HOME I’LL BE
(Rita MacNeil 1991)

Rita MacNeil 1991 (with The Men Of The Deeps)

Rita MacNeil, a Canadian from Cape Breton, province of Nova Scotia, composes
music and lyrics together spontaneously before recording to tape and has over
200 BMI registrations in 38 years.

Of interest: The Men Of The Deeps are the only coal miners choir in North
America. They started singing in 1966 to celebrate the history of coal mining in
Cape Breton which began over 250 years ago. Their members comprise an ensemble
of coal miners and former miners all based in Cape Breton Island, Province of
Nova Scotia, Canada. A sample from this history notes that the miners in 1873,
were paid 80 cents a day to go underground (boys 65 cents).

The lyrics for this song express just how much love these miners have for their
home and family, despite their sometimes harrowing vocation.



I see the mountains, feel the salt air
I have reasons to behold
All the wonders that never cease to be.

You're as timeless as the water
You're as gentle as the fields
I caress you, oh Cape Breton, in my dreams.

And you never let the hard times
Take away your soul
And you stopped the tears from fallin’
As you watched the young ones go.

You're as peaceful as a clear day
You're as rugged as the seas
I caress you, oh Cape Breton, in my dreams.

And home I'll be
Home I'll be
Banish thoughts of leavin’
Home I'll be.

I see the blue lakes, feel the passion
I have reasons to believe
There are places that will bring you to your knees.

I hear voices, they are callin’
I have reason to pay heed
I caress you, oh Cape Breton, in my dreams.

And you kept your arms wide open
To let your children know
Wherever there is distance
The heart is always home.

You're as soulful as a choir
You're as ancient as the hills
I caress you, oh Cape Breton, in my dreams.

(Rita and The Men Of The Deeps)

And home I'll be
Home I'll be
Banish thoughts of leavin’
Home I'll be.

And home I'll be
Home I'll be
Banish thoughts of leavin’
Home I'll be.

Banish thoughts of leavin’
Home I'll be.



(Transcribed by David Story - October 2013)