RIDEAU CAROL

by David Rain

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Cypress Choral Music · Rideau Carol – by David Rain

featuring the Stairwell Carollers; director Pierre Massie

LYRICS

Bilingual lyrics (French/English):

(Refrain)

Chut, chut, chut, … chutes.

“Il est né, l’enfant est né,“

Chantent nos trois flûtes.

As the icy curtain descends,

Et “la Veille de Noël” daylight ends,

To the wise old Outaouais River, flow
Both frozen canal and rivière Rideau.

A child is born, this winter’s night.
Three flutes proclaim it, soft and light.

La joie de la nuit (no need to feel rushed)
Amène la paix, in tones most hushed.

Autour de la Colline et la grande Galerie,

Festive lights everywhere, and a giant Christmas tree.
We gaze at window scenes, of stables and crèches.
The Market’s alive, “All aboard” les calèches!

We ski, we skate, we slip and we slide,
Wassailing in stairwells, carolling with pride.
Mais l’hiver est long (of this we too sing)
Dreaming of the warmth that’s to come next spring.

English translation of bilingual lyrics:

(Refrain)

Hush, hush, hush, … waterfalls.

“He is born, the child is born,”

Sing our three flutes.

As the icy curtain descends,

And the Christmas Eve daylight ends,
To the wise old Ottawa River, flow
Both frozen Canal and River Rideau.

A child is born, this winter’s night.
Three flutes proclaim it, soft and light.

The joy of the night (no need to feel rushed)
Brings peace, in tones most hushed.

Around Parliament Hill and the National Gallery,
Festive lights everywhere, and a giant Christmas tree.
We gaze at window scenes, of stables and Nativity scenes.
The Market’s alive, “All aboard” the horse-drawn carriages!

We ski, we skate, we slip and we slide,
Wassailing in stairwells, carolling with pride.
But winter is long (of this we too sing)
Dreaming of the warmth that’s to come next spring.