Текст песни: The Ballad of Eleanor Cecilia Bailly + перевод

Oh lord, Eleanor Cecilia Bailly —

Don’t let them take the Ottawa out

Your hair, your fire, your brown skin

All covered in black and white

I knew your mother, face like a prayer

They used to call her «the lily of the lakes.»

Now she’s a Christian, but she still wears her hair

Tied up in a braid all hanging down her back

November 1841

You left all your suitors behind

They cried, Oh Eleanor, don’t give it away!

But you went off to marry the Lord

I knew your father, a strong-minded man

He traded furs up in Canada

Now he’s a missionary but his hands

Still bear the scars of a pioneer

Mother Mary, so many sullen faces around

They don’t know quite what to do with you

Delighted or indignant? they can’t make up their mind

So you go upstairs and shut the door

You were a lady, for whatever that’s worth

They used to call you «the belle of Detroit.»

Now you’re a mother who never gave birth

And a nurturing hand is not foremost in your mind

Oh lord, Eleanor Cecilia Bailly —

Don’t let them take the Ottawa out

Your hair, your fire, your brown skin

All covered in black and white

Перевод песни The Ballad of Eleanor Cecilia Bailly