Pot on the Stove, a tribute to musician and Cape Bretoner Allan J. MacNeil, sung by Brad and Robert Nelson during the Folk Night at the Registry concert, Kitchener, Ontario, January 30, 2010. To view the lyrics click (more info).
Pot on the Stove, copyright Brad Nelson (c) 2010
Pot on the Stove
Brad Nelson (c) 2010
There's a house in Cape Breton, near a cove on the lakes
Just up from Iona where Grand Narrows breaks
All weathered white clapboard, and worn cedar shakes
On a hillside above Christmas Island
Where Allan MacNeil gathers wood from his lot
For a potbelly stove that he'll stoke till it's hot
And then boil some tea in a cast iron pot
To serve to his friends from the highland
Old Allan is one of the kindlier folk
He greets one and all with a laugh and a joke
No matter your lot, whether wealthy or broke
He always has room at his table
Now a man in his sixties quite set in his ways
He was nurtured on music in his younger days
In a Cape Breton family where everyone plays
With what talents God rendered them able
Chorus
There's music and laughter and dancing and song
You can throw off your cares as if nothing is wrong
As old Allan MacNeil, in his house by the cove
Adds another tea bag to that pot on the stove
And soon they arrive, some on foot, some in cars
Bringing fiddles, tin whistles, and lots of guitars
A few dress up nice, but most come as they are
And all bring their sons and their daughters
They play "kitchen music", it's simple and plain
Traditional tunes played again and again
And familiar old songs about love, joy, and pain
That echo out over the waters
All sit round the table as Allan pours tea
It's been brewing for hours and is black as can be
A tonic so strong it can make the blind see
Though side effects soon follow after
So there's whiskey and rum for the less daring few
And pints of brown ale for the beer drinkin' crew
And the kids pay no heed to the things grownups do
As long as there's music and laughter
Chorus
There's MacDonalds, MacKinnons, MacNeils by the score
MacGillivrays, McMasters, McGuintys and more
But your name makes no difference this side of the door
All are welcome as if they were kin
No need for occasions, though any will do
A wedding, a wake, any gathering of two
Or the day that you bottle whatever you brew
A caleigh is sure to begin
The fiddlers start first playing just what they feel
A hornpipe, a strathspey, a jig or a reel
Then the dancers jump in with a quick toe to heel
As everyone gathers around them
With the fiddles still playing the singers will start
Singing sea shanties, folk songs, and ballads with heart
There are solos and harmonies, some in four-part
The talent is clearly astounding
Chorus
Soon the music has captured the spirits of all
It flows from the kitchen, the parlour, and halls
It rolls off the ceiling, the floors, and the walls
With everyone feeling quite gaily
Old Angus Dundee plays his flute with his nose
While Mary Purcell plucks her harp with her toes
It's just silly and raucous and anything goes
A traditional Cape Breton caleigh
They'll gather in spring when the fog's on Bras d'Or
And in summer with warm hazy evenings galore
In the fall though they'll track muddy leaves on the floor
And in winter despite the fierce weather
Allan claims that his house may be flimsy and small
And for two hundred years may have threatened to fall
Though she's shaky and bent, she is still standing tall
It's the music that holds her together
Chorus
They say that is been like this since time began
In Cape Breton the music's just part of the land
It serves as the glue that binds neighbour to clan
It's the heart and the soul of the highland
In legend they say that you'll carry these ways
To wherever you travel for the length of your days
For whoever hears music and tarries or stays
Will make their way back to the island
Chorus...
Allan gathers more wood from the trees in his grove
For to kindle the fire 'neath the pot on the stove
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Photograph Albumby NelsonFolk10,167 views
A wonderful tribute to the great musician Allan J. was. Indeed his mom's home in Big Beach was the locale of numerous ceilidhs and kitchen parties where I had the pleasure of hearing some of Cape Breton's finest musical talent. It truly was a welcoming place where you could walk in and feel right at home.
pegmac2009 2 years ago
Hey Brad,
I"m Allan J's nephew, Stephan (son of Kenny and Mary). Is there any way I can get a copy of this song?
I know a bunch of MacNeil's who'd love to buy a CD with it.
Thanks for posting this.
windomearle 2 years ago