DESCRIPTION:
'Song for the Mira.' Contemporary folk song in the Celtic style, written in 1973 by Allister MacGillivray. Its lyrics speak of a longing for, and eventual return to, the serenity of the Mira River region of Cape Breton, NS. The song, published by Cabot Trail Music, was included in 1976 by John Allan Cameron on his LP Weddings, Wakes & Other Things (repackaged as Song For the Mira, Glencoe GMI-003). In 1979 'Song for the Mira' was the title piece of a folio of MacGillivray songs issued by New Dawn Enterprises of Sydney. A version released in 1980 by the Garrison Brothers on the LP Songs and Stories (Boot BOS-7214) proved the keynote interpretation locally, establishing the measured quality that has made the song something of an anthem in Nova Scotia.

This version is performed with Piano: Andy Slade, Violin: Sarah Tradewell, Bass: Casey Ryder and Tenor: Ken Lavigne

Lyrics
Out on the Mira one warm afternoon
Old men go fishing with black line and spoon
And if they catch nothing they never complain
I wish I was with them again

As boys in their boats call to girls on the shore
Teasing the one that they really adore
And into the evening the courting begins
I wish I was with them again

Chorus:
Can you imagine a piece of the universe
More fit for princes and kings?
I'll give you ten of your cities
For Marion Bridge and the pleasure it brings

Out on the Mira on soft summer nights
Bonfires blaze to the children's delight
They dance round the flames singing songs with their friends
I wish I was with them again

And over the ashes the stories are told
Of witches and werewolves and Oak Island gold
The stars on the river they sparkle and spin
I wish I was with them again

Violin solo

Out on the Mira the people are kind
They'll treat you to home-brew and help you unwind
And if you come broken they'll see that you mend
I wish I was with them again

And so I conclude with a wish you go well
Sweet be your dreams, may your happiness swell
I'll leave you here, for my journey begins
I'm going to be with them again
I'm going to be with them again