Category Archives: Lyrics

Leave Room for the Holy Ghost

Music: Marie-Lynn Hammond & Aaron Davis   Lyrics: Marie-Lynn Hammond

I am a student at Our Lady of Misery Catholic all-girls school
once a year only the sister let us have a dance
so I prayed real hard for a date to St. Jude of the desperate cause
and when Walter Pinkowski asked me out
I accepted despite his flaws (he has pimples and wears glasses…)

Sister Estella rang her little brass bell
she said girls you know the dance is soon
so those who are going now would you mind showing
after chapel in the common room
well a bunch of us stayed, I mean we always obeyed,
and besides there was no way to prepare
for the strange revelations that Sister shared with us there

she said you’re temples of the Lord, handmaidens of Our Lady
and vessels of Holy pride
so no strapless gowns girls, and no wrap-arounds
they’ll either fall down or blow open wide
and you must never choose black patent leather shoes
for as every filthy boy knows
by looking down there he’ll see your underwear
reflected in your shiny toes

chorus:
well the devil can’t stand a good Catholic girl
that’s the kind he likes to tempt the most
so remember when you’re dancing close,
leave room for the Holy Ghost!

well we got the gym, we hoped the lights would be dim
but for once they didn’t want to save power
so the lights stayed on full while the nuns used their pull
to make the band play only one waltz per hour
when they finally slowed down Walter’s arm snuck around
and he tried to pull me close
I said Walter don’t you do it, hey Walter you blew it!
you’re squashing the Holy Ghost

chorus

and girls if in a crowded situation you should ever have to
sit on your boyfriend’s knees
remember to insert between the two of you
a telephone book please—for insulation now

Anna Calarco and Frankie Demarco
were dancing cheek to cheek
Sister Estella rang her little brass bell
and let out a terrible shriek
Anna turned red and in shame hung her head
but later she was heard to boast
that though Frank wasn’t God he had a much better body
than the — Holy Ghost!

chorus

Canadian Love

Music & Lyrics: Marie-Lynn Hammond

Oh I met him at an ice rink in Flin Flon
’twas a mild night, just 20 below
as we skated in circles he reached for my hand
but what it felt like i’m not sure I know
for I had on two pairs of mittens
and he wore a thick sheepskin glove
but if the trembling I felt wasn’t due to the cold
then maybe perhaps it was love

Oh Canadian love, Canadian love
it’s either 40 below or it’s 90 above
and though it’s hard to be yearning
when you’re freezing or burning
like the dollar we keep falling—in Canadian love

So we ended up going to his place
where I peeled off my mits at the door (both pairs)
and after 10 minutes of struggle my boots and my socks
lay in a pool on the floor
then he tenderly took my wool tuque off
and he rolled down my leg warmers too
by now it was 10 to 11 and we
still had a lot left to do

Oh Canadian love, Canadian love
it’s either 40 below or it’s 90 above
and though it’s hard to be yearning
when you’re freezing or burning
like the dollar we keep falling—in Canadian love

with a sigh he unknotted my muffler
then he stopped for a much needed rest
I could tell he was getting discouraged—with reason!
For he was still fully dressed
but when he finally unzippered my parka
I caught sight of the clock and cried “Oh!
It’s quarter to 12 and I promised my mother
I’d be home an hour ago!”

Well, he looked like a man who’d been broken
but it wasn’t emotional pain
it was just that he couldn’t stand having to watch me
put all that stuff back on again

Oh Canadian love, Canadian love
it’s either 40 below or it’s 90 above
and though it’s hard to be yearning
when you’re freezing or burning
like the dollar we keep falling—in Canadian love

Well, we met the next summer in Wawa—
An only slightly more hospitable clime—
and if it hadn’t been for the black flies and the heat wave
we might just have made it that time

Oh Canadian love, Canadian love
it’s either 40 below or it’s 90 above
and though it’s hard to be yearning
when you’re freezing or burning
like the dollar we keep falling—in Canadian love

Two True Stories About This Song:
1. In the old days of folk festivals, guys always seemed to get the sexy workshops like “Rebel Songs That Changed the World” and “Really Fast Train Songs with Lots of Instrumental Breaks So the Guys Can All Try to Out-Solo One Another,” while the gals got stuck with “Lugubrious Lullabies” or “Interminable Ballads about Masochistic Women Who Die on the Scottish Moors of Broken Hearts.”
When an artistic director asked me what workshops I’d like to be in for one festival, I said, “Anything but ‘Love Songs.’” On arriving at the festival, I found I was to host a workshop called “Canadian Love.” In mock revenge I dashed off this ditty.

2. The first two lines of the chorus actually made it into John Robert Columbo’s The Dictionary of Canadian Quotations, so, God help me, this may be the only thing that I’m remembered for.
Oh, and it was written during a recession, hence the line about the dollar falling; and before Canada went all metric, hence “90 above.” I came across my quote again in one of those teeny stocking-stuffer books of Canadiana and found the same two lines there, but an editor had amended the 2nd line to “It’s either 40 below or it’s 40 above.” Tsk tsk. That’s just editing gone anal!

Girl Who Can’t Say Yes

Music: Aaron Davis  Lyrics: Marie-Lynn Hammond

last year nearly all my friends got married
this year those remaining followed suit
well, I’ve learned to feign rapture
over what the photos capture
while secretly envying the
wedding present loot

and though I’ve had offers to tie the knot
and trot down the aisle to the altar
I must have some block
for when I look at that knot
you know it seems to turn into a halter

though I sometimes let myself fantasize
about honeymoons under Parisian skies
and I once went so far
as to think about buying a dress
but when it comes to the final reckoning
and that little love nest is beckoning
I bolt like a runaway pony in distress
I guess I’m just a girl who can’t say yes

and these days divorce and marriage
go together like a horse and carriage
though you were sure it was true love at the start
but what’s the use of saying “I do”
if two years later you’re through
even if you get to keep the Cuisinart!

and though I don’t believe any more that Mr. Right
is waiting to claim me some starry night
I can’t seem to make myself settle for anyone less
I guess, I’m just a girl who can’t say yes
ah, no
like Siamese twins
like a pair of shoes
like Noah’s menagerie
everyone comes in twos these days but me
I guess, I’m a just a girl who can’t say
I’m a just a girl who can’t say
I’m a just a girl who can’t say yes
ah, no

Le coffre à jouets

Music: Marie-Lynn Hammond   Lyrics: Marie-Lynn Hammond & Marie-Thérèse Hammond

français:
hier j’ai regardé dans leur coffre à jouets
ah si j’avais su tout ce qui m’attendait
une poupée endormie, étouffée de caresses
un ourson de velours tout bourré de tristesse
une étoile à la page de tous leurs
mon vieux cœur fait naufrage comme ce pauvre voilier

refrain :
et un rayon de soleil
une poignée de
adieu mes petits, adieu mes amours
adieu jeunesse

et des billes de cristal, souvenirs lumineux
coulent entre mes mains, comme des bijoux précieux
ensuite des timbres de tous les pays
venus par milliers se coller dans leurs vies
et les roses séchées de leur premières amours
un chapelet oublié qui attend leur retour

refrain

et un carnet fané qui retient ses secrets
un peu comme on a fait
et enfin un casse-tête qui manque des morceaux
un peu comme entre nous

refrain

Translation:
yesterday, I raised up the lid of their toy chest
ah, had I but known what awaited me there
a child’s sleeping doll, long smothered with kisses
a plush teddy bear, its stuffing all sadness
a star on each page of their school notebooks
and a sorry toy sailboat, shipwrecked like my old heart

chorus:
and a ray of sunlight
a handful of sadness
farewell my little ones, farewell my loved ones
farewell to youth

and crystal marbles, luminous souvenirs
slip through my fingers like precious stones
and next, stamps from all over the globe
come by the thousands to brighten their lives
the dried roses of their first loves
and a forgotten rosary that awaits their return

chorus

and a faded journal, withholding its secrets
somewhat as we too have done
and finally a puzzle with pieces gone missing
somewhat the way it has been between us

chorus

Where the Grey Sky Meets the Sea

Music: Marie-Lynn Hammond Lyrics: Elsie Kohl Hammond

as I sit and watch I long to be
out where the grey sky meets the sea
where the grey sky meets the sea
for I know there’s a place where dreams come true
where smiles are many and tears are few
where the grey sky meets the sea
and the beautiful deeds that we wish to do
will be given birth and we start anew
in that land of our dreams beyond the blue
where the grey sky meets the sea
where the grey sky meets the sea

Over Queen Charlotte Sound

Music & Lyrics: M.L. Hammond

over Queen Charlotte Sound
the lichen-covered rocks below are grey and rust-brown
foam on the water like filigree
sun scatters sequins of gold on the sea
and Ted with the logbook and his head bent down
while I’m holding her steady
over Queen Charlotte Sound

over the mountains now
valley after valley of smoky jade and shadow
snowy range rises against the blue
like a fantasy magic-lantern view
and we’re as tiny as a speck of dust on the screen
lost in a world no one’s ever seen
over the mountains now

engine droning
landing on some nameless lake
pontoons rocking gently on the water
drift in silence when we cut the motor
drift in silence
drift in silence

over Queen Charlotte Sound

Loving and Losing

Music & Lyrics: M.L. Hammond

moving together, drifting apart
like dancers at an old-fashioned ball
sometimes we meet, sometimes we miss
and never connect at all

you turn to me just as I turn away
so I quickly spin ’round but you’ve gone
both feeling sorry, both feeling hurt
out of step while the others dance on

chorus:
oh we’re loving and losing in three-quarter time
such a gracefully sad affair
so strike up the music, now pour out the wine
and show me someone who’s never been there

bridge:

sometimes loving the best that you can’s not enough
for the dance has a logic all of its own
one moment we’re whirling together as one
and the next I’m out on the dance floor alone

so moving together, drifting apart
in the quicksilver rhythms of chance
someday you’ll vanish forever, I know in my heart
but till then we’ve no choice but to dance

chorus

Elsie

Music & Lyrics: M.L. Hammond

Elsie was a beauty
and she was a wild one
the only time she pleased the family
was when she married a banker’s son

he enlisted in the Great War
there wasn’t time to stop and grieve
Elsie knit mufflers for the men at the front
and slept with the ones on leave

chorus:
Restless spirit, dance, dance on
maybe if you’d lived today
all that drive and passion
might have found a way
Elsie won’t you dance

Elsie took a notion
in nineteen-twenty-five
left her husband for the man who taught her
how to sail the skies

tea-time at the Empress
oh how the scandal runs wild
my dear I hear she’s in the family way
and they say it’s the flyer’s child

chorus

Together like outlaws into the heart of the North
Skeena Mountains, Bella Coola
Gypsy Moth flying where no one had flown before
Peace River, south Nahanni
hard drinking, fast-living, throttle wide-open
till the fast life laid him low
it was never the same again after he’d gone
no, it seemed there was no place left to go…

It ended on the highway
with the taste of whiskey and rain
for a moment she was sure he was there at her side
and they were flying again

hand-tinted photograph
of Elsie in her younger days
they say my sister’s got her eyes
but I’ve got her wilful ways

Restless spirit, dance, dance on
maybe if you’d lived today
all that drive and passion
might have found a way
Elsie won’t you dance, dance on
wherever you may be
can you see a part of you
the dance that’s in the heart of you
is still alive and thriving
flowing down through time to me

La jeune mariée

Music & Lyrics: M.L. Hammond

français:
quand j’étais jeune mariée
di de laï don
mon mari m’a dit
viens ici t’coucher
pis neuf mois plus tard
voilà un p’tit bébé
c’est une fille? ben oui
pas un garçon? ben non
di de laï don
pis faut choisir son nom
pis faut l’appeler Marie queq’chose

Marie-Cécile c’est un bon nom
appelle-la donc Marie-Cécile

Marie-Cécile di de laï don
Marie-Yvonne, Marie-Colette
Marie-Thérèse, Marie-Madeleine

(et finalement)
encore une fille? ben non!
c’est un garçon? ben oui
di de laï di
pis faut choisir son nom
pis faut l’appeler queq’chose de beau
appelle-le Joseph Jean-Marie
j’ai dit appelle-le Jean-Marie
Marie-Madeleine, Marie-Thérèse (etc.)
Joseph Jean-Marie – c’est un garçon!
di de laï don

English
when I was a young bride
my husband said
come to bed with me
and nine months later
there’s a little baby
is it a girl? well yes
not a boy? well no
so we have to choose her name
and we have to call her “Marie” something
so call her Marie-Cécile

Marie-Yvonne, Marie-Colette,
Marie-Thérèse, Marie-Madeleine

(then finally)
another girl? Well no!
it’s a boy? Well yes!
so we have to choose a splendid name for him
call him Joseph Jean-Marie
Marie-Madeleine, Marie-Thérèse (etc.)
Joseph Jean-Marie – it’s a boy!

Flying/Spring of ’44

Music & Lyrics: M.L. Hammond

he had twelve days leave when I met him in Montreal
we courted a week then got married
he wore his uniform
I wore my grey silk suit and a hat with a veil
my mother shook her head and said
you hardly know the boy

but it was spring of ’44
it was such a crazy time
and he seemed so brave
so full of glory
with his talk of planes and the sky
I remember him saying –

“Oh flying—
well the Hurricane she’s a damn fine plane
and I wish you could see all the boys and me
doing loops and dives in tight formation
chasing the wind
like eagles in the sun”

it was spring again when I went to meet his train
they sent him home a hero
with medals and that look in his eyes
and a cane—
I hardly knew him
and most nights he’d wake up shaking and scared
but he’d never tell me
what he was seeing

but it was spring of ’45
it was such a hopeful time
when he was finally on the mend
we’d sit on the porch
and he’d watch the sky
like he was looking for something

oh flying
sun on the silver wing
it’s so silent out there
like a blue cathedral
you can climb and climb
till the earth falls away
and you’re finally alone now
you’ve finally come home

well the doctors told him he could never fly again
but a hero’s a hero
and the Air Force takes care of its own
oh they let him fly a desk for thirty years
and except for the drinking
nothing much has changed
you know he’s still got his medals
and his aches and his pains
he’s still got his bad dreams
ah he’s still the same stranger I met
at the train

but there was a boy in ’44
he always talked of flying
and one day his plane took off
and you know, they’ve never come down
he’s still somewhere flying

oh flying
sun on the silver wing …