I HAVE SOUL!

I play this song by The Band, for my classes in Advanced Placement US History. Why? I love the little pieces of history. This song is about a group of people, the Acadians, who were displaced in 1755 during the four French and Indians wars, the last ending in 1763. Many of these people ended up in Louisiana and are known today as the Cajuns. The song was written by Robbie Roberston whose wife was a descendant of the Acadians.

I joke with my classes that they have no soul. I ask if they have read the poem by Longfellow called Evangeline. It talks about the fate of the Acadians after being axpelled by the British. Evangeline searches the remainder of her life after being expelled from Acadia, to find her love, Gabriel. She finds him on his deathbed and kisses him as he dies. Most say they haven't read the poem. What a loss.

Have some soul. Read the poem.

Here are the lyrics to the song:

The war was over and the spirit was broken
The hills were smokin' as the men withdrew
We stood on the cliffs
Oh, and watched the ships
Slowly sinking to their rendezvous
They signed a treaty and our homes were taken
Loved ones forsaken
They didn't give a damn
Try'n' to raise a family
End up the enemy
Over what went down on the plains of Abraham

Acadian driftwood
Gypsy tail wind
They call my home the land of snow
Canadian cold front movin' in
What a way to ride
Oh, what a way to go

Then some returned to the motherland
The high command had them cast away
And some stayed on to finish what they started
They never parted
They're just built that way
We had kin livin' south of the border
They're a little older and they've been around
They wrote a letter life is a whole lot better
So pull up your stakes, children and come on down

Fifteen under zero when the day became a threat
My clothes were wet and I was drenched to the bone
Been out ice fishing, too much repetition
Make a man wanna leave the only home he's known
Sailing out of the gulf headin' for Saint Pierre
Nothin' to declare
All we had was gone
Broke down along the coast
But what hurt the most
When the people there said
"You better keep movin' on"

Everlasting summer filled with ill-content
This government had us walkin' in chains
This isn't my turf
This ain't my season
Can't think of one good reason to remain
I've worked in the sugar fields up from New Orleans
It was ever green up until the floods
You could call it an omen
Points ya where you're goin'
Set my compass north
I got winter in my blood

Acadian driftwood
Gypsy tail wind
They call my home the land of snow
Canadian cold front movin' in
What a way to ride
Ah, what a way to go