned that at the end of sorrows
There’s always a path
That leads to the one who loves us
So one Sunday morning
You heard in the distance
The bells of your village
And suddenly you understood
That your trials were over
As was the very long journey
Evangeline, Evangeline

Before you lay
An unknown man on a straw bed
An old man dying of weakness
In the morning light
His face suddenly seemed
To take on the features of his youth
Gabriel died in your arms
On his lips you placed
A kiss long as your life
You must have loved a lot
To still find the strength
To say thank you
Evangeline, Evangeline

There are still today
People living in your land
Who remember your name
For the ocean speaks of you
The southern winds carry your voice
From the forest to the plain
Your name is more than Acadia and
More than the hope of a homeland
Your name crosses borders
Your name is the name of all those
Who despite their sadness
Believe in love and who hope
Evangeline, Evangeline
Evangeline, Evangeline